More than half of Britons say they would have been more interested in continuing music at school if modern music production had been on the curriculum, according to new research from the Night Time Industries Association and Obsurvant.
The nationally representative survey of 2,017 UK adults aged 18 to 65, carried out between 2 and 9 April 2026, found 51% would have been more interested in studying music if Modern Music Production had been taught. 41% said they would have been more likely to pursue music qualifications if Electronic Music Production had been offered.
60% said school music lessons did not reflect the music they listened to outside the classroom. 45% believe the current music curriculum fails to prepare young people for careers in today’s music industry, while 54% think DJing and music production should be recognised as legitimate career paths rather than hobbies.
The findings come as the Government considers the future of arts education. The NTIA argues classrooms have not kept pace with one of the UK’s most successful creative industries, despite the country’s reputation for artists, producers, DJs, songwriters and music technology innovators.
The research also points to the lasting impact of good teaching. 46% described their secondary school music lessons as inspiring, including 19% who said those lessons are the reason they still love music today.
NTIA chief executive Michael Kill said the UK is “one of the world’s leading music nations, yet our classrooms are not reflecting the industry that has made us globally renowned.” He said electronic music, production, songwriting, sound engineering and digital performance offer “thousands of highly skilled and rewarding careers,” but many young people leave school without being introduced to them.
Kill said Modern Music Production should sit alongside traditional music education, giving students creative, technical and digital skills that are increasingly valuable across the wider creative economy. Obsurvant founder Alex Morrison said the results show “a disconnect between traditional music education and the way people experience and create music today.”
The NTIA has written to Education Secretary Rt Hon. Lucy Powell asking Government to consider how music is delivered in secondary schools, particularly around production, technology and electronic music. The letter says traditional musicianship remains important, but now represents only part of a much broader creative landscape, and that expanding production should not replace existing teaching.
Kill told Powell the industry is ready to help close the gap, including through stronger links with practitioners, studios, venues and technology businesses. The NTIA is offering to meet officials and convene representatives from music, production, technology and the night time economy to support schools and qualification bodies.
DJ and presenter Jess Izsatt said there were “so many times I wanted to learn to DJ or try my hand at music production,” and that as a girl trying to make it in the industry she often thought it was not for her. “It makes me sad that I still hear stories like this today,” she said, adding that earlier opportunities and tools are needed so the next generation of talent is not missed.
Artist, producer and mentor DJ Rap said production and DJing are not hobbies, but “creative, technical and entrepreneurial skills that can lead to real careers.” Hacienda resident turned music lecturer Graeme Park said broadening the curriculum to include electronic music production would make lessons “more relevant, inclusive and inspiring.”
Artist agent and manager Tania Lee, of UMC Management, said contemporary production should be treated as an expansion of traditional music education, not a replacement, covering production, technology, songwriting, DJing and digital performance alongside musicianship.
NTIA chair Sacha Lord said music has “evolved enormously, but what we teach in many classrooms simply hasn’t kept pace.” He argued electronic music and production can open the door to young people who may never connect with music through traditional routes.
The NTIA is calling on Government, educators and the wider music industry to embed Modern Music Production, Electronic Music Production and contemporary music careers within the National Curriculum.
Letter below sent to Secretary of State for Education
NTIA Letter to Secretary of State for Education Rt Hon. Lucy Powell
Dear Secretary of State,
Modernising Music Education and Building the Next Generation of UK Music Talent
I am writing on behalf of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) to ask the Government to consider how music is positioned and delivered as a subject within secondary education, and in particular how the curriculum can better reflect the extraordinary development of music production, technology and electronic music.
There is an increasing inconsistency between the way music is taught in many secondary schools and the way music is now created, performed, produced and experienced by young people.
Across secondary education, subjects have evolved to reflect changes in technology, industry and employment. Yet music education has not consistently undergone the same evolution. Traditional musicianship remains enormously important, but it now represents only part of a much broader creative landscape.
Music production has transformed fundamentally over the last two decades. Digital production, electronic music, DJing, sound engineering, songwriting, recording and music technology are now central parts of the modern music industry. They also provide accessible and highly relevant entry points through which young people can discover creativity, technical skills and potential careers.
New nationally representative research commissioned by the NTIA and Obsurvant suggests that incorporating these disciplines could have a substantial impact on engagement with music in secondary schools.
The research found that 60% of respondents said school music lessons did not reflect the music they listened to outside the classroom, while 51% said they would have been more interested in studying music if Modern Music Production had been taught at school.
Importantly, 41% said they would have been more likely to pursue music qualifications if Electronic Music Production had been available, while 54% believe DJing and Music Production should be recognised as legitimate career pathways rather than simply hobbies.
These findings point to a considerable untapped opportunity.
We believe the broader development of music production within secondary education, with a particular focus on electronic and contemporary music, could drive a significant increase in interest and participation in music as a subject.
This should not be viewed as replacing traditional music education. It is about broadening what constitutes music education and ensuring that students can access different routes into the subject.
A young person composing with production software, programming electronic instruments, learning sound design, engineering a recording or developing a DJ performance is engaging with musicianship in a contemporary form. These activities require creativity, technical understanding, critical listening, collaboration and discipline, while introducing skills directly applicable to one of the UK’s most internationally recognised creative industries.
There is also a wider career opportunity.
Our research found that 45% of respondents believe the current curriculum fails to prepare young people for careers in today’s music industry. The sector encompasses far more than artists and performers. It depends upon producers, engineers, technicians, songwriters, programmers, designers, promoters, production professionals, entrepreneurs and an expanding range of digital and technology-focused roles.
The industry is ready to play its part in closing this gap.
We would therefore welcome the opportunity to work with Government, educators and relevant curriculum and qualification bodies to explore how contemporary music production can be developed more consistently within secondary education.
Alongside curriculum development, the music and night-time economy can help schools demonstrate where these skills can lead. Through stronger connections with industry, young people could gain greater exposure to practitioners, studios, venues, production environments, technology businesses and the breadth of careers that exist behind the music they experience every day.
There is an opportunity to create a genuine pathway from classroom engagement, to qualifications, to skills development, and ultimately into careers within the sector.
The UK already has the industry, cultural heritage, technology and professional expertise required to lead the world in contemporary music education. What is needed is a stronger connection between that ecosystem and what young people experience at school.
At a time when the Government is considering the future of arts and creative education, we believe this presents an opportunity to rethink how music operates as a secondary-school subject: retaining the strengths of traditional music education while embracing production, technology and electronic music as fundamental components of modern musicianship.
The evidence suggests that doing so could engage substantially more young people with music, strengthen participation in music qualifications and create clearer routes into employment across the UK’s music and creative industries.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your officials to discuss these findings and the potential for a more contemporary approach to music education. NTIA would also be pleased to convene representatives from across the music, electronic music, production, technology and night-time economy sectors to explore how industry can practically support schools, educators and Government in developing these pathways.
By bringing education and industry closer together, we have an opportunity not only to increase engagement with music in our secondary schools, but to inspire and equip the next generation of producers, artists, engineers, technicians and entrepreneurs who will sustain the UK’s position as a global music leader.
Yours sincerely,
Michael Kill
Chief Executive
Night Time Industries Association (NTIA)
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