The potential for music programs to promote psychosocial wellbeing in mainstream schools is recognised in both policy and research literature. Despite this recognition, there is a dearth of consistent research evidence supporting this link. Authors attribute this lack of consistent evidence to limitations in the areas of research design and method, as well as the attributes of school music programs investigated. In order to further explore and identify challenges in these areas, two critical reflection analyses were undertaken on the research methods and musical programs used in two Australian studies. One analyses identified several important challenges of reporting psychosocial wellbeing related to methodology, while the other identified challenges related to music program attributes. This article uses these identified challenges to present recommendations to inform the design of future research which aims to explore or demonstrate a link between musical participation in mainstream schools and psychosocial wellbeing. It also suggests a number of elements that should be considered for the design and delivery of music programs aimed at achieving such benefits students in mainstream schools.