BackgroundChamber music participation amongst young string players is increasingly common, offering benefits to instrumental development, musicianship, and musical engagement (Bussu & Mangiarulo, 2024; Kokotsaki & Hallam, 2011; Sacks, 2016). While chamber music study in higher education has been the subject of research (Doğantan‑Dack et al., 2022; Sætre & Zhukov, 2021), a significant gap exists in pedagogical approaches for pre-tertiary string chamber music. The field lacks comprehensive frameworks articulating developmental stages of proficiency and robust methods for teaching string chamber music from beginning to advanced levels.AimThis paper reports on the design of a Chamber Music Methodology (CMM) for teaching string chamber music to pre-tertiary students. The CMM articulates proficiency stages through learning progressions (Strauss et al., 2022) and is supplemented by learning activities and purposefully designed repertoire. MethodologyThis project employs an Educational Design Research (EDR) methodology, simultaneously contributing theoretical knowledge and practical solutions (McKenney & Reeves, 2018). The exploratory phase combined a literature review with a survey of Australian string chamber music teachers that collected data on current practises and challenges. This informed the construction phrase: designing the CMM. The model interconnects content knowledge and skill development threads. Content knowledge threads address timing, intonation, and sound matching, while skill threads include musical independence, critical listening and evaluation, problem-solving, communication, and rehearsal strategies. These progressions provide sequential learning objectives that support the development of both technical proficiency and musical agency, aspects that mutually reinforce chamber music development. The design process is iterative through participant feedback before, during, and after a trial period with chamber music teachers using the framework and CMM materials. Evaluation through analysis of qualitative data from semi-structured interviews addresses the research question: what is the impact of the CMM and its materials on pre-tertiary string chamber music teaching in Australia?FindingsResults will examine the impact of the CMM on teachers’ pedagogical approaches in pre-tertiary chamber music ensembles. Empirical validation of the learning progressions (Duncan & Hmelo‑Silver, 2009), activities, and repertoire will be investigated, plus the perceived impact on teacher confidence, student performance, engagement, and framework useability. Future applications of the CMM will be explored.ImplicationsThis research contributes to music education by providing a novel sequential development framework for string chamber music learning from beginning to advanced levels. It will inform pedagogical approaches, curriculum design, school music programs, and assessment practices.