In music education, the marked underrepresentation of the Latiné population, despite its significant presence in the United States landscape, remains a persistent concern. Addressing the limited participation of Latiné students in music education, particularly in undergraduate programs, is critical to elevate their potential as valuable contributors to the field. However, limited research exists about Latiné undergraduate educators. Therefore, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the educational experiences of five first-generation Latiné undergraduate music education students attending college in the United States. Two participants attended Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), while three attended Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). In this study, “educational experiences” refers to the continuity of interactions, events, situations, or activities that assist in the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, or understanding. I investigated participants’ perceptions of their previous and current musical experiences to examine how ethnic identity, social context, and musical experiences within the university program were interconnected. Data generation occurred throughout the Fall 2024 academic semester, including semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, participants’ self-narratives, and personal artifacts. Trustworthiness was supported through triangulation, prolonged engagement, thick descriptions, member checking, and reflective practices to manage my own subjectivity. The analytical inductive methods employed were the data analysis spiral and the constant comparative method, which revealed nuanced themes across institutional contexts. Cross-case analysis revealed convergence across institutions, with participants describing how institutional contexts often failed to fully account for the diversity within Latiné identities. Participants shared their experiences as first-generation Latiné academic musicians, highlighting their strengths and challenges. Across cases, participants noted a disparity between their academic and musical readiness, which shaped their collegiate music experiences. Despite this, participants across contexts demonstrated strong, purpose-driven persistence that impacted their experiences and future aspirations as music educators. Additionally, participants across institutional contexts described the internal deliberations that influenced their self-perception. To deepen interpretation, I drew upon three analytical frameworks: Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005), Latiné Critical Theory (LatCrit), and the Persistence Framework (Swail et al., 2003). In light of participants’ contributions, I propose expanding Yosso’s (2005) framework to include Artistic Capital, Self-Perception Capital, and advocating further investigation of Spiritual Capital. The findings underscore the need for research to foster a broader appreciation of Latiné individuals’ and communities’ cultural wealth as central to wider notions of excellence, belonging, and persistence. Such recognition may contribute to diversifying the music education field and enriching the cultural landscape of school music programs. Reviewer comments: #1266 1. The case boundary is clear; you might make the field-level gap and this study’s specific contribution a bit more explicit; 2. The design fits well; consider briefly noting trustworthiness procedures and cross-case steps to enhance transparency; 3. The interpretation reads coherently; adding a few micro-evidence cues and at least one explicit HSI/PWI contrast may further increase concreteness and persuasiveness.