Sounds like home: Music listening practices of young adults in supported accommodation

Home is fundamental to many people’s sense of security and self-identity. Yet for some young people living in temporary accommodation, home is a fragmented experience. This thesis investigates the music listening practices of homeless young people living in temporary, supported accommodation in relation to their experience of home. Despite the importance of music in young people’s lives, surprisingly little research has explored the music listening practices of young adults (18 – 25) specifically. There is even less research on music listening in the lives of young people experiencing homelessness. This study fills this gap, exploring how and why young people listen to music within supported accommodation, focusing on the dynamic relationship between self and space and the concept of home. I carried out this in-depth research over a period of three years with one third of the residents (19 individuals) aged between 18 and 25 living in three temporary accommodation hostels in Greater Manchester. Methods used were observation, diaries and interviews.
Music listening was a regular activity for all participants within these institutional environments. Music listening practices identified related to the experience of social and physical space within the proximity of relative strangers; assisted in the management of limited privacy; informed participants’ sense of self and identity (including past and future selves); and performed roles of social surrogacy.
The thesis advances the understanding of music listening practices in the context of homelessness. It also advances theories of home through the lens of music. It makes these contributions by proposing that music is a technology of home. It also makes an empirical contribution by making audible the voices, experiences and practices of marginalised young adults who experience homelessness. Finally, it informs homelessness service practitioners and policymakers of the role music plays in their service users' lives.