Making music, science shows, is as natural as breathing and is an essential part of our emotional and intellectual lives. This first-ever account of participation in music in the United Kingdom reveals an extraordinary range of instrumental playing and singing. It examines the musical potential of the new technologies and looks at the growing movement to bridge the divide between professionals and amateurs. Above all, Joining In finds that artistic excellence is to be found not just on the concert platform but also in the community at large.

‘… well-informed, strong, broad in scope, thoughtful, intelligently opinionated, optimistic and most of all, timely.’ Sounding Board

‘The first comprehensive report on the state of participatory music in Britain.’ Times Educational Supplement

Anthony Everitt is a writer and journalist, with extensive experience across many art forms. He is Visiting Professor in the Visual and Performing Arts at Nottingham Trent University, and former Secretary-General of the Arts Council of Great Britain. He is author of Abstract Expressionism, a study of the New York School, and In from the Margins, a survey of European culture and development.