This article reviews relevant literature to provide a rationale for the use of collaborative learning for first year music practice courses at an Australian regional university. Higher music education is still grappling with the challenges posed by the Dawkins Review and ongoing reforms in the sector. These challenges include increased public accountability, budget cuts, larger and more diverse student cohorts, and a need to prepare the majority of students for portfolio careers. The rise of participatory culture poses additional challenges to the nature and purpose of today's higher music education. Recently, increased interest in the use of collaborative learning has emerged as a way to respond to these challenges. In this article, the decision to implement collaborative learning at an Australian regional university is supported by an examination of the ways in which these systemic, institutional and cultural forces manifested as pedagogical challenges in this context. Theoretically, the introduction of collaborative learning is framed by Wenger's social theory of learning and the literature on collaborative learning. Recent research also demonstrates the benefits of collaborative learning for higher music education. More than a budget-saving measure, this article posits that collaborative learning can be an effective alternative or supplement to existing pedagogical models in certain higher music education contexts.