“Blending in”

This article explores how competencies associated with music therapy improvisation may inform participant observation as a relational research practice. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in two school revue settings in Norway, the study examines how a music therapist–researcher built trusting relationships with adolescents aged 16–19 through participant observation over a six-month period. The material consists of field notes and audio memos, together with individual and group interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that trust emerged through four interrelated relational themes: blending in, modesty, self-disclosure, and hesitations. Across these processes, the researcher continuously adjusted her presence and participation in response to subtle interpersonal cues, group dynamics, and ethical considerations. In the discussion, the themes are interpreted in light of music therapy improvisation, showing how competencies such as sensitivity to timing, responsiveness, and relational restraint shape trust-building in fieldwork. The article contributes to music therapy by illustrating how competencies developed through improvisation mayextend beyond clinical settings and inform relational research practices. At the same time, it contributes to qualitative research more broadly by demonstrating how such competencies may function as methodological resources in participant observation.