In the context of Taiwan’s 12-Year Basic Education reform (108 Curriculum), which prioritizes digital literacy and learner autonomy, understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying technology adoption has become increasingly important. This study investigates how middle school students’ perceptions of digital tools influence their Self-Efficacy for Music Learning (SE) and Classroom Engagement (CE). Theoretically, this study constructs an integrated framework by synthesizing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). While TAM (Davis, 1989) traditionally posits that Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) determine technology usage intentions, we argue that in educational contexts, these perceptions also function as critical antecedents of psychological empowerment. Drawing on Bandura’s (1997) concept of self-efficacy and empirical findings by Zhou and Teo (2017), we hypothesize that when digital tools are perceived as useful and intuitive, they operate as instructional scaffolds that reduce learning anxiety and strengthen students’ beliefs in their musical capabilities (SE). Heightened self-efficacy, in turn, promotes deeper behavioral and emotional engagement in music learning (CE) (Fredricks et al., 2004). Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, valid data were collected from N = 299 Grade 7-9 students across three digitally active middle schools in Taiwan. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) demonstrated an acceptable-to-good model fit (CFI = .97; RMSEA = .084). Results indicated that PU is a robust predictor of SE (β = .895, p < .001), and that SE functions as a significant partial mediator between digital tool perceptions and classroom engagement (indirect effect ≈ .353). These findings validate the integrated TAM-efficacy framework, confirming that digital tools foster student engagement not merely through functional affordances, but by strengthening learners’ psychological competence. Practically, music educators are encouraged to adopt user-experience-centered digital tools and design efficacy-oriented learning scaffolds, thereby transforming digital music learning from surface-level application into deep and sustained participation.