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| - This museum is just amazing!
My first visit to Phoenix was too full for me to make it here. So when we came back some years later, the MIM was near the top of my to-do list! My parents had been before and raved about it, so I was excited for my visit. As a musician and someone passionate about the arts, I was DOUBLY excited.
And let me tell you...I was NOT disappointed!
I was absolutely blown away!
We came early afternoon, and spent several hours there. We only left because we had dinner plans and the museum closes at 5pm. I could have spent many more hours there, easily. $20 gets you a day pass. You might initially think that is steep, but I think you will easily find things in the exhibits to hold your attention and make it worth it.
Your entry fee also includes the use of a personal audio guide. You press play and it accesses sound examples that accompany the particular exhibit you are in front of. My guide was a little...temperamental. It played and paused without my touching it, and was kind of a little ball of technical difficulties. It wasn't annoying *enough* for me to go as to exchange it, but you should not feel awkward to go ask for a working headset. It adds to and is essential to the experience!
I have to tell you though, when the experience *depends* on SOUND, it being a museum of music and music makers and music making, the personal audio guides are a PERFECT addition. It adds exponentially to the whole experience when you get to actually hear what some of these strange looking instruments sound like, and played by native people and not just appropriated. It really is amazing. And that each person gets to listen to their own thing, at their own pace, without bugging or interrupting other visitors...absolutely wonderful!
We began on the second floor, where the instruments are organized by continent, region and country. The great thing, beyond all the beautiful and unique musical instruments representing far away places, is that they include secondary items that build a story and experience around the pieces. For example, there are many traditional costumes and clothes that are used in ceremonies or are representative of the culture.
The first floor houses three more permanent exhibits. One is special instruments from famous artists of a variety of different genres. This is the Hard Rock-esque room. The fella thought the whole museum was going to be like this, but this being one part...a fraction of the whole collection made it more impactful. Yes, you can find Taylor Swift's guitar for the younger music fans...but you will also find things from Elvis, Ravi Shankar, Leonard Bernstein, and a drum from the Beijing Olympics!
Another is the Mechanical Music room, full of player pianos and music boxes and self-playing music makers. It is much cooler than it sounds, and one of the big machines plays at regular intervals.
The final room on the first floor is an interactive room where you can try your hand at any number of some of the instruments you've seen throughout the museum. This is prooobably aimed more at younger visitors, but no lie...as a 32 year old woman, I had just as much fun playing with the harp and gamelans and the theremin! Don't be shy. Give 'em a whirl! (And parents...maybe teach your kids not to rips the mallets out of another person's hand before they are done...no matter how old or young that other person is.)
Five stars. A+. If you are in or near Phoenix and you are looking for something to do...COME HERE. Run, don't walk. And then take your time and enjoy it!
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