This article discusses the results of a survey conducted by the author asking music teachers why they leave their jobs. The author compiled an e-mail survey and sent it to instrumental music teachers who were making plans to leave their jobs for new positions or to leave the music education profession entirely. In order to widen the pool of responses, the author asked each participant to forward the survey to acquaintances who also had left or were considering leaving their jobs. The author received eight responses, ranging from an elementary instrumental music teacher in his third year of teaching to a retired high school band teacher who had spent nearly thirty years in the profession. The responses provided detailed statements about the complicated lives of public school instrumental music teachers. After looking for thematic strands, the author discerned four general response categories: (1) difficult working conditions, (2) low salary, (3) public perceptions of teaching, and (4) low priority of music education within the school curriculum. Included in the article are: a Teacher Survey Guide and a list of MENC resources. (Contains 11 notes.)