Young people want and need more access to music and creativity. But too often, the system gets in the way.

That’s what young people, grassroots organisations and our research have been telling us, and it’s what we’ve shared in our evidence to the Centre for Young Lives’ Young Creatives Commission.

Our submission draws on what we’ve heard from over 100,000 young people and the people supporting them. The message is clear: music improves young people’s lives. But too many are still locked out of the opportunities, spaces and support they need to create, connect and build their futures.

Our Sound of the Next Generation 2024 research shows that music is not just a hobby for young people. Music helps young people manage emotions, understand themselves and connect with people around them. 

• 84% say music makes their world better.
• 70% say it helps them feel connected to others.
• 71% say it’s central to who they are.

At a time when nearly half of 18–25-year-olds report feeling lonely, music is one of the most powerful tools we have to support wellbeing and belonging. Young people don’t want to just be consumers of music, they want to create it. 

Only 58% of young people feel supported to make music, and this drops sharply the older they get. Despite the demand, access to music is declining. However, the decline is not equal and not everywhere. 

The biggest barriers are:

• Cost of lessons and equipment
• Lack of local opportunities
• Time pressures from school
• Inaccessible or unwelcoming spaces

Where you live and your background still determine your access to music making opportunities. Young people in the North East are significantly less likely to play music than those in London. Disabled young people face multiple systemic barriers. All while the most inclusive and effective option, grassroots music organisations, are under increasing threat, with 2 in 5 at risk of closure. 

At the same time, schools have deprioritised the arts, particularly in state education, while independent schools have largely maintained provision. The result is that the opportunity gap is widening. The system is failing young people all over the country. 

Young people are clear about what they want:

• Affordable, local, inclusive opportunities
• Safe, social spaces to create together
• Autonomy over their creativity
• Clear, paid pathways into careers

Young people are rejecting narrow definitions of what music ‘should be’ and instead, embracing a DIY approach, involving digital and culturally diverse practices that reflect their experience of the world. They are entrepreneurial and ambitious, but they are locked out by a system that doesn’t recognise their skills or support their journeys. 

What needs to change

Our submission sets out a clear role for policymakers and organisations like Youth Music in reshaping the system.

1. Invest in grassroots provision

Funding must shift towards the community organisations that reach young people facing the biggest barriers. These are the foundations of the entire music ecosystem.

2. Treat music like we treat sport

Sport is embedded in national policy as essential for health and wellbeing. The arts should be too, with a similar focus on participation, inclusion and enjoyment, not just “excellence”.

3. Build an ecosystem, not a pipeline

Young people don’t follow linear career paths. Policy must reflect this reality by investing in long-term infrastructure, not short-term programmes.

4. Put young people in the driving seat

Co-creation isn’t optional. From early years through to careers, young people must have real power in designing the opportunities and systems that affect them.

Why this matters now

The creative industries contribute over £145 billion to the UK economy, but without urgent action, we risk losing a generation of talent. We are also risking losing something even bigger: spaces where young people feel they belong, can express themselves, and imagine the future.

Young people are ready to create, they just need to be given a chance.