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Abstract The current study is a survey of the achievement goals of music students and the manner in which their strategies and instrumental performance relate to these goals. In the context of advanced instrumental learning, the rationale for the present study was to contribute to the literature on motivation in music students, and thereby, help teachers to support students in order to engage in more effective practice. The participants were 130 first-year music students (71 women and 59 men) from six music academies/conservatoires. Factor analysis revealed three factors: ability-approach goal; ability-avoidance goal; and task goal. Significantly, low correlations were found between task goal and learning strategies; and between ability-avoidance goal and learning strategies. Achievement goal orientation variables were not correlated with instrumental achievement. In terms of education, the results described in this article imply that advanced students have the potential to improve and regulate their achievement goal orientations during instrumental learning. Keywords: motivation in musiciansself-regulated learningadvanced music studentsinstrumental achievementachievement goalsadvanced instrumental learning Notes 1. In the present article the term 'ability goal' is used instead of the term 'performance goal'. In accordance with Smith (Citation2005, 52), the term 'performance goal' is not used as it could be misunderstood by musicians for whom 'performance' does not necessarily imply comparison with others. 2. The description of the factor-analysis follows the example given by Bråten and Str⊘ms⊘ (Citation2005). Bråten and Str⊘ms⊘ are both members of the research group of the main project that the present study is part of.