Recent qualitative research has shown that less musically engaged listeners are less aware of the ways in which they use music than highly engaged listeners (Greasley & Lamont, 2006

This article examines the perceived and documented problems of school music, particularly at secondary level, through a study of young people's music in and out of school. Four issues are explored: teachers' approaches to music in school; pupils' levels of engagement in musical activities in and out of school; pupils' attitudes to music in and out of school; and pupils' aspirations in music. A Pupils' Music Questionnaire was administered to 1,479 pupils in Years 4, 6, 7 and 9 (aged 8–14 years) from 21 schools in England; Teacher Interviews were conducted with 42 head teachers and teachers responsible for music in all these schools; and follow-up Music Focus Groups were conducted with 134 pupils from the original sample. In contrast to earlier research, both teachers and pupils across the sample demonstrated very positive attitudes towards music, whilst also acknowledging constraints on good practice. Music listening formed an important part of pupils' lives, but music making was more prominent than suggested by previous research. Commitment to musical activity seemed more robust out of school than in school, and it is suggested that involvement in musical activity may be transitory for some children and adolescents.

This paper explores the emotions connected with music performance. Performing music provides the potential to attain wellbeing via the hedonic and eudaimonic routes, appealing to pleasure, engagement and meaning (Seligman, 2002). To date, most research exploring emotions amongst performers has focused on these components separately, exploring positive or negative affect, flow, or the development of performer identity. In the current study, 35 university students (mean age 20.6 years) gave free reports of their strongest, most intense experiences of performing music. Accounts were content analyzed using the Strong Experiences of Music Descriptive System (Gabrielsson & Lindström Wik, 2003), and also analyzed for the components of wellbeing using an idiographic approach. Four basic types of response were characterized, emphasizing: (1) negative and positive emotions and personal engagement; (2) negative and positive emotions, engagement and meaning; (3) positive emotion and meaning; or (4) positive emotions, engagement, and meaning. The emphasis on the eudaimonic route to wellbeing (through engagement and meaning) shows that young musicians do have valuable and rewarding experiences with the potential to sustain long-term motivation to engage with practical music-making. The value of the positive psychology framework is also demonstrated by its applicability to descriptions of strong experiences of performing music.

Research has begun to explore the nature of strong experiences of music listening, identifying a number of individual components from physiological through to psychological (Gabrielsson & Lindström Wik, 2003), but this has not yet been considered in relation to mainstream theories of happiness. Drawing on positive psychology, Seligman's (2002) framework for achieving balanced wellbeing includes the components of pleasure, engagement, and meaning. In the current study, 46 university students (median age 21) gave free reports of their strongest, most intense experiences of music listening. Accounts were analysed thematically using an idiographic approach, exploring the relevance of Seligman's framework. Most strong experiences were positive, and occurred at live events with others. A wide range of mainly familiar music was associated with reported strong experiences, from classical through jazz and folk to old and new pop music, and experiences lasted for varying time periods from seconds to hours. Unexpected musical or non-musical events were sometimes associated with strong experiences. None of the accounts could be characterized by a single route to happiness: in addition to hedonism, engagement and meaning (particularly in terms of identity) were present in every description, and the findings thus emphasize the power of music to evoke a state of authentic happiness. The importance of taking account of the music, the listener, and the situation in order to fully understand these experiences is underlined.

Due to technological developments including MP3 format and portable music players, people are now easily able to listen to music to accompany almost every everyday life situation, and music listening is particularly common while travelling (North, Hargreaves and Hargreaves, 2004). The current research explores several related aspects of listening to music while travelling in order to uncover more about why people choose to listen to music in relatively short and purposeful travelling situations. It explores mobile listeners — people who choose to listen to music while travelling. A Mobile Flyer Survey was conducted with 428 mobile listeners on and around a university campus (mean age 20.5 years) at the point of music listening, asking about the music they had chosen and their listening experience. Follow-up interviews were conducted with eight mobile listeners to explore their views on music and travelling in more depth. Results show that listeners create an “auditory bubble” in public places while travelling, although paradoxically this also enhances their awareness of their surroundings and is partly permeable. Music while travelling primarily fulfils the functions of enjoyment, passing time and enhancing emotional states. Mobile listeners also consciously choose their music depending on their current goals and desires, which may link to their journey's destination. The findings thus shed light on how technological gadgets like MP3 players are used to control listeners' needs and desires outside the home.