New research shows that access to live music making can be the key to success in any career path: new survey from Making Music & Association of British Orchestras

 

Photo Credit: Royal Scottish National Orchestra © John Young

A new survey has found that people who followed a career in the sciences, education and finance found it particularly beneficial to have access to music education in schools. The Association of British Orchestras (ABO) is raising awareness of the social and economic impact music education has on the UK and its industries. As part of the #AnOrchestraInEverySchool initiative, the ABO and its members are reaching out to children & young people who will be choosing their GCSE and A-Level subjects for the 2026 academic year and beyond, to show how impactful taking part in live music can be regardless of your chosen profession.

Making Music recently conducted a survey in collaboration with the ABO of 900 adult leisure-time musicians aged 18 or over.  This found that many transferable skills including practice and perseverance (89%), focus and concentration (87%) and teamwork and collaboration (85%) proved vital in respondents’ career paths. 

Over three quarters of those surveyed found that performance and presentation were essential skills that they developed through music education, with one respondent saying “I benefited enormously from getting over stage fright at a young enough age to make a difference, as otherwise I would have been too shy to be a doctor”.

•  Close to half of respondents use the transferable skills developed through music education in non-music or non-STEM professions, while 28% found their transferable skills valuable in their STEM career (STEM - Science, Technology, Engineer, Mathematics)
• 79% respondents play in an ensemble, orchestra or band
• 72% regularly go to concerts and 78% listen to music at home – many of those surveyed believed that having access to live music in their life has helped them achieve a positive work-life balance
• The most common sectors in which respondents worked were financial services, medicine (including consultants and specialists), emergency services and religion.
• Of those surveyed, 37% studied Music to A-Level qualification or equivalent (16+), while a third (32%) studied music education in secondary school (11-16) without formal assessment. Just 2% had access to live music making during primary school years only (4-11).

A second survey of 2000 adults, conducted by the Orchestra in the Age of Enlightenment and Opinium, revealed that  64% of respondents believe that cutting arts in schools harms children’s confidence and communication, with almost half describing the arts as one of the most valuable parts of their school experience, a figure climbing to 61% for Gen Z.

Barbara Eifler, Chief Executive, Making Music, says: "We are delighted to have this opportunity to showcase how valuable and appreciated music education is by adults who have chosen careers other than music or the performing arts. Famously, Einstein was an excellent violinist and credited his playing with helping him problem solve and think creatively – many of us may not be at that level of genius, but the data we have gathered demonstrate the very real positive impact of music in school on people’s later lives and careers.  We – and our members - strongly support #AnOrchestrainEverySchool, to open up the benefits of early access to music to all young people in the UK."

Full details from the ABO website.