The path to becoming a music educator requires students to navigate significant technical, emotional, academic, and social demands. While resilience has emerged as a crucial trait for success in educational and performance settings, research on its role among collegiate music education majors has been limited. This original study examined how students perceive their resilience in the face of musical challenges, the factors that influence their resilience, and how reflecting on resilience may impact their self-perception. Grounded in Ginsburg and Jablow’s (2020) seven core components of resilience, a researcher-developed instrument, the Musical Resilience Scale (MRS), was administered to a national sample of 1335 undergraduate and graduate music education majors in the United States through the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Post-hoc reliability analysis indicated high internal consistency across the MRS subscales. Results revealed that students reported the highest resilience in the areas of connection and competence, while coping and control were more variable across the sample. Qualitative responses underscored the importance of supportive relationships, self-belief, and opportunities for meaningful reflection in fostering resilience. Notably, many participants reported feeling more optimistic about their ability to handle challenges after completing the survey, suggesting that structured reflection may have a positive influence on perceptions of resilience. Findings reinforce the belief that resilience is a dynamic, multifaceted construct that can be cultivated through both internal strengths and external supports. Given the emotional and professional demands of music education, educators and institutions are encouraged to integrate resilience-building strategies into curricula and mentorship models. This paper presentation contributes to a growing body of literature advocating for resilience as a teachable and essential skill for the long-term success and well-being of music education majors.