The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between instrumental music teacher instructional approaches on student performance of expressive skills at the middle school level. The instructional approaches of: a) modeling only, b) verbal communication using technical explanation only, c) verbal communication using imagery and metaphor only, and d) no instruction, were compared for their instructional effectiveness. Participants (N=51) recorded two performances of two researcher-created melodies that included articulation, dynamics, and ritardando markings. The data were also analyzed to confirm previous research conducted on the effect of experience and instrument type on expressive skill performance. Data revealed no statistically significant relationships between these variables. Implications for middle school instrumental music teachers and future research on the topic are discussed.