A good news story: Early-career music teachers' accounts of their “flourishing” professional identities

•Offers a better understanding of music teachers' developing identities.•Confirms that professional identities are related to perceived abilities as musicians.•Offers a new lens on early-career teacher socialisation incorporating positive psychology.

This paper explores early-career teachers' perceptions of their professional identities, and factors impacting on their success. Findings reveal that despite discussing experiences of isolation, heavy workload, exhaustion, and lack of work-specific skills, most of the teachers interviewed demonstrated a wide range of professional and personal skills associated with a positive outlook on life and career. This evidence of 'flourishing' in the lives of early-career teachers offers a new perspective on ways to approach support and preparation for the early years in the profession.