In January 2022, music teacher shortages accounted for eight percent of all vacancies in U.S. school systems. After emerging from COVID-19 lockdowns, many education stakeholders began to reconsider the ways in which teaching and learning have shifted. By committing to a strong understanding of teacher self-efficacy and empowerment, administrators and stakeholders would better safeguard teachers from leaving the profession. Therefore, I examined whether music educators' professional characteristics and school type impact teacher self-efficacy and empowerment. Participants in this study consisted of K-12 music teachers (n = 78) within Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas schools. The questionnaire incorporated previously-validated measures of teacher self-efficacy and empowerment. I used multivariate statistical analyses to determine if teachers' professional characteristics and school type (traditional public, private, and charter) predicted self-efficacy and empowerment in the classroom. I found that gender, race, school type, and educational attainment were not strong predictors of teachers' self-efficacy. However, experience level was a strong predictor of teachers' self-efficacy. Also, I found that none of the variables strongly predicted teachers' perceived empowerment. Therefore, I suggested prospective research areas in which teacher empowerment and self-efficacy beliefs in music education could be investigated. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]