This thesis discusses music, music preferences and the importance of listening to and understanding of music. Educational institutions play an important role in the upbringing of children and young people because those institutions can introduce music to children and thus impact their music preferences. It is important for children to know different music styles so that music can be critically evaluated. All of that forms youth and their music preferences, but apart from schools, music choice is also influenced by family, media, peers, and other social factors. The music preferences of the students of the Zagreb Academy of Music were investigated, namely how these preferences came about and who influenced them, with the help of qualitative research methods. The research results showed that students, besides classical music as their primary-professional preference, are listening to other genres as well. To students, harmony and melody are more important than words. That was influenced by parents and music education. In addition, other components of the life of professional musicians such as finance, friend selection, identity formation, and other (non) options affecting preference selection are mentioned.