The purpose of this comparative case study is to explore the recent use of phenomenological inquiries in music education articles published in five selected journals listed in Thomson Reuters Web of Science between 2012 and 2015. The five music education journals are "The British Journal of Music Education," "Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education," "International Journal of Music Education," "Journal of Research in Music Education" and "Music Education Research." An interpretative philosophical worldview and a qualitative research design informed this research. By employing a constant comparative method and analysing 480 articles, the findings of this study revealed that phenomenological inquiry is the third most preferred strategy of inquiry by music education researchers. A heuristic model was developed as an interpretive tool to analyse the data. Although phenomenology is a strategy of inquiry that has a lot to offer music education, several concerns emerged over the quality and proper use as some studies evinced deficiencies regarding the clarity of the research design and disclosure of research procedures.