This paper will discuss the processes and outcomes of a four-year investigation into teacher quality and explore its implications for music educators.The What’s the Evidence (WtE) project was an Australian cross-sectoral, multi-year project investigating the potential indicators of teacher quality and processes by which teacher quality may be measured (White & Simpson, 2025). The project involved local and international educators and researchers, with an emphasis on creating a robust construct of teacher quality with a solid research base. It aimed to look beyond teaching standards and pedagogical knowledge, and instead highlight the contextual, situated, and relational work of teachers. Our focus on creating a research-informed, holistic view of teacher quality has the potential to change how we communicate about teachers and build capacity and confidence in the teaching profession.In investigating teacher quality, we shifted our focus from teaching practices to considering what it means to be a teacher, including how we define ‘teacher’ as an individual and social identity. Prior research and practice in education shows that being a teacher requires cognitive processing abilities (Bardach & Klassen, 2020; Darling-Hammond, 2000), relationship-building abilities (Grönqvist & Vlachos, 2008), the ability to relate to others and be relatable (Klassen et al., 2018), and the ability to take personal responsibility for professional conduct (Klassen et al., 2018). These components provided the foundation for our investigation into teacher quality, the development and validation of a teacher quality construct, and the language to explore the complex nature of teacher identity. Teachers are ambitious, curious, empathic, resilient, and agentic - and it is important to advocate for such a diverse and valuable profession.The interplay between teacher quality and identity is particularly significant in music education, where emotional expression, collaboration, and aesthetic understanding are central to learning. Music teacher quality cannot and should not just be about what we know - it has always been about who we are as professional educators, the decisions we make about that knowledge, how we communicate it, and how we continue to reflect on the best way to enact that knowledge for the benefit of young minds. The qualities of excellent music teachers extend beyond pedagogical expertise; they encompass emotional intelligence, reflective practice, and the ability to foster inclusive, student-centred learning environments. This presentation will discuss the implications of the WtE project for music teacher quality and how we can define ourselves as educators.