Instrumental ensemble music educators work with students from diverse learning, familial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. However, the ensemble setting does not inherently foster authentic relationships or create a safe environment for deep social and musical learning. As a result, students may lack opportunities to build meaningful connections and engage in rich musical experiences—elements that contribute to personal and academic flourishing. At Proctor Junior-Senior High School in Proctor, Vermont, my students come from varied backgrounds where connection often feels unfamiliar, communication is challenging, and academic learning is sometimes undervalued compared to other life demands. In response, I strive to create deeper musical and social learning experiences by incorporating the principles of Restorative Practices (Boyes-Watson & Pranis, 2015) and Compassionate Music Teaching (Hendricks, 2018, 2025) into my teaching practice with middle and high school instrumental ensembles. This study will examine how students in a secondary instrumental ensemble perceive and describe their experiences with a teacher who intentionally aligns their practice with Compassionate Music Teaching and regularly facilitates Restorative Practice activities. I aim to explore the emotional and relational impact of these approaches, students’ interpersonal connections, and their engagement within the ensemble. Using a teacher action research approach (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2020), I will collect data through student journals, classroom observations, field notes, and student interviews. I will also maintain a reflective research journal to document my thoughts, biases, observations, and pedagogical decisions throughout the study (Kemmis et al., 2014). Data will be analyzed through a narrative, holistic-content perspective (Josselson & Hammack, 2021; Lieblich et al., 1998) to understand how these pedagogical approaches influence students’ social and musical experiences. I anticipate that the findings will illustrate how daily engagement with Restorative Practices and Compassionate Music Teaching (Hendricks, 2018; 2025) can enhance student connection, foster musical growth, and support overall flourishing in the secondary instrumental ensemble context.