Despite ostensibly sharing a common language, music education terminology as used in England and the United States has many different practical meanings and corresponding connotations. In this comparative study, the authors consider these differences in relation to whole-class learning of instrumental music, a comparative newcomer to the English system but well established in the US context. The authors describe and discuss learning instrumental music in each of these jurisdictions along with the concomitant assessment practices. Among the dissimilar educational requirements are composing in the UK as compared to civic engagement in the US. This and other differences result in educators conceptualising teaching and learning in substantially different ways and, more importantly, in maintaining contrasting underlying assumptions. The authors conclude that international collaboration and analysis of this topic need to account for these differences when comparing and contrasting instrumental music education programmes.