Survey into Kids Musical Apathy Launched

The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music has launched a new survey looking into children's reasons for starting or stopping playing musical instruments. The survey, entitled Social and Motivational Factors Influencing Young People's Participation and Achievement in Music, is to be carried out by a team from the Psychology Department of Keele University.

The project will track about 1,000 young people receiving state funded schooling over two major changes in their school life - the shift from primary to secondary school and the later point at which music ceases to be a compulsory element of the National Curriculum.

The research aims to discover how young people's feelings and attitudes concerning music, musicians and the support received from teachers, parents and peers affects the likelihood of taking up an instrument and continuing with it as they grow older.

The recent launch of the project was attended by a range of organisations, including the Associated Board, which form a User Feedback Group for the project. This group has been formed to help ensure that the project addresses issues of relevance to music practitioners, and to assist with the dissemination of results to key constituencies and policy makers.

For further information, check out the web site for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

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