The omnipresence of music in today's adolescent society in Australia is evidenced by the fact that adolescents, almost without exception, listen to and enjoy music throughout most of their leisure time, and indeed, much of their study time. A large portion of their financial resources is spent on music and its associated promotional material. It could be said that music plays a major part in their subculture and their lives. The obvious fulfilment and satisfaction enjoyed by our adolescents through music is not, however, reflected in the comparatively small number of students who choose or qualify to undertake music studies at high school. A study by the US Department of Education (1988) indicates that, while from Kindergarten to Year 6 80 per cent of students participate in music, in Years 7 and 8 this falls to 48 per cent and by Years 11 and 12 only 9 per cent of students participate in music classes. There are no figures available to identify the number of primary school children in Western Australia who are currently participating in music instruction at school. However, according to Education Department philosophy and the Western Australian Student Outcome Statements (1994), all children should have the opportunity to experience a variety of arts subjects in primary school so they can make informed choices regarding areas of speciality in secondary school and later in life. The Education Department of Western Australia census figures (1994) identified only 7.6 per cent of Western Australian students participating in music programs in Year 10, the final year of compulsory schooling in Western Australia. While it is acknowledged that there are many factors influencing the pursuit of secondary school music studies, including parent attitude, socioeconomic status, and home music background, personality and physical attributes, the question arises whether, despite the presence of other influences, a child may elect to undertake high school music studies primarily because she or he has been exposed to music in primary school and had the opportunity to display an aptitude for music. The purpose of this study is to establish whether the study of music in the primary school classroom and the enjoyment or nonenjoyment of music lessons are significant factors influencing students' choice of music studies in high school.