In Music Schools, one of the most important institutions of music education within public Secondary Education in Greece, there has been a tendency in recent years for students to transfer from this type of junior high school to another general, non-music senior high school (Poulopoulou, 2019). Students attend these schools either out of interest in music or aiming at their academic development (Ritou & Akoyunoglou, 2019). The phenomenon of adolescents dropping out of musical activities, from formal and non-formal education music schools, is observed at a high percentage, mainly between the ages of 15 and 17 (Ruth & Müllensiefen, 2021). The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomenon of dropouts from music junior high school during the transition to senior high school. Specifically, it seeks to answer questions regarding how students perceive their experience at the Music School and what reasons prompt them to change their direction and move to another senior high school. Following a qualitative design (Isari & Pourkos, 2015), 12 individual semi-structured interviews (N=12) and 2 focus groups (total N=15) were conducted with 3rd grade Music School students in the Greek region. A short questionnaire was distributed to the aforementioned students. Out of those who had indicated their desire to leave the school in question, in order to continue their studies at another senior high school, some were randomly selected to be interviewed. The data collected was analysed thematically in order to comprehensively reflect their different experiences, as well as their common ones at the Music School. The analysis revealed that the reasons for considering leaving appeared to vary; some related to academic demands, others to the educational structure and infrastructure of the school, while interpersonal relationships between students and teachers as well as social and psychological factors also played an important role (Pucihar et al., 2024). The findings highlight the need for a more flexible and supportive approach to music education and the operation of music schools, where students have an active role in shaping their educational experience (Evans, 2015). Finally, the need for targeted changes in the curriculum, teaching methods and conditions of attendance is put forward in order to enhance the students' willingness and motivation to continue their studies in the secondary classes of the Music School.

• Social musical settings
• Meaningful musical experiences

Zacharias Zahoulis is an honours graduate of the Department of Music Studies, specializing in Music Pedagogy and Psychology of Music and a student of the postgraduate program "Music Pedagogy in Schools and the Community" of the Ionian University. He has many years experience, teaching music in public primary and secondary schools. In addition he has organised music education courses and taught at music institutions. His teaching interests focus on the interdisciplinary and experiential approach in music learning.