Home to the world’s largest collection of musical instruments, Phoenix's very own Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is a great place for the whole family to explore, with discounted admission for kids.
In 2010, the founders of MIM were able to see their dream come to fruition: a cultural art venue where both the music and the musical instruments of the world could find equal representation. The large building houses nearly 15,000 musical instruments and artefacts, as well as a conversation laboratory, theatre, audio-visual displays, and recording studios. At night, the MIM itself closes and the MIM Music Theatre opens for films and performances.
There are five Geographical Galleries in the MIM, each of which focuses on the musical tradition of a specific region. Visitors can see drums and harps dating back hundreds of years, as well as more unique specimens such as the Appalachian stringed dulcimer and the Taiwanese lalingedan nose flute. Unique audio-visual displays show the instruments being played in their native cultures.
If you are interested in music, try to plan your visit around one of the short workshops that occur roughly once a month you can journey to Spain for a Flamenco Fiesta or learn about musical storytelling with the pros. If you are simply stopping in for a visit, you will still have the opportunity to have a hands-on experience, be it strumming a Burmese harp or banging on a gong from Asia. The kids will love a museum where they are encouraged to touch the artefacts and make some noise.
After playing to your heart’s content, swing by the Artist Gallery to peer at some special musical artefacts. This gallery sets out to commemorate musical innovators and world-famous pop musicians. Here visitors will find instruments once belonging to Elvis Presley, one of Eric Clapton’s guitars from the 1960s, and the Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed the song ‘Imagine’.
