Barriers to recruitment, admission, and long-term support for music teachers can exclude a broad range of potential teachers based on their musical practices, demographics, and cultural context. The National Association for Music Education has developed the “Blueprint for Music Teacher Profession” (Confredo, Abril, & Adderley, 2023) to address this issue in a systemic manner. Music teacher education primarily serves and is situated within a cultural milieu of most white, often middle-to-upper social class contexts (Elpus, 2015). In addition, music teacher education often serves and is bounded by norms from suburban contexts, often undeserving students from/who wish to return to rural and urban settings (Bates, 2018; Eros, 2018; Hunt, 2009). The “Blueprint” includes the critique of existing programs due to their lack of access, outdated admission processes, and the centering of western-classical arts musical practices. Yet, beyond the relatively recent “Blueprint,” there has been little in the way of models for addressing the barriers articulated above. To these ends, [University] had developed a donor-funded scholarship program intended to expand pathways and support for people from underserved populations into the music teacher education program.The purpose of this project is to explore and analyze the impact of broadening access to a music education program by eliminating certain barriers to entry. We outline a new recruitment/admission approach intended to expand access and support for underrepresented preservice educators, many of whom might not have seen a place for themselves in music teacher education programs nor as professional music educators. To these ends, we present a case study that draws perspectives from students who experienced the new admission process, faculty and support staff working with students, administrators, and donors who financially support the students’ tuition. Participants include the three undergraduate preservice teachers, four music education area faculty/staff, four administrative faculty and staff members, and the two donors. Each group was interviewed in the form of a focus group, with the undergraduate teachers engaging in two focus group interviews. We also included reflective writing from the preservice teachers developed through the course of the year as part of the scholarship agreement. Emergent themes include: A) identifying barriers, B) desire for structural change, C) embracing the unknown, and D) the role of interest convergence.