Developing effective parent–teacher relationships in music lessons is important for the well-being and learning outcomes of the learners. The aim of this collective case study was to explore the relationship between teachers and parents of pre-school children in group music lessons in the Klang Valley, which is an area in West Malaysia centred on Kuala Lumpur. It includes the neighbouring cities and towns in the state of Selangor. Interviews were conducted with nine parents and three teachers of three group music classes for pre-school children. The results point to the values and attitudes that parents and teachers hold and the interactions between them that both encouraged and discouraged parent–teacher partnerships, which are relationships where trust, reciprocity, mutuality, shared goals and decision making are essential characteristics.

Nanophyes shoreae is a pre-dispersal fruit-predator of several species of Dipterocarpaceae. The timing of oviposition of this weevil was monitored in six trees in Pasoh Forest Reserve, West Malaysia from September 1986 to February 1987. A flowering event occurred during this period. Oviposition started within 12 days after peak anthesis, and continued within any one tree for 11–39 days. Host trees of N. shoreae flowered over a 75 day period. Intra-specific flowering synchrony was high but different species flowered sequentially. The behaviour of N. shoreae and the period of the oviposition ‘window’ strongly suggest that this pre-dispersal fruit-predator ‘tracks’ the sequence of flowering shown by its host species. The implications for predator satiation through mass-flowering of the Dipterocarpaceae are discussed.