The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to examine the ways an elementary general music teacher's curricular beliefs and practices influence the expression of "music in identity" and "identity in music" for second-generation students. In addition to the music teacher, participants were 4 students whose families had immigrated to the United States from Mexico and who were attending the midwestern suburban school within the United States where the study took place. This research was designed to provide an understanding of the interactions between the roles of music instruction, cultural responsiveness, and musical identity. Within-case and cross-case analysis generated specific and broad themes that addressed the purpose of the study. The findings revealed that the role of the teacher's view of the self as musician and educator, combined with the choice of instructional approach, created a music classroom environment that successfully met the teacher-directed goals for sequence-centered instruction. Nonetheless, the data revealed that the choice of instructional approach resulted in an isolated musical experience that did not support the integration of cultural, linguistic, and popular music experiences and largely ignored issues of cultural responsiveness. (Contains 5 notes.)