Since 2021, the living lab “University of Youth Music Play(ers)” (UJM) has been offering free small-group instrumental lessons (3-4 students per group in piano, violin, guitar, or drums) to over 60 young people each year. Most participants come from immigrant families and thrive in an inclusive environment where music becomes a vehicle for socialization, creativity, and joy. The UJM proposed an innovative approach integrating three playful modalities: serious play (structured around explicit learning goals), guided play (encouraging creative and collective exploration), and instrumental play (hands-on practice with the instrument).Within this framework, we conducted a four-year longitudinal study to investigate factors influencing young people’s appreciation of their UJM lessons. Data came from a weekly questionnaire completed at the end of each lesson, measuring appreciation on a 1-5 scale and including variables such as cheerful disposition, mood, and sense of connection. Over 1,000 observations were gathered in the first two years, with the full analysis covering all four years by the conference.Analyses using linear mixed models examined the joint influence of individual and pedagogical factors. Preliminary results show that cheerful disposition, mood, and sense of connection strongly influence appreciation. The combination of serious play and guided play significantly increases appreciation. A marginal effect suggests that serious play with instrumental play may also enhance it, while guided play with instrumental play shows a positive trend without reaching significance. Taken alone, none of the three modalities generate notable differences, but their combination creates a richer learning experience valued by young people.These results echo recent work on out-of-school music. As Olivier, Dupéré, et al. (2022) linked participation to well-being, our results highlight how lesson structure influences appreciation in extracurricular music contexts. Burnard (2012) and Hickey (2015) emphasized that creativity and freedom of exploration strengthen engagement in flexible, inclusive contexts. Zosh et al. (2018) noted that learning is optimized when multiple dimensions of play, from structured to open-ended, are mobilized simultaneously.The UJM study extends this knowledge by focusing on weekly lesson appreciation and the impact of pedagogical combinations. Whereas earlier research highlighted benefits of extracurricular programs, our results identify which playful teaching configurations best sustain appreciation. By combining creativity, structure, and instrumental practice in small-group settings, UJM provides a model that is both pedagogically innovative and socially transformative. This contribution offers insights for designing inclusive, stimulating, and sustainable musical environments that can inform local initiatives and international policy discussions.