Bullying is commonplace in middle schools and is emerging as an antecedent to more serious, deleterious concerns including depressive or anxious symptoms among youth. While evidence in music education suggests that youth enrolled in music ensembles are targets for bullying and homophobic epitaphs, little is known about how experiencing bullying during early adolescence relates to perceptions of mental health or well-being. Using a qualitative methodological approach, I will examine the prevalence of bullying during early adolescence and its relationship to indicators of well-being including mental health and well documented protective factors.