Measuring adolescents’ emotional responses to music: Approaches, challenges, and opportunities

Abstract

Contemporary challenges facing researchers and practitioners in measuring and understanding the various components of emotional responses to music need to be balanced with informed, active participation from young people. For researchers, measurement can encompass both process and outcome indicators that provide the capacity to monitor change over time and examine the impact of music-based interventions on mental health and wellbeing. For practitioners, measurement forms a fundamental aspect of the needs analysis so that therapeutic sessions can be tailored to suit individuals’ needs. This chapter presents information about the types of methods and factors that need to be considered for future work measuring emotional responses to music in young people. The benefits and challenges of utilizing mixed-methods approaches will also be considered. This chapter concludes that a considered, integrative approach of measurement will provide richer insight into research on the role of music in the lives of young people.