Retreat from extracurricular music training? Chinese middle-class parents’ reasons and interpretations for reducing or withdrawing: a qualitative study

Extracurricular music training has long held a stable and legitimate place in China’s shadow education system. Recently, however, many families have reduced or discontinued such training. While prior research emphasizes its educational and developmental benefits, far less is known about why families withdraw after participation. This study draws on semi-structured interviews with 18 Chinese middle-class parents who reduced or exited their children’s extracurricular music training between 2024 and 2025. Thematic analysis examined how parents reassessed music training’s value and how withdrawal unfolded within broader educational planning. Four reasons emerged: growing uncertainty about educational returns, intensified academic pressure and time constraints, accumulated financial and emotional burdens, and declining trust in training institutions. Although parents acknowledged music’s emotional benefits, including confidence, self-expression, and emotional regulation, its educational payoff seemed unclear and weakly supported by institutional pathways, leading families to scale back investment. Reducing or exiting music training represents a cautious, strategic adjustment rather than a rejection of music itself. Under heightened uncertainty, families lower commitment to manage risk and retain flexibility, revealing a neglected “step-back” dynamic in shadow education and showing how cultural investments are reassessed when institutional convertibility weakens.