This thesis is based on an ethnographical study carried out with 29 pupils in a secondary school class. The purpose is to investigate how young people use music to create identity and develop musical knowledge and skills in different everyday situations. From a symbolic interactionistic point of view, identity is discussed as something created in interactive situations. With a socio-cultural perspective as a starting point, knowledge is seen as something socially situated. The main research methods used are observations and interviews. Observations were made both in school and during leisure-time activities.The study shows that music is important for the identity process in quite a few ways. In their musical games, young people present themselves and become confirmed as individuals. Music is also used to change or confirm emotional states, which can lead to an increased self-understanding. By means of a “personal” musical taste young people distinguish themselves as unique individuals, in line with an individualistic norm. Musical taste can also be seen as something both continuously evolving and stable. The kind of music that is used to express identity is, for example, relative to the social or cultural context young people relate to in a specific situation.Musical knowledge and skills are generated in all situations where young people play, listen to, or talk about music, both in formal learning practices and in informal situations. The kind of knowledge that is useful in school is also discussed. One effect of organizing music education in an informal way is that pupils with experiences from playing in rock bands tend to dominate the lessons. Being able to manage the instruments and the tasks is not just a question of having the “right” skills for the situation. It also requires “doing masculinity” in a hegemonic way. This is a gender problem that needs further investigation.Key words: music, young people, identity, music listening, media, musical knowledge, music lessons, secondary school, longitudinal, ethnographical, symbolic interactionism, socio-cultural theory, gender perspective, teenagers
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