Edinburgh Napier University

  Many young people are involved in music making activities that may be considered as “leisure,” such as playing in bands, making recordings, or live performance. Music making, when considered as a leisure activity, is a cultural or social phenomenon that enjoys an interesting and complex relationship with education and industry. First, this chapter explores the ways in which young people engage with popular music making as leisure and leisure-education by considering the nature of musical activities that are self-directed, self-funded, and fuelled principally by the enthusiasm and autodidacticism of the participants. Second, consideration is given to the ecology of informal music making among young people with specific focus on the development of skills, competencies and creativities, and the economic, commercial, and professional pressures to monetise musical activity.