2003 Gallup Poll Survey Shows Record Numbers of Americans Play Instruments
Slightly more than one in two, or 54 percent, of households surveyed have a member who plays a musical instrument; in 48 percent of households where at least one person played an instrument, there were two or more additional members who also played.
Ninety-seven percent of respondents agreed that playing a musical instrument provides a sense of accomplishment and encourages expression, and 85 percent believe it makes one smarter. An equal number regretted not learning to play an instrument and 67 percent said they would still like to learn.
Americans of all ages continue to bring music into their lives, the survey found. The percentage of people ages of 5 to 17 who play an instrument is 31, up from 25 percent in 1985; 27 percent were between the ages of 18 to 24. Of those surveyed between the ages of 35 to 50, 42 percent currently play a musical instrument, up from 35 percent in 1985; in the over 50 group, 20 percent are still playing, up from 16 percent in the 1985 poll.
The vast majority of those questioned began their music education before their teens: 64 percent between the ages of 5 to 11 and 18 percent between the ages of 12 to 14. Forty percent credit their parents’ encouragement for their interest in playing music, while 28 percent say they became interested on their own and 15 percent drew inspiration from a teacher.
At a time when school budgets shortfalls are taking a toll on music education programs, the survey found that 30 percent of the respondents learned how to play an instrument through lessons at school, and 9 percent learned by being part of a school band or orchestra.
Other survey results included:
Broad appeal: The performing arts appeal to a wide segment of the public. Nearly two in three people surveyed reported attending a live professional performing arts event in the previous 12 months. The data also indicate little connection between age and attendance level, discounting the perception that arts audiences are dominated by older attenders. In most communities, the study observes only small percentage differences among attenders age 25 to 54.
Barrier to Attendance Is Not Ticket Price: Of the 11 barriers suggested in the survey, only three are cited by a majority of respondents in the five communities. Among the three primary barriers “cost of tickets” consistently ranks lowest; “prefer to spend leisure time other ways” and “hard to make time to go out” rank as the top two most-cited barriers.
2002 Survey of Public School String/Orchestra Programs
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A recent survey conducted by the Gallup Organization (commissioned by NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants) found that Americans are playing musical instruments at the highest levels since 1978.
Conducted by the Performing Arts Research Coalition (PARC) with funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts, a landmark study surveyed residents of five communities about the value they place on the performing arts. The findings, released in a March 2003 report indicate support for the performing arts that is broad and diverse. For instance, of those surveyed, (800 residents each from Alaska, Cincinnati, Denver, Pittsburgh, and Seattle) more people attended a professional performing arts event within the previous year than attended a professional sports event. Other findings include:
Conducted by the American String Teachers Association with the National School Orchestra Association, a 2002 national study profiled public school string and orchestra programs. Its findings show a dramatic rise in the number of students participating in school string and/or orchestra programs coinciding with a growing shortage of string teachers. For instance, between 1995-2000: