Facts

The gap starts long before the concert hall.

16.4%

Of high school brass players are female.

6.8%

Of tuba players are female — the widest gap of any instrument.

8.9%

Of trombone players are female.

112,257

Students surveyed across 1,234 schools in all 50 states.

Chart showing the percentage of male and female students playing trumpet, saxophone, French horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, percussion and brass overall in U.S. high schools — Gender representation in U.S. school instrumental music

Our founder performing French horn in her high school symphonic band during a concert — “I was one of the few girls in my high school symphonic band.”
Most of the brass section around me was made up of boys. That imbalance is exactly what HER Music is working to change.

About the research

These percentages come from the most comprehensive national study of U.S. high school instrumental music students ever conducted. They show a persistent pattern: brass and percussion sections remain overwhelmingly male, and the imbalance carries straight into professional ensembles.

Study: All-In: The Comprehensive National Study of High School Students and Music Learning (2019)
Conducted by: NAfME — National Association for Music Education
Researcher: Dr. Brian N. Weidner
Dataset: 2017/18 school year — 112,257 students from 1,234 schools across all 50 states
Scope: The largest and most recent national dataset on school music participation

Note: percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.