news
National Instrumental Music Survey 2024 published by IS
  • Twitter icon
  • Facebook icon
  • mail icon

More pupils than ever recorded took part in instrumental music lessons in 2023/24, according to new research published by the Improvement Service.

The National Instrumental Music Survey is carried out annually by the Improvement Service on behalf of the Heads of Instrumental Tuition Scotland (HITS) and examines the performance of the Instrumental Music Service (IMS) across several areas.

The newly published report contains the key findings and messages from the twelfth annual national Instrumental Music Survey. The survey was carried out between May and December 2024 and was completed by Instrumental Music leads in all 32 local authorities. The questions cover all aspects of these services, including fees and charges, participation numbers, concessions and inclusivity, instrument uptake, instructor and tutor numbers, service delivery costs, and extra-curricular activities.

Instrumental music is a discretionary service provided by all local authorities in Scotland and is separate to the music curriculum taught within the classroom. This survey concentrates solely on these discretionary services, outwith Youth Music Initiative (YMI) funded tuition, and the music curriculum.

Key findings of the report include that more pupils than ever recorded took part in instrumental music lessons in 2023/24. This was true in in both absolute and proportional terms, with 65,985 or 9.5% of the school roll participating. This represented a 7% year-on-year increase in numbers.

Further detail for all data presented in the report is available in the dashboard published on the Improvement Service website.