String Quartet Lessons as a Catalyst for Technical and Interpretive Development in South African University Violinists

String quartet playing is widely recognized as central to the development of ensemble skills and interpretive awareness; yet, it remains underutilized within South African university music education. This qualitative action research study, situated within an interpretivist–constructivist paradigm, investigated the potential benefits of structured string quartet instruction for university-level violin students in South Africa. Over 3 months, data were generated through field notes, video-recorded observations, and semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis of the results indicated that structured string quartet instruction substantially enhanced the technical, interpretive, collaborative, and performance-related psychological development of student violinists. Furthermore, participation within the string quartet environment fostered performance confidence and emotional regulation among the participants. Although limited in scope, the findings provided evidence that structured string quartet instruction offered a pedagogically rich framework for developing technical, interpretive, and performance-related psychological skills in university violinists. It is recommended that structured string quartet instruction be included as a core component of university violin curricula in South Africa.