Students love music. They just don’t love music class.
A 3,037-student study by McPherson and Hendricks (2010) shows why US students rank music last as a school subject while loving it outside school, and what teachers can do to close that gap.
22 min readPublished February 2026, updated September 2026
Based on McPherson, G. E., & Hendricks, K. S. (2010). Students’ motivation to study music: The United States of America. Research Studies in Music Education, 32(2), 201–213.
The short version
- A study of 3,037 US students found that kids love music outside of school but rank it dead last as a school subject.
- Music learners scored higher on motivation across every dimension measured, including in non-music subjects like English and science.
- The biggest gap: interest in music in school (ranked lowest of all subjects) versus interest in music outside of school (ranked second-highest, and first among high schoolers).
- School music programs lean too heavily on performance and competition, pushing out students who might thrive with more creative, self-directed approaches.
- For teachers looking to close that gap, the research points to making school music feel more like the music students already do on their own time, and giving them proof that their effort counts.
Students love music. They just don’t love music class.
A 2010 study by Gary McPherson and Karin Hendricks, published in Research Studies in Music Education, surveyed 3,037 students across US middle schools and high schools. The question was straightforward: how do students feel about music compared to other school subjects?
The answer was uncomfortable. Students ranked music dead last for in-school interest, below math, science, English, art, and PE. The average score was 3.12 on a 5-point scale, lower than every other subject at every grade level measured.
But outside of school? Music jumped to second place in grades 6 and 7–9, trailing only PE. By grades 10–12, music was the top-ranked subject for out-of-school interest, with a mean of 3.79, surpassing even physical education.
That gap tells a story. Students have a problem with how music is experienced in school, not with music itself.
Key findings from the study
The study used the expectancy-value motivational framework developed by Eccles and colleagues, measuring three dimensions: competence beliefs (how good students think they are), values (how important and useful they consider the subject), and task difficulty.
- Competence beliefs
- How good students think they are at the subject.
- Task values
- How important and useful they consider the subject.
- Task difficulty
- How hard they believe the subject to be.
Music learners vs. non-music learners. Students who were actively learning an instrument or voice demonstrated higher motivational profiles regarding music than non-music learners on every single measure. Values, competence beliefs, perceived task difficulty, in-school interest, out-of-school interest, and even perceived expectations of parents. All statistically significant at p < .01 with sample sizes above 2,800 per measure.
What’s more surprising: music learners also reported higher competence beliefs in art and English, higher values for art, English, and science, and lower task difficulty in art compared to their peers who weren’t studying music. Music study appears to carry positive spillover effects into other academic areas.
Music learners outscore non-learners even in other subjects
- Art and English: higher competence beliefs.
- Art, English and science: higher values.
- Art: lower perceived task difficulty.
All differences statistically significant at p < .01, n > 2,800 per measure.
How music compares to other subjects. US students reported lower competence beliefs and values for music and art than for all other subjects tested (math, English, science, PE). Music and art were statistically tied at the bottom on both dimensions.
| Subject | Mean interest |
|---|---|
| PE / Sports | 3.82 |
| Science | 3.58 |
| Math | 3.53 |
| Art | 3.50 |
| English | 3.25 |
| Music | 3.12 |
The in-school vs. out-of-school interest gap. This was the most striking finding. In grades 7–9, interest in school music dropped sharply. Then something unusual happened: between grades 7–9 and 10–12, interest in music was the only subject to show a statistically significant increase. No other subject at any grade level showed a rebound like that.
Outside of school, music interest held steady and even climbed. By high school, students ranked music as their most interesting activity outside of school, above PE, art, and all academic subjects.
| Subject | All grades | Grade 6 | Grades 7–9 | Grades 10–12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE / Sports | 3.72 | 4.13 | 3.76 | 3.28 |
| Music | 3.61 | 3.67 | 3.36 | 3.79 |
| Art | 3.16 | 3.55 | 2.90 | 3.03 |
| Math | 3.07 | 3.40 | 3.10 | 2.70 |
| Science | 3.04 | 3.38 | 2.95 | 2.80 |
| English | 2.81 | 2.97 | 2.74 | 2.73 |
What’s driving students away from school music?
McPherson and Hendricks point to two structural issues in American music education.
The competition problem
US school music programs have a long tradition built around performance ensembles (band, choir, orchestra) and competitive events like statewide festivals. The researchers cite Radocy (2001), who argued that this competitive emphasis can restrict the repertoire students learn and create opportunities for only an elite minority. It also shifts instruction toward achievement rather than individual growth. When students who aren’t already confident in music look at these programs, they see high difficulty with unclear personal payoff. They choose to put their energy into test-driven subjects like math and English instead.
The autonomy problem
Students clearly love music on their own terms. They listen to it, play it informally, and connect it to their social identities during adolescence. But school music programs rarely incorporate students’ own musical tastes or give them room for self-directed exploration. The researchers reference findings from Britain showing that much of lower secondary school music is disconnected from students’ actual interests (Hargreaves & Marshall, 2003).
The implication is clear: if students experience music at school as something done to them rather than something they choose, motivation drops. And when they can’t see how school music connects to the music they care about, it feels irrelevant.
The value perception problem (and why it matters for retention)
The expectancy-value framework used in this study has a specific prediction: students choose to continue with activities they believe are important and useful for their future. The “value” component is the strongest predictor of future choice.
US students in this study valued music less as an academic subject than they valued math, English, science, or PE. Non-music learners in particular reported low values, low competence beliefs, low parent expectations, and high perceived task difficulty for music.
For band and orchestra directors, this creates a retention problem that operates before students even walk through the door. If a 7th grader doesn’t see music as valuable compared to other options, and doesn’t feel competent enough to succeed, they’ll drop the elective. The students who stay tend to be the ones who were already motivated, creating a self-selecting group that can mask the program’s broader accessibility issues.
Why low value perception drives dropout
- Student doesn't see music as important or useful for their future
- Low perceived value: no motivation to invest effort
- Energy shifts to "more valuable" subjects (math, English, science)
- Competence beliefs stagnate, and the subject feels increasingly hard
- Student drops the elective
Expectancy-value model (Eccles et al., 1983): perceived value is the strongest predictor of continued enrollment.
The researchers suggest that advocacy efforts focused on showing that music is fun or social aren’t enough. Students already know music is enjoyable, as the out-of-school data proves. What they don’t believe is that school music is useful and important as an academic pursuit. Advocacy needs to address that perception gap directly, perhaps by showing measurable outcomes and connecting music study to broader educational goals.
What teachers can do: two recommendations from the research
- Broaden the definition of success beyond competition. When the primary metric of achievement in a music program is a festival rating or an all-state selection, most students will never feel successful. Programs that include composition and improvisation, or space for personal creative expression, give more students a reason to invest. The researchers note that students who perceive music as having high task difficulty and being reserved for a “talented” minority are the ones who leave.
- Create space for student-directed musical activity. The data on out-of-school interest suggests that students want to engage with music that connects to their own lives and identities. Programs that build in some autonomy, where students choose repertoire or set their own practice goals, could close the gap between in-school and out-of-school motivation.
Both recommendations align with decades of research on self-determination theory: people persist at activities where they feel competent and autonomous, and where they belong.
What this means for how students see their progress
One pattern in the data deserves attention from a practical standpoint. Non-music learners reported higher task difficulty and lower competence beliefs. They didn’t feel good enough at music, and they thought it was hard. Music learners felt the opposite.
That perception gap doesn’t have to be permanent. When students can see concrete evidence that their effort is producing results, competence beliefs shift. A student who practices for two weeks and sees nothing different has no reason to believe they’re improving. A student who gets clear, specific feedback on their consistency and progress has a factual basis for feeling competent.
Visible progress builds competence beliefs
Consistent practice → visible progress → higher competence beliefs → the student stays.
The challenge is that most music teachers manage 50 to 100 or more students and have limited class time. Giving each of them a personal, specific account of their progress is extremely time-consuming with traditional tools, and practice logs and self-reporting are both notoriously unreliable.
The research does not prescribe a tool. It says that whatever a student gets back for their effort has to be quick, honest, and about them, and that it has to arrive often enough to change what they believe about themselves before the elective form comes around.
When students can see their own consistency over time, the “usefulness” and “importance” of music study become visible in a way that words alone can’t achieve.
The bottom line for music educators
This study makes the case that the motivation problem in school music is a perception problem. Students love music. They don’t see school music as worth their time compared to other subjects. Changing that requires broadening what counts as success in a music program and making the value of consistent practice visible.
If you’re a band or orchestra director working to retain students and justify your program, the data here suggests that competition results alone won’t persuade students who are on the fence. Showing them clear, personal evidence that they’re improving, and giving them some ownership over their musical journey, will.
Quick answers
- Do students like music as a school subject?
- US students rank music as their lowest-interest school subject, with a mean score of 3.12 out of 5 across grades 6-12, according to a study of 3,037 students by McPherson and Hendricks (2010). Music scored below math, English, science, art, and PE for in-school interest. Outside of school, the picture flips: music ranked second-highest in grades 6 and 7-9, and highest of all subjects in grades 10-12, with a mean of 3.79. Students enjoy music but don't value it as an academic course. The study was published in Research Studies in Music Education, 32(2), 201-213.
- Why do students drop out of school music programs?
- According to McPherson and Hendricks (2010), non-music learners in the US reported lower values, lower competence beliefs, higher perceived task difficulty, and lower parent expectations for music compared to students actively learning an instrument. The expectancy-value framework predicts that students drop subjects they don't believe are important or useful for their future. Students with low confidence in music and high perceptions of difficulty tend to focus their effort on test-driven subjects like math and English instead. A narrow emphasis on competition and performance repertoire in US music programs may make school music feel inaccessible to students who don't already see themselves as "talented." (McPherson & Hendricks, 2010, Research Studies in Music Education, 32(2), 201-213.)
- Are music students more motivated in other school subjects too?
- Yes. McPherson and Hendricks (2010) found that US students learning music reported higher competence beliefs in art and English, higher values for art, English, and science, and lower perceived task difficulty in art compared to non-music learners. This held across a sample of 3,037 students and was consistent with the broader eight-country analysis published in the same journal issue. The correlation between music study and higher motivation in non-music subjects may support advocacy arguments about the broader educational value of music programs. (Published in Research Studies in Music Education, 32(2), 201-213.)
- What is the expectancy-value theory of motivation in music education?
- The expectancy-value framework, developed by Eccles et al. (1983), measures student motivation through competence beliefs (how well students think they can perform), subjective task values (importance, interest, usefulness, and cost of participation), and perceived task difficulty. McPherson and Hendricks (2010) applied this framework to 3,037 US students and found that the value component is the strongest predictor of whether students choose to continue studying music. Students who don't perceive music as important or useful for their future are unlikely to enroll in elective music courses, regardless of how much they enjoy music outside of school.
- Why is music interest lower in school than outside of school?
- McPherson and Hendricks (2010) found a large gap between US students' interest in music at school (ranked last among six subjects) and outside of school (ranked first or second). The researchers attribute this to two factors: (1) school music programs in the US emphasize competitive performance, which limits accessibility for students who don't feel confident, and (2) school music rarely incorporates students' own musical tastes or allows for self-directed learning. Students engage with music extensively on their own time, but the school version of music doesn't reflect that engagement. The gap may partly explain declining enrollment in elective music courses during middle school. (Published in Research Studies in Music Education, 32(2), 201-213.)
- Does competition in school music programs help or hurt student motivation?
- McPherson and Hendricks (2010) argue that the competitive emphasis common in US music education can have negative effects on student motivation. Citing Radocy (2001), they note that competition-focused programs can restrict learned repertoire and limit opportunities to an elite minority of students. Competition may also encourage students to connect their self-beliefs to impressing others rather than personal expressive growth (Hendricks, 2009). The researchers recommend broadening the definition of success to include non-competitive and creative musical engagement within the school curriculum.
- How does autonomy affect student motivation in music?
- Both music learners and non-music learners in the McPherson and Hendricks (2010) study reported high interest in music outside of school, suggesting strong interest in self-directed musical activity that incorporates students' own tastes. The considerable decline in student interest during grades 7-9 may parallel findings from Britain showing that lower secondary school music can be disconnected from students' actual interests (Hargreaves & Marshall, 2003). Research on musical preference shows a positive relationship with self-concept and self-esteem during adolescence (North & Hargreaves, 1999). Programs that offer student-directed experiences and allow adolescents to express personal and social identities through music may be more successful at sustaining enrollment.
- What can music teachers do to improve student motivation?
- Based on their study of 3,037 US students, McPherson and Hendricks (2010) make two recommendations. First, broaden the emphasis beyond performance and competition to include composition and creative expression, making music accessible to students who don't see themselves as performers. Second, create opportunities for autonomous, self-directed learning where students can engage with music that connects to their own lives and identities. The study's data shows that students already value music participation highly outside of school. Making school music more relevant to students' actual musical interests could close the motivation gap between in-school and out-of-school engagement.
References
- McPherson, G. E., & Hendricks, K. S. (2010). Students’ motivation to study music: The United States of America. Research Studies in Music Education, 32(2), 201–213.