The purpose of this narrative research was to examine the musical paths of three music education majors enrolled in their first semester of aural skills at a large university. The semester-long, interview-based study centered on a theoretical framework of the reciprocal relationship between students' self-perceptions and their academic success. Their stories highlight the complex paths that led each of them to the same introductory college course; their experiences during the first semester; and their reflection on the meaning of the coursework for their growth as musicians and educators. Participants developed unique perceptions about their aural skills abilities during precollege musical training, carried them into undergraduate studies, and may perpetuate them through their future teaching. Recommendations for further research include investigation of the following: alignment between high school and college aural skills curricula, effects of music education majors' aural skills progress on their teacher education coursework, and music education majors' readiness to teach theory and aural skills.