It speaks to generations, spans across languages and inspires people. From the moment you step foot in the Musical Instrument Museum in North Phoenix you will see the "Music is the language of the soul" collage against the lobby wall. This is more than a unique museum; it is a journey across the musical globe.
The museum is set up primarily in a geographical way, so that the instruments that are specific to a region of the world can be seen together, allowing visitors to catch a glimpse at the culture of that part of the world.
There are some instruments that are less specific in region, and those are on display as well. However, this does not lessen the experience of learning about the particular instrument. For example, there might be a display of a guitar, a fairly common instrument, but beside that guitar is a tear-down of that instrument so that you can see how it is made and all the details that go into each piece.
Though it is fascinating to learn about regional music and how it is created, what really struck me was the sheer number of instruments that exist. Who knew there would be enough to fill an entire museum? The volume of instruments in the museum is enough to be impressed by.
The Musical Instrument Museum has one more, and probably the most, important thing going for it - television. Alongside each of the displays is a television with a short video demonstration for each of the instruments within the display. So the curiosity of how something sounds or how you would play it can be satisfied.
There is an "Experience Gallery" on the first floor for those who cannot go to a museum without being able to touch the artifacts.
For more information, including prices and directions, visit www.mim.org.
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