The publicity material for the British Journal of Music Education states that the journal is ‘written by professionals for professionals’, and that claim is certainly true of this Special Issue, in which teachers in British conservatoires have taken up the challenge of becoming practitioner-researchers. By carrying out small-scale investigations in their home institutions, these authors demonstrate the multiple functions of educational research: to inform practice, to increase understanding of teaching and learning processes, and to develop the researcher him- or herself through critical reflection on students' and teachers' experiences.