Music does more than develop musicianship - it helps to build the skills young people need to succeed in life and work
Supported by new research undertaken with a wide range of subject teachers and school leaders across the UK and Ireland, this free toolkit helps music educators clearly evidence how learning music develops confidence, creativity, resilience and other essential transferable life skills.
Download practical tools, real research insights and guidance from Trinity College London to help you communicate the wider impact of music learning with parents, school leaders and students.
Get your free Music Builds Skills for Life toolkit
Download the toolkit now to access all the tools and guidance you need to demonstrate the vital life skills students can develop through music practice and performance that will support them to be career-ready.
Get your free toolkitFrom our research, some of the transferable life skills music teachers struggle to evidence include:
Communication
The confidence and clarity to express ideas and connect with others.
Creativity
The imagination to generate new ideas and the discipline to turn them into results.
Teamwork
The capacity to work effectively, listen actively and solve problems together.
Resilience
The ability to respond constructively to feedback, change and challenge.
Music learning builds powerful life skills. Demonstrating them clearly isn’t always easy.
This free toolkit helps music teachers clearly demonstrate how regular practice, rehearsal and performance builds the transferable life skills students need beyond the music room, skills in demand from employers — from confidence and resilience to teamwork and communication.
Inside, you’ll find practical, teaching and learning resources to help you evidence and communicate this impact, including:
- Ready-to-use evidence tools
- Report and parent-communication templates
- Skills grids for easy mapping
- Case studies
- Self-reflection sheets for students
- Assessment mapping
Helping you support learners, strengthen music provision, and evidence the impact of music learning.
For your students
- See the wider skills they are developing through their music learning.
- Recognise their progress and achievements, helping them understand their strengths and how skills grow over time.
- Make connections between music learning and real-world skills, building confidence in what they can achieve beyond the music room.
- Prepare for future pathways with transferable skills that support lifelong learning.
For your department or practice
- Evidence the impact of music education clearly.
- Align to school priorities such as wellbeing, oracy or employability.
- Strengthen advocacy for music learning with senior leaders, governors and parents.
For you
- Ready-made language to communicate the value of music learning effectively.
- Practical tools that support teaching and evidencing progress.
- Credible data from research, that strengthens the case for music education.
- Community support through a global network of music educators.