Music-talented programs in Taiwan are designed to cultivate musical expertise through intensive and specialized curricula (Wu, 2022). Music learners, in addition to the academic and social pressures faced by general students, often devote substantial time to musical activities such as individual practice, private lessons, commuting for instruction, and ensemble rehearsals, which frequently reduce opportunities for leisure and relaxation (Sternbach, 2008). Within Taiwan’s music-talented programs specifically, such intensive requirements create persistent challenges in balancing academic and performance achievement (Zhang, 2005; Wei, 2013). Musical major instrument learning, defined in curriculum guidelines as the core of music programs and delivered through one-to-one instruction requiring students to demonstrate independent performance and interpretive ability (Ministry of Education, 2019, 2021), is also closely tied to examinations and advancement, making it a significant source of stress (Chuang, 2001-2002). Previous investigations further revealed that self-imposed expectations were the most salient pressure among high school music majors, yet students rarely sought support from school counseling systems (Pai, 2018-2019, 2020-2021).Building on earlier studies(Pai, 2018-2019, 2020-2021) that identified five major dimensions of stress—personal, performance, peer, teacher, and family—this research developed a Learning Stress Scale for High School Music Majors. A modified Delphi method was employed to gather and consolidate expert opinions from music educators and high school music teachers, with the aim of reviewing, refining, and confirming the scale items to ensure content validity. The resulting instrument was evaluated through administration to students from multiple high school music programs across Taiwan to test its reliability and validity. Preliminary results indicate that the scale demonstrates strong psychometric properties and effectively captures the distinctive stressors experienced by music majors.This study provides a standardized and contextually grounded tool that can assist educators, counselors, and policymakers in detecting students under high stress and offering timely support. More broadly, it underscores the importance of considering wellbeing alongside artistic training in specialized music education, ensuring that the pursuit of musical excellence does not come at the cost of students’ mental health.