Virginia Musical Museum facts for kids
The Virginia Musical Museum is a cool place in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. It's filled with amazing musical treasures! You can see rare old instruments, machines that play music by themselves, and even items from famous Virginia musicians. The museum first opened its doors on June 22, 2013.
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Museum History
The museum's story began in 1963. That's when Jesse (Buddy) and Peggy Parker bought their first music box. This started their huge collection! The couple collected instruments from all over the world. But they focused mostly on music and artists from Virginia. You can learn about Virginia's music history here. It's told through the artists, objects, and instruments on display.
Amazing Collections
The museum has many different collections. Each one shows a special part of music history.
Virginia Music Stars
This is the biggest collection at the museum. It has personal items from many famous Virginia musicians. You can see things that belonged to Patsy Cline, Ella Fitzgerald, and Wayne Newton. Other stars include Bruce Hornsby, Ralph Stanley, and The Statler Brothers. There are also items from Pearl Bailey, Roy Clark, Ricky Van Shelton, Gene Vincent, Phil Vassar, and Jimmy Fortune.
The Piano Gallery
The Piano Gallery shows how the piano has changed over time. You can see instruments from the very beginning. It starts with the cimbalom and goes all the way to the modern grand piano. One very special instrument here is a 1770 Joshua Shudi harpsichord. Only two of these are known to exist!
Old Phonographs
This exhibit features phonographs made by Thomas Edison and RCA Victor. You can even see a sample of Edison’s tin foil phonograph. This section tells the story of recorded music. It shows how we started listening to music whenever we wanted.
Nickelodeon Museum
The nickelodeon museum has nickelodeons from as far back as 1905. A nickelodeon is like a player piano. One cool machine is the Mills 'Violano-Virtuoso'. It can play a violin while a piano plays along!
Music Box Collection
The music box collection has both table-top and floor-model instruments. Some music boxes in the museum can play bells and drums. One even plays a reed organ!
Organ Exhibit
In the organ exhibit, you'll find many different types of organs. There's a self-playing pipe organ and a monkey organ. You can also see a glass organ and a Hammond organ. There's a Reed organ and a 300-year-old hurdy-gurdy. Visitors can watch and hear some of these instruments play on iPads and monitors.
Amusement Park Fun
Many early amusement parks had a "Laffing Sal" character. You can see one on display in this section. There's also a Wurlitzer Caliola band organ. This amazing machine could play music using punched-paper rolls. Or you could play it like a calliope with its built-in keyboard. This exhibit also shows other fun amusement park attractions.
More Musical Wonders
You can also find musical toys in the museum. There are many different string instruments. Plus, there's a visual timeline that shows the history of recorded music.
