The purpose of the present study was to examine the perceptions of early-career music teachers regarding their preservice music education program, with respect to its success in developing competencies needed to be effective in school music classrooms. An online survey was completed by 101 school music teachers designed to elicit responses related to the following questions: (a) What are early-career music teachers' perceptions of their preparation for teaching in school music classrooms? (b) What aspects of their work do early-career music teachers find most challenging and rewarding? (c) What aspects of their preservice training do early-career music teachers perceive as most important for successful teaching in the early years of their careers? Most teachers expressed a need for more hands-on experiences, more discussion of pedagogical problems in a variety of settings, and classroom management. Implications for teaching and research are discussed.