In this chapter we challenge the assumption that youth projects must be ‘measured’ as the primary method of judging their efficacy, worth or value. We argue instead, for a reclamation of processes of evaluation that are rooted in critical reflection, dialogue and creativity. The chapter draws on a three-year study on the value and evaluation of youth work, offering reflections and vignettes from three youth work settings. As the chapter is part of a book on youth music and measurement, we reflected on the everyday and embedded role of music in open youth work, and how creativity and improvisation can be fundamental to both youth work practice and evaluation. Building on this discussion, we share approaches to evaluation that are rooted in practice—not providing a ‘toolkit’, but rather discussing what worked well for practitioners and young people. Throughout the chapter, we argue that evaluation needs to ‘listen to practice’: both in terms of centring young people and practitioners, and in the sense of tuning in to what could be understood as the rhythm, timbre, pitch and harmony of youth work—nurturing evaluation that enhances practice, rather than detracting from it or drowning out its distinct voice.