Leisure Time and Music: Extracurricular and Out-Of-School Music Activities of Students in Urban and Suburban Areas

Abstract

Elementary school students are offered a variety of music activities, both within (extracurricular activities) and outside school (out of school activities). Their involvement in these activities often depends on various factors. To study this, we conducted a survey with 510 respondents in 2018. The survey was conducted on a convenience sample in two general elementary schools in Osijek–Baranja County, including pupils from the fourth to the eighth grades of one suburban and one urban school. The study aimed to determine how much pupils participate in extracurricular and out-of-school music activities and whether their participation is affected by the school location, pupil's gender and class, and their parents' engagement in music activities. The study results indicate that the interest in taking these activities is equally prevalent among pupils in suburban and urban areas. Besides, a significantly higher number of girls attended different activities than boys. Out-of-school music activities were attended by fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students to a greater extent than seventh- and eighth-grade students. At the same time, the study found that students whose parents engaged in some kind of music activity took a more significant part in music activities.  Overall, the results of this research showed that just over a third of surveyed students attended an extracurricular or out-of-school music activity. A more numerous selection of musical activities and stronger encouragement of students are necessary because research has pointed to the benefits of music, such as improving behaviour, school achievement, social skills, memory, creativity, cognitive skills and overall personal development.