Many musicians, particularly violinists pursuing a music degree at many institutions of higher education, are required to persistently study standard repertoire such as the works of J. S. Bach. While often considered timeless core repertoire, foundational to building musical expression and performance skills on the instrument, the music may offer limited preparation for relevance in an eclectic world. Additionally, some violinists may struggle to approach such centuries-old music with fresh ideas, novelty or self-expression—foundational principles of performance practice on instruments such as the drum kit and across jazz and popular musics (Sarath, 2013).New ways of imagining standard repertoire can lead performers into a fresh look at the “old” (Pillinger, 2006). Through this ethnographic self-study, I, a violinist, sought to understand how a musician’s approach to standard repertoire may be altered by playing with drums. I sought to observe how such a musical exploration may influence creative performance possibilities and musical enjoyment, more broadly considering how musicians may counteract burnout through unconventional explorations (Silvia & Kashdan, 2021) as part of sustainable lifewide lifelong learning (Jones, 2009).Method: With curiosity as guide (Silvia, 2017) the author practiced and rehearsed several selections from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for unaccompanied violin in four sessions, under the following conditions: alone, alone with a metronome, alone with a drum kit app (during each of sessions 1, 2 and 3), and together with a professional drummer (session 4). Each session was videotaped. The author journaled observations and reflections after each session, and open-coded all journaling after all sessions were completed. The following coding categories emerged: physical wellness, motivation and affect, judgment and critique, creativity (idea generation), and creativity (constraints). Results: Compared with “alone” and “metronome” conditions, the author observed the following in drum kit app and drum kit duet conditions: a twice-reported (two separate sessions) physical relaxation when playing to a drum kit app; more observed positive affect (facial expressions, audible expressions, verbal report) and measurably greater idea generation (volume and variety in performed material). The author also noted heightened concerns expressed over judgment, critique, tradition, and style in drum kit app and drum kit duet conditions. Implications for secondary and tertiary music education and musical creation will be discussed, especially barriers to and provocations of such a collaboration, including personal and professional challenges related to musical norms and stylistic authenticity (Moore, 2001).