Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Musical Instrument Museum

Established	April 2010
Location	4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, Arizona
Type	musical instruments

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is a super cool place in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened in April 2010 and is the biggest museum of its kind in the whole world! Imagine a place with over 15,000 musical instruments and related items. These come from almost 200 countries and territories, showing music from every continent where people live. Big countries like the United States, Mexico, India, China, and Brazil even have special sections. These sections show off different types of local, folk, and tribal music.

Discover the Musical Instrument Museum

The main entrance to MIM

A street view of MIM

The museum was started by Robert J. Ulrich. He used to be the boss of Target Corporation. Robert Ulrich loved collecting African art and visiting museums around the world. He got the idea for MIM with his friend Marc Felix after seeing a similar museum in Brussels, Belgium. The museum's design also got some great ideas from the Musée de la Musique in Paris. That museum was updated in 1997.

The modern building is huge, covering about 200,000 square feet. It has two floors full of amazing galleries. Building this museum cost more than US$250 million. In each country's exhibit, you'll find a flat-screen video. These videos show local musicians playing their native instruments in high-resolution. Visitors get a wireless device with headphones. This device automatically lets you listen to the performances when you are near an exhibit.

MIM also has a theater with 299 seats for concerts. These shows usually happen after the museum closes for the day. Famous violinist Joshua Bell even recorded his album "French Impressions" there in 2011. There's also a cafe where you can grab a bite to eat. It has both indoor and outdoor seating. Many musical artists have performed at MIM. Some of these include Martha Reeves, Lyle Lovett, Wanda Jackson, Jordin Sparks, Ronnie Spector, Altan, Ramsey Lewis, and George Benson.

Exploring the Museum's Layout

The first floor of the Musical Instrument Museum

Musical instruments hanging from the ceiling

The floor shows countries exhibited in the museum

A child playing a "Gong" in the Experience Gallery

Ground Floor Galleries

• The Artist Gallery – This gallery shows instruments, concert videos, photos, and even performance outfits. These items belong to famous musicians and music innovators. You might see exhibits for Elvis Presley, Pablo Casals, John Lennon, King Sunny Adé, Taylor Swift, and many others from around the world. You can see the clothes worn by many singers. You can also see and hear the original instruments played by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Carlos Santana, Tito Puente, and Taylor Swift.
• The Experience Gallery – In this gallery, kids and adults can touch, play, and hear different instruments. You can try out drums, guitars, and harps from many cultures. It's a great way to make your own music!
• The Mechanical Music Gallery – This gallery features instruments that "play themselves." Think of player pianos, mechanical zithers, and old-fashioned cylinder music boxes.
• The Target Gallery – This gallery hosts special traveling shows and changing exhibitions. It adds new and exciting displays to the museum's regular collection.
• The Conservation Lab – Through a big window, you can peek into the Conservation Lab. This is where experts work to keep the museum's instruments in great shape. They make sure these treasures last a long time.
• Café Allegro – Café Allegro serves a different menu every day. You can find foods from around the world, local dishes, grilled items, fresh soups, salads, and yummy desserts.
• Museum Store – The Museum Store is open daily. It offers gift cards, books, CDs, instruments, handmade gifts, and other musical items.
• MIM Music Theater – This concert hall hosts many concerts. Artists from all over the world come to perform here.
• The PNC Bank Family Center – This is a quiet and fun space for families with young children. It has seating, tables, a family restroom, a nursing room, toys, and books. It's perfect for a break and some playtime.

Upper Level Galleries

The upper level of MIM is organized into Geographical Galleries. These galleries focus on five main regions of the world. Here you'll find traditional, tribal, and folk musical instruments from different parts of the globe.

• The Africa and Middle East Gallery – This gallery displays instruments and artifacts from countries in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East.
• The Asia and Oceania Gallery – This area features instruments from countries and islands across Asia and Oceania. It has five smaller sections for East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Central Asia and the Caucasus.
• The Europe Gallery – Here, you can see instruments like an old charter horn, a foot-operated drum kit, and even a child's vessel flute.
• The Latin America Gallery – This gallery shows instruments and musical groups from three areas: South America, Central America and Mexico, and the Caribbean.
• The United States/Canada Gallery – In this gallery, you can explore instruments that shaped North American music. These include the Appalachian dulcimer, sousaphone, ukulele, and electric guitar. There are also special exhibits about famous American instrument makers like Fender, Martin, and Steinway.
• The Collier STEM Gallery – This gallery shows "How Science Brings Music to Life." You can see a deconstructed Stratocaster guitar. Displays explain how sound waves, amplitude, frequency, wavelength, and timbre work.

Museum Instrument Collections

The museum has many instruments and exhibits. The geographic galleries focus on the five main world regions.

See also

• Musical Instrument Museum (disambiguation)
• List of music museums