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Children's motivation to study music will be the focus of a major project involving researchers from the School of Music.

The Australia Research Council has provided almost $400,000 for the four-year Creating Musical Futures project to develop school and community music education.

Winthrop Professor Jane Davidson and Assistant Research Professor Robert Faulkner will form part of a team carrying out a series of interconnected studies that will refine music theory to mobilise public awareness of the lifelong benefits of music. They will combine with Professor Gary McPherson of the University of Melbourne and Professor Margaret Barrett  at the University of Queensland.

The research will build on findings from Professor McPherson's and Professor Davidson's study of Australian youth and their music development which followed 150 young people for 13 years.

This innovative cross-disciplinary research will document young people's beliefs and everyday experiences to establish the conditions necessary for the development of an interest in and support for musical learning opportunities.

It will establish international leadership for Australian music education research by constructing the most complete picture of children's motivation to study music ever attempted.