As we begin another exciting year of music-making, Sutton Music Trust (SMT) remains committed to helping every young person make, be inspired by, and celebrate the music they love. Listening to young people and putting their voices at the heart of our work is a key part of that mission.
As we begin another exciting year of music-making, Sutton Music Trust (SMT) remains committed to helping every young person make, be inspired by, and celebrate the music they love. Listening to young people and putting their voices at the heart of our work is a key part of that mission.
Each year we invite pupils in Years 6, 7 and 8 to complete our What Music Means to You survey. The survey helps us understand the music they enjoy, how they engage with and make music in and out of school, and what opportunities they would like to see available in the future.
This year, 3,009 young people from 44 schools completed the survey, giving us a fascinating insight into the musical lives of children and young people across Sutton.
How important is music in your life?
Once again, the message from our young people was clear: music matters.
We asked students to rate how important music is to them on a scale from 1-10, with 10 representing the highest level of importance. Across Years 6, 7 and 8, the most common response was 10, with more than a quarter of pupils in every year group choosing the highest possible rating. For Year 8 students, we saw almost 30% selecting 10.
We also asked whether music is more important to them now than it was a year ago. Once again, responses were heavily weighted towards the top of the scale, showing that for many young people music is becoming an increasingly important part of their lives.
We asked our pupils to describe how music makes them feel. Common responses included words such as happy, calm, relaxed, excited, and energised, highlighting the powerful role music plays in supporting wellbeing, self-expression and regulating emotions.
What are your favourite types of music?
We asked children to rank ten different musical genres in order of preference.
Again, just as in previous years, pop music was the clear favourite. Around 40% of pupils across the three year groups ranked pop as their number one choice. Pop music was 2-3 times more popular for girls than boys.
Beyond pop, the results revealed a rich diversity of musical tastes. Rap and Hip Hop and Electronic Dance Music were particularly popular, especially among boys, while Musical Theatre continued to score strongly, particularly among girls.
Every genre received support from at least some pupils. From classical music and opera through to world music, jazz, folk and rock, the responses show that Sutton’s children and young people have broad musical tastes.
Making Music
The survey also explored how young people actively engage with music.
66% of respondents said that they regularly make music, an encouraging and significant increase from around 50% in the previous year’s survey.
Children told us they make music in many ways, including singing, playing instruments, taking music lessons, creating music on computers and devices, and participating in school ensembles.
Many pupils also used the survey to tell us about the instruments they play, with piano and guitar receiving frequent mentions.
What would young people like to see next?
When asked what musical opportunities they would like to try in the future, pupils offered a wide range of ideas.
Popular suggestions included:
- More opportunities to play in orchestras and bands
- Musical theatre workshops
- K-Pop activities
- Music technology and production
- Opportunities to meet other young people with similar musical interests
- More inclusive and accessible groups
- Additional performance opportunities
Many responses highlighted something that goes beyond the music itself: young people want opportunities to connect with others who share their interests and to feel part of a musical community.
SMT are proud to start meeting the demand for Musical Theatre; we ran our first course in the summer holidays. You can read more about that by clicking clicking here.
Looking ahead
The findings from this year’s survey reinforce what we already know: music plays a hugely important role in the lives of children and young people. It helps them express themselves, build friendships, develop confidence and support their wellbeing.
As we continue to develop our programmes, ensembles, choirs, workshops and events, we will keep listening carefully to what they tell us. We will also continue to work with our Youth Forum to ensure we continue to provide more musical opportunities for our children and young people that are inspiring, engaging and relevant.
Thank you to every pupil and school that took part in this year’s survey.
#MakeMusicWithUs