In recent years, music education has seen a decline in the number of students choosing to continue their studies at Key Stage 4 (14- to 16-year-old students) and choose music as a GCSE option in England. Whilst the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a school performance measure which excludes the arts, has come under much scrutiny as to its impact on school music, enjoyment and the perceived importance of music lessons could also be contributing factors to low uptake. This paper presents student survey findings from the first part of a two-phase project that was based on a qualitatively driven mixed-method research design. Findings demonstrated that a decline in enjoyment and in the importance attributed to school music occurred in the first three years of lower secondary school (Key Stage 3). The enjoyment of school music was linked with the students’ engagement with practical components of music making, and its importance was mostly equated with future employment opportunities. The findings are discussed in terms of their practical implications in the teaching of music in secondary schools.

近年来，在英格兰，选择在关键阶段 4 继续学习并选择音乐作为 GCSE 选项的学生人数有所下降。虽然英语文凭 （EBacc） 是一种不包括艺术的学校绩效衡量标准，因其对学校音乐的影响而受到广泛审查，但音乐课程的享受和感知的重要性也可能是导致入学率低的因素。本文介绍了一个基于定性驱动的混合方法研究设计的两阶段项目第一部分的学生调查结果。研究结果表明，在初中前三年（关键阶段 3）期间，学校音乐的乐趣和重要性有所下降。学校音乐的享受与学生对音乐制作实践组成部分的参与有关，其重要性大多等同于未来的就业机会。这些发现从它们在中学音乐教学中的实际意义进行了讨论。