Chamber music courses are known to be an effective instructional practice for classical music training, especially for developing and pre-professional musicians’ listening and cooperative communication skills. In most current chamber music classrooms in Chinese conservatories, the greatest potential of this training, which includes informal and cooperative group learning as well as self-directed learning, goes largely unrealized. In this study, preservice classroom interviews and observations of student groups were employed to investigate independent and informal chamber music learning experiences in three string quartets. Both enhancements and impediments to group work were explored, and the findings indicate that learning outcomes may vary greatly when sufficient scaffolding is not present. The findings of this study indicate that if a series of preparation classes are inserted early in the learning sequence, then many Chinese conservatory students show markedly improved skills in co-operative learning and independent rehearsing. The participants in this study developed a sense of community within a classroom that provided an open learning environment and facilitated discussion.