The new Amateur Music Study 2024, published by the German Music Information Centre (miz), provides strong figures and clear findings: Over 16 million people in Germany make music in their free time, many of them in clubs, ensembles or choirs.

The representative study, which was conducted by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research (IfD) on behalf of the miz, provides well-founded insights into musical leisure behaviour and examines, among other things, where and how often music is played, how people find their way to music and what motivates them to keep at it. For the first time, data was also collected on the topics of music lessons, frequency of public performances, financial expenditure around making music, challenges and the social commitment of amateur musicians.

The results show: Whether in a private environment or in a choir, orchestra or band – music creates community, promotes creativity and contributes to social cohesion. 1,190 people aged 16 and over were surveyed, including 325 parents, who also provided information about their children’s music-making behaviour.

This makes amateur music an important driver of society – for education, integration, cultural participation and cohesion.