Musical blues

Just one-third of children today play a musical instrument compared to two-thirds of their parents at the same age, according to research conducted by ICM in collaboration with BBC kids’ show Zingzillas. Findings from a survey, polling over 1,000 parents with children under the age of 18, show that there is significant work to be done to highlight opportunities available to children and young people – particularly those that can’t afford music tuition. The guitar, keyboard and recorder remain the three most popular instruments amongst young people, with guitar the most popular instrument for boys (17%) and the recorder being favoured by girls (11%). Although the decline in playing instruments has music associations worried (see our feature on music education pp6–7), only 44% of parents surveyed believed it was important for their child to be involved in music. Campaigners insist that music education not only helps child development, but also reveals health and well-being benefits well into adulthood.