According to a 2003 survey conducted by The Gallup Organization and commissioned by the International Music Products Association, slightly more than half of all U.S. households surveyed (54 percent), had a member who played an instrument.

The study also found that almost half (48 percent) of those instrument-player households had at least one additional player.

Extending this finding to the 105.5 million households in the country (according to the 2000 U.S. Census), that would translate into almost 57 million households with at least one instrument player, and another 27 million additional players within those households, for a total of at least 84 million individuals that play a musical instrument in the United States.

Of the individuals who play instruments, 31 percent were between the ages of 5 to 17, and 27 percent were between the ages of 18 to 34. Not surprisingly, most individuals began their music study at a young age, with 64 percent beginning between the ages of 5 to 11, and 18 percent between the ages of 12 to 14.

SOURCE: International Music Products Association and U.S. Census

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