Joining alone: factors that influence the musical participation of young adults after leaving school

When young people leave the musical world of their school environment, a lack of clear routes into adult musical engagement brings a risk of wasted ability, motivation and enjoyment, which arguably undermines the value of music education. This study explored the factors that influence continued musical participation among young British adults who had been actively engaged in school music. Musical participation is defined in this research as group music-making in either a formal or informal setting. Participants (n = 102) completed an online questionnaire or were interviewed (n = 6) about their past and present musical experiences along with future expectations for music-making. The stark headline finding was that while 87% of participants had intended to continue with music-making beyond school, only 48% had found groups to join. Nonetheless, 78% expected to continue with music-making in the future. Our research therefore suggests that any break from musical participation need not be permanent for individuals who have established strong musical identities through their early experiences. To conclude, we present a model of lifelong musical participation that illustrates the influences, motivations and choices that contribute to sustained musical engagement.