Anecdotal evidence suggests that many schools in rural areas, do not operate classroom music programs due to a shortage of qualified staff and with access to tertiary music education rapidly diminishing in regional Victoria, there is little indication that the situation will improve. This paper reports on a mixed methods research project that shows numbers and types of music programs operating in rural primary schools and universities, then how music teachers perceived their roles and undergraduate preparation for music teaching. The findings show that tertiary specialist music education has all but disappeared from regional Victoria. Principals are struggling to find staff to teach music in their schools and only a small percentage of responding music teachers were qualified specialists. Pre-service training in music is seen to be lacking in both quantity and quality and teachers are highly critical of the placement of music within the Arts Key Learning Area particularly when it comes to reporting. The article concludes that despite the arts' inclusion in the new "Australian Curriculum", Victorian primary schools students will not have equality of access to music education until there is an increase in status/funding of music education and accordingly, in the number of music teachers being educated. (Contains 4 figures and 3 tables.)