Musical Instrument Museum

Today we visited the MIM, Musical Instrument Museum, to view and hear music from around the world. There were wireless “hot spots” around MIM to provide us with loops of streamed music, immersing us in the sounds of musical instruments.

We were given wireless headsets to wear during our self-guided tour. Samantha was the leader and used the map while Lauren captured our experience as photographer. As we approached each display, we could hear the instruments being played, either solo or as an ensemble. Audio and video clips familiarized us with the unique sounds of each musical culture, allowing us to share a common experience. 

Videos played on high-resolution flat screens and gave us an opportunity to see the instruments being performed. We saw the Masai dancers that Samantha had researched in art for the color red. We saw dancers with the trickster, the Raven, as well as music and dancers from Hawaii. We even saw music from Mrs. Henry's home country of South Africa. We sang along with the musicians from the Indian School Band here in Phoenix.

We read signs with information about the instruments, along with maps for orientation, allowing us to tour the many displays of each country in the world. There were nearly three hundred exhibits so we have to come back to see them all!

Hear for yourself by clicking this text.

On the way home from this trip, we stopped by Hobby Lobby to find supplies to create a custom Hawaii-themed license plate frame for our Education Girlz vehicle. Stay tuned for a photo of the finished product!