It is now well accepted that visual fixations are indicators of cognitive attention.[1] In fields as varied as aeronautics, soccer, chess, and reading, analyses of experts’ gaze behavior has revealed aspects of thinking that are otherwise inaccessible, even to experts themselves.Where and when individuals allocate attention while in pursuit of meaningful goals is a central feature of competence. The literature in situation awareness, for example, has shown that experiences shape attention through a process of reinforcement learning. [2]This finding is particularly consequential in relation to skill development in music and other disciplines, because it emphasizes the value (even the necessity) of curated experiences beyond mere didactic procedures that are intended to direct the development of skills in learners.Recent studies in music have revealed aspects of musicians’ and music teachers’ thinking that heretofore have not been fully characterized. [3] The current proposal synthesizes and builds on this research by analyzing attention allocation at various stages of musical development. In addition to our review synthesis extant data, we also test 40 instrumentalists whom we introduce to unfamiliar repertoire that is well suited to their levels of technical skill. We analyze their gaze behavior as they prepare to perform, as they perform, and as they reflect on their performances. The combined data synthesis demonstrates that, with increasing levels of skill, successful musicians unconsciously learn to focus on “big-picture” goals that guide their perceptions and actions. Most important is the fact that we observed differences in attention about which participants are consciously unaware. These observations suggest ways of organizing music learning experiences that not only shape physical behavior and perception, but that also shape thinking in ways that increase capacity in aspiring music learners and contribute to more successful and joyful music experiences.[1] Hayhoe, “Vision and Action.”[2] Endsley, “The Divergence of Objective and Subjective Situation Awareness.”[3] Heinsen, “Gaze Behavior Reveals Automaticity and Attention Allocation during Music Teaching vs. Observing”; Heinsen and Duke, “Gaze Behavior, Attention Allocation, and Automaticity of Expert Chamber Music Coaches”; Hicken and Duke, “Differences in Attention Allocation in Relation to Music Teacher Experience and Expertise”; Marcum, “Perceptual Acuity and Music Teaching.”