The purpose of this research study was to examine the influence African American students' prior music experiences and peer mentoring relationships had on persistence in undergraduate music programs at Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs). There is minimal existing research that focuses on African American students from urban music programs that have found success as an undergraduate in HBCU music courses. HBCUs have a rich history of strong participation within their music programs (viz., marching and jazz bands), but there is little research that demonstrates how students' participation contributes to their development and course completion. The research question was do prior K-12 music education participation and peer mentoring predict persistence for African American students enrolled in undergraduate music courses at HBCUs? A quantitative method was used with a predictive, correlational design. The sample for this study was 143 current HBCU undergraduate students. The results of a logistic regression indicated that prior music experience and peer mentoring did not predict persistence in music courses for African American students at HBCUs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]