The United States is currently experiencing a profound shortage of fully certified teachers, with shortages evident in almost every state in the nation (Tan et al., 2015). Underlying causes include declining interest among high school and college students in pursuing the teaching profession and teacher attrition, which accounts for the majority of the demand for teachers (Learning Policy Institute, 2025). Music teacher shortages often do not comprise the highest-need areas and are thus not typically a focus of discussions related to teacher shortages; however, they have persisted for more than a century (Maul, 1953; McNeill, 1907). Recent studies suggest that music teacher shortages are particularly severe in rural and urban schools, which often serve disadvantaged students (Hash, 2021; Shi, 2023). These schools frequently experience declining enrollment in music education programs (Hash, 2021; Miller, 2024), and high attrition rates (Shi, 2023) are prevalent.Research on how administrators and/or school districts are navigating music teacher shortages is largely nonexistent; therefore, anecdotes are the only means currently available to attempt to understand this problem. We wondered how administrators respond when they have vacant music positions and no certified teachers apply to fill those positions. The narratives suggest myriad ways that administrators are responding, but what do they value most? Perhaps they prized musicianship over knowledge of pedagogy, or were most concerned with the ability to manage a classroom.Through semi-structured interviews (Yin, 2014) with K-12 school administrators and recently hired music educators, we will aim to explore the possible compromises and support strategies involved with these hiring choices. We will examine the qualifications of the music educators hired, the reasons for their hiring, their perceived level of success in the position, and what supports they were provided and/or sought out. This ongoing research aims to gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of administrators and educators in these challenging circumstances and how administrators have adapted their hiring practices to respond to their current realities. Because the rate of vacant positions and either unprepared or underprepared educators disproportionately affects disadvantaged populations, addressing music teacher shortages is more than a mere staffing issue; it is a matter of educational equity and social justice.