Longitudinal Study of Musical Involvement

Dr. Dobrow is conducting an ongoing longitudinal study of musicians. The study began in Summer 2001 with 567 participants from two premier summer music programs for high school students, the Interlochen Arts Camp and Boston University Tanglewood Institute.

A total of 5 major surveys have occurred, along with several brief updates, as follows:

• At the beginning of Summer 2001
• At the end of Summer 2001
• Summer 2003
• Winter 2004-'05
• Spring-Summer 2008
• Upcoming in 2011-'12

Goal of the Study

Why do so many young musicians make the seemingly irrational decision to pursue the extraordinarily competitive, challenging professional music career path? Despite the widespread career advice communicated by music teachers to their students, “Do music if it's the only thing you can do,” and very low job availability, the job market for musicians across genres is characterized by an extremely high supply of talented, motivated people.

This study explores how musicians' relationship with music develops throughout their lives.  Specifically, the heart of this study is the attempt to understand the degree to which a person experiences a sense of calling toward music, and examines both antecedents and consequences of calling.

To see a Fact Sheet and Highlights from the Longitudinal Study of Musical Involvement, click here.