Music’s historical role in fostering a Western European identity as part of the colonial project in Canada can be traced across school music textbooks (e.g., Whiting, 1912), song collections (e.g., 1924 Canadian edition of Twice 55 Songs: “Music Unites the People”), and the use of wind bands and pipe bands in Indian Residential Schools (e.g., Cariboo Indian Girls’ Pipe Band). Changes to immigration policy in 2017 have led to dramatic changes in Canadian demographics. In 2024, Canada experienced the highest rate of immigration since 1972. On its face, Canada’s official policy of multiculturalism respects the values of people from all cultural backgrounds. Canadian reactions to existential identity crises posed by recent U.S. threats to Canadian sovereignty, however, highlight underlying questions about what exactly defines a “Canadian” identity (see Veblen, 2012). This paper presentation shares the results of a study examining the cultural beliefs and values of music teachers in the Greater Toronto Area. The research question guiding the investigation was: What long-term implications do espoused beliefs and reported practices of music teachers hold for the future of national identity and the sustaining of cultural ways of life in Canada? A stratified sampling strategy was employed to identify teachers in various contexts. Interviews (N = 42) of approximately one hour were conducted over Zoom based on an interview protocol that asked teachers to describe their teaching contexts, backgrounds, espoused educational values, and Canadian identity in music teaching. Codes for analysis (N = 38) were organized into four categories: teacher background, current context, structure and pedagogy, and teaching values.Questions about Canadian identity in music provoked wide-ranging reflections. Teachers wrestled with how to represent Canadian music when their training has been rooted in Western art music traditions. They expressed frustration at the lack of professional development that would better allow them to serve students while honouring curriculum mandates and expectations. Responses referenced diversity, multiculturalism, Indigenous artists, Canadian-born pop stars, hyphenated identities, composers, and local talent, but they frequently fell back on stereotypes or vague multicultural notions. These patterns appeared consistent across teaching contexts - school district, economic status, elementary or secondary level, gender identity, and years of experience. Issues of multiculturalism and national-cultural identity in and through music education are not unique to Canada (Hebert & Kertz-Welzel, 2010). The results of this study have implications for all music educators struggling to reconcile their cultural-musical competence with the diversity of their classrooms.