The research project, funded by Youth Music, is national in scope and will take place across 2004 / 2005. 4Children’s Come & Play project carried out detailed research to highlight and measure the impact of music making on a selected group of children and out of school clubs.

As part of the first phase of this project, this report serves to provide an overview of relevant research findings detailing the effects that music has on the development of children, as well as highlighting commentary on current trends in thinking within this field of enquiry.