The purpose of this study was to identify the music skills and understandings that in-service early-childhood and elementary classroom teachers perceived as useful, regardless of whether the topics were studied in preservice music classes. Classroom teachers in schools in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., in which music specialists were present returned 159 responses. Using music to supplement other curricular areas, which 88% of the respondents perceived as being useful ranked first among useful skills and understandings. Other topics that the majority of respondents perceived as useful focused on providing singing, movement, listening, and creative experiences. The vocabulary load for the song should be appropriate to the proficiency level. For example, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” (1971) with its vivid imagery and possibilities for multiple interpretations – might be successful with an advanced level class. With other learners, however, its fast pace, obscure references, and lack of repetition could prove troublesome, as could the word inversion in lines such as, “There walks a lady we all know.