Insights from our youth consultation
In autumn 2022 and spring 2023, we initiated a youth engagement research project aimed at addressing barriers, needs, and aspirations of young musicians through engagement with young people aged 13 years and above. The focus was on children and young people’s musical experiences and preferences, wanting to learn more about their participation trends, and informing us about how we can develop our provisions to represent their musical interests. The project aimed to enhance engagement, support aspiring musicians, identify barriers to musical participation and explore the initial stages of creating a youth consultation board.
Our objectives were to:
increase engagement with young people
identify necessary music provisions for aspiring musicians
identify barriers preventing access to music provisions
explore the initial stages needed to create a youth consultation board to guide future initiatives.
Our approach
To gain valuable insights directly from children and young people, we sought feedback through:
Focus Groups
With the support of Roche Blair (young DJ and event producer) and Kayte Judge (arts consultant with expertise in equity, diversity, and inclusion) we held four focus groups across Central Bedfordshire. We invited young people to participate through social media, schools, our music centres, and lesson tutors, ensuring diverse representation. The focus groups included a mix of Inspiring Music and non Inspiring Music pupils, including a group from a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision.Survey
A survey was distributed via schools and we received 173 responses.
Our findings
There were a range of barriers to musical engagement, including:
financial constraints: cost of instruments and lessons
lack of resources: limited access to instruments and dedicated practice spaces
home and social situations: unsupportive environments and frequent relocations, especially for children in care
health and special educational needs specific barriers: physical and mental health challenges, along with sensory sensitivities
lack of confidence: self-belief is often more crucial than innate talent
inadequate musical offerings: limited variety and lack of inspiring role models.
Nurturing the needs of our inspiring musicians
Young people shared some valuable insights into what they felt was needed for a young person to become a musician, including:
skilled tutors: essential for providing guidance and honest feedback
peer collaboration: opportunities to make music with peers
accessible spaces: necessary for practice and performance
resources: instruments, digital tools, and financial stability
inspirational exposure: diverse musical genres and role models.
Improving our service
We asked young people what they would do if they ran our music service and clear themes emerged:
spaces to explore personal musical interests with adult support
music production access: high-quality equipment and courses
industry contacts: opportunities for work experience and industry engagement
well-being and fun: initiatives focused on making music enjoyable and stress-relieving.
Conclusion
A high majority of young people felt that music was important to them, that they enjoyed listening to music or had experience of learning an instrument and creating music. The youth consultation highlighted the importance of tailored, supportive, and inclusive musical opportunities. It emphasised the need for affordable access, skilled tutors, collaborative opportunities, and diverse inspirational exposure to nurture the next generation of musicians. With thanks to all the young people who took part, our findings will be vital to informing our strategies going forward to better support and engage young aspiring musicians.