Evidence library

In 2021 Children in Scotland, Scottish Ensemble, University of Stirling, Scottish Government and Changing Our World1 came together to explore the impact of live music experiences on children and young people’s mental health. We formed an Emerging Minds Special Interest Research Group and delivered four workshops over the summer to explore this topic with other young people, policy makers, musicians, children’s organisations and mental health organisations.

This briefing provides an overview of the four workshops, which took place online in between May and August 2021.

Emerging recommendations

• Mixed music performances can offer children and young people the chance to experiences a range of music styles and genres and help expand their music interests • Think about the different needs of different age groups. Younger children will want different things than older children and young people. • Make the experiences as informal as possible, particularly in settings where there are established rules about behaviour – moving about, playing and dancing to live music is ok, even in school! • Many young people enjoy the excitement of going to a live performance, but also want to feel safe, particularly in adult settings. Having youth work staff in venues can support this to happen in an unobtrusive and supportive way. Alcohol free performances and chill out spaces were also recommended. Some young people may want their parents and supportive adults to be able to come along as well. • Reduce or remove the costs for attendance as much as possible. We recognize that that performers and venues may require additional funding in order to make this affordable and sustainable. • The build up to the performance is part of the overall experience, Advance information can help set the tone, tell children and young people what to expect, and generate excitement and buzz. • Memories are also an important aspect of live music experiences. Set up methods to measure the impact of the performance – immediately and longer term. • Health professionals may be working with children and young people that could really benefit from live music experiences, but don’t know about what’s on offer. Reaching out to GP Link Workers and Art Therapists are good ways to start making these connections