Thank you to the Phoenix CVB and the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) for making it possible for me to share this experience with you. All opinions are my own.
Every vacation I believe should include a little culture. While on my #BloggersGo trip last month, Phoenix was no exception to this rule. With the amazing Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) being just a little over 3 years old, it’s a must do for anyone visiting the Phoenix area.
The 200,000 square foot museum is quite impressive. I have never been to a museum like this one. After getting a little background information and a short tour, we were each given a set of wireless headsets and set off to explore the world of music…or better yet, the music from all over the world. I was completely fascinated.
WIRELESS AUDIO
Wireless “hot spots” around MIM provide loops of streamed music, immersing guests in the sounds of musical instruments throughout the museum.
Guests are given wireless headsets to wear throughout the museum. As they approach each display, they can hear the instruments being played, either solo or as an ensemble. Audio and video clips familiarize guests with the unique sounds of each musical culture, allowing them to share a common experience. The wireless audio system is user-friendly for guests of all ages.
Broken up into several different sections on two levels, there is enough to do that you can easily spend 4 hours or more exploring. On the ground floor there 5 different sections.
There’s The Artist Gallery where you can find instruments, video concert footage, photographs, performance outfits, and other special items linked to world-renowned musicians and music innovators.
In The Experience Gallery it’s hands-on fun where there’s the opportunity for guests to play many of the types of instruments seen elsewhere in the museum.
The Mechanical Music Gallery is an area where instruments are designed to play on their own.
The Target Gallery has special traveling exhibitions that offer several new exhibits throughout the year.
The Conservation Lab is super cool for it gives you an opportunity to see instruments being restored and preserved.
Then on the second floor is where you find the impressive Geographical Galleries – A gallery for each continent, with instruments exhibited by country. And also the special displays of iconic American manufacturers of instruments, including Steinway and Sons, C. F. Martin & Co., D’Addario & Co., and Fender Musical Instruments.
COLLECTION
The collection includes instruments from around two hundred countries and territories in the world. Some larger countries such as India, China, Russia, the United States, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and others have multiple displays with subsections for different types of ethnic, folk, and tribal music. The instruments have both historic and artistic merit and many are more than fifty years old. MIM’s goal is to acquire instruments that have been used for folk and tribal occasions wherever possible.
Located in a light-filled space overlooking the museum’s entry courtyard and signature sculpture, Café Allegro at the Musical Instrument Museum serves an inventive menu of great-tasting foods prepared from scratch, using fresh local ingredients. Café Allegro offers a menu that changes daily. I opted for a Mediterranean pork dish with very tasty cream of tomato soup.
They encourage you to take part, and there is a piano in the main lobby area that a few of my friends took a moment for some chop sticks. There is also a fantastic museum store that offers an array of musical items representing music from all over the world.
MUSEUM HOURS
Mon., Tue., Wed., Fri., and Sat.
9 a.m.–5 p.m.Thur.
9 a.m.–9 p.m.Sun.
10 a.m.–5 p.m.MIM is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas days. MIM is open all other holidays. Hours and prices are subject to change.
MUSEUM ADMISSION
General $18 Teens (ages 13–19) $14 Children (ages 4–12) $10 Children (ages 3 and under) Free
Like MIM on Facebook
*My flight, lodgings, activities and most expenses were covered by Phoenix CVB. All opinions are 100% mine.
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The museum sounds interesting but I think I am really liking the pictures of the food!
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Why can’t Scamp write banter? everyone does it so why does he have to play ref here? Bollocks.I do have a problem with it not being fair. Scamp never criticises his mates from DDB or Tiger Savave (an easy target I must ad)Or what about Juan Cabral doing webchats pretending to be cadbury’s gorilla? I guess that’s cool, uh? I mean wacked, dawg.
That museum sounds amazing!!! I love all the things they have to do!
The museum sound very interesting and the food would definitely be a plus!
We took a day trip there when we lived in AZ. It was really very cool!
Wow, what an amazing museum! I would love to visit one day.
Amazing place to visit!
So many instruments. I wish I could of tried to play all of them LOL!