This paper describes the authors' journey in designing a linear representation that aligns mathematics and music to support fractional reasoning. The three authors, guided by the theoretical framing of realistic mathematics education, engaged in a task design process over a 12-month period to develop integrated resources. Data were collected in the form of Zoom meeting recordings, among other sources. This paper describes some key findings from a narrative analysis of this process. We posit that the contribution is twofold--methodological insight of a task design journey and findings around the obstacles and resolutions of aligning representations across mathematics and music, despite the obvious confluence.