This study was undertaken to investigate the characteristics of studio music practitioners (SMP) in regional, rural, and remote (RRR) areas of Australia in 2022. Investigation into scholarly research of the pre-tertiary RRR one-to-one context provides little insight compared to the tertiary focused investigations prominent both in Australian and global literature. Generally, however, the studio music education (SME) research highlights a context that is affected by isolation (Burrows, 2020; Burwell et al., 2019; Klopper & Power, 2012; McPhee, 2013), power dynamics within the one-to-one dyad (Carey et al., 2013b), teacher/student relationships (Burwell, 2016; Gaunt, 2009), and pedagogical training gaps (Carey et al., 2013). The SMP’s voices in this doctoral study have provided valuable insights into these identified pressures.This presentation outlines themes revealed from semi-structured interviews with SMPs in RRR areas of the state of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia and seeks to provide insights into this unique SME context. The interviews began with, “Tell me about your background as a SMP.” Rich, conversational accounts detailed that most participants’ emergence into studio music teaching alongside their musical development. Using narrative analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), the interviews were coded (Ayton & Craig, 2023) and resulting themes examined. Narrative analysis was used as it provides participant agency, holds multiple layers of meaning and depicts the lived experiences of participants. The resulting data illuminates the many pathways SMPs took into their SME contexts.The interviews indicated a nuanced and complex environment in which these SMPs operate, and highlight elements already identified in the literature. For example, instruction to beginner students by the participants of the study may have defaulted to a traditional master/apprentice model due to environmental factors. However, as the interviews progressed, many participants also expressed a learner centred approach with adaptability prominent in their teaching trajectory.Understanding this sample of NSW SMPs perspectives on their SME beginnings, reveals personal identity and strong reflective qualities around their teaching affordances, challenges and practices. Identification of themes from the interviews could inform targeted professional learning to help beginner SMPs enter the industry without continuing transferal of pedagogical approaches. Encouragement of a more student-centred practice and professional development in these RRR contexts may also occur. This study provides initial evidence for the one-to-one context in RRR settings in NSW and may provide opportunity for further research leading to stability in quality assurance, greater funding support and potential cultural developments inside the music communities represented.