Investigating young people's engagement with music through technology in formal and informal settings

This paper describes a new study investigating young people’s attitudes to and engagement with music to explore how these relate to choices about studying music. The research takes an innovative approach to developing an understanding of a young person’s musical world that is holistic, by encompassing engagement with music through technology across everyday and academic settings. In so doing the research addresses gaps in current understanding about young people’s engagement with music by including the full range of consumption, sharing and creation practices inside and outside of school. It also extends research into digital media creation that to date has focused on video and text-based cultures. Importantly, the study investigates claims made about how information and communication technology is changing engagement with music and consider the implications for school-based music education.