A new research report by Youth Music of 1,001 young people aged 7 to 17 in England, shows that music is essential to their lives, significantly improving their wellbeing.
85% of young people said music made them feel happy, while 41% said it made them feel cool and 39% said it made them feel excited. Asked how they would feel if they had to go without music for even one day, most said they would be sad.
The Sound of the Next Generation is a new research report published by Youth Music, a charity in England which invests in music-making projects that help children and young people develop personally and socially as well as musically. The charity works particularly with those who don’t get to make music because of who they are, where they live, or what they’re going through.
The research found that music is young people’s favourite pastime, equal to gaming and ahead of sport, drama, dancing, and arts & crafts. Young people are drawing on music as a tool to support their wellbeing, and using it to change their emotional state, and regulate their mood.
Young people interviewed said they see music-making as a vital part of their lives – something which makes them feel worthwhile and helps explore their emotions.
The research also found:
- 64% of young people think they are musical, up from 48% in 2006.
- 97% of young people had listened to music in the last week. The respondents named 633 different artists spanning more than 300 different genres.
- 67% of young people make music.
- 30% of young people play an instrument – of which 25% said that they are teaching themselves and 23% have been taught by a friend or family member.
- 71% of 7-10 year old girls regularly sing.
- 19% of 16-17 year old young men make music on a computer.
Source:
Youth Music: https://youthmusic.org.uk/sound-of-the-next-generation
Music Education Works 