After several years of planning and a recently completed remodel and transformation of its physical space, NAMM’s Museum of Making Music officially celebrated its grand reopening to the public. The re-envisioned Carlsbad-based cultural institution revealed a vibrant, dynamic, and immersive experience across four new galleries and fresh perspectives of the ecosystem of music products, their history, and cultural impact that will inspire visitors to make their own connections to the role of music-making in their lives.
The MoMM is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10AM to 5PM. Under the direction of state and county health protocols, the MoMM will utilize COVID mitigation strategies and cleaning throughout the museum, as well as a ticketed registration system to manage the flow and number of visitors to the new space. Additional information is available here.
A one-of-a-kind musical journey
As the only museum of its kind in the world, the new MoMM welcomes visitors from near and far on a journey of musical exploration and discovery as told through instruments, artifacts, and multimedia displays featuring video stories, photographs, performance clips, and interviews from the instrument creators, artists, and industry innovators.
Across the MoMM’s four new galleries, guests will experience key themes of “Making the Instruments,” “Providing the Instruments,” “Using the Instruments,” and “Beyond the Instruments,” and develop a greater knowledge of how instrument creators and external events have brought us the music we make and enjoy.
D0n’t forget to “Sit & Play”
The MoMM’s hands-on opportunities also underwent a redesign at “Sit & Play” stations throughout the galleries. In the popular Interactive Gallery, visitors will enjoy a suite of instruments for solo exploration and collaborative performances. Available instruments include a variety of stringed instruments, including a banjo and a guitar from San Diego-based Deering Banjo Co. and Taylor Guitars, respectively, a MOOG Grandmother synthesizer, a Pioneer DJ Station, a harp guitar, a Harpejji K24, a theremin, a Chapman Stick, and much more.
Welcoming visitors near and far
The Museum of Making Music first opened to the public in March of 2000 to celebrate the centennial of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) as an industry association and to provide a historical context of making music. Since that time, the MoMM has welcomed visitors from near and far and presents an ongoing vibrant and varied schedule of exhibitions, concerts, and educational programs throughout the year.
Prior to the pandemic, the MoMM hosted thousands of school-aged children each year, many from Title I schools, for tours that provided educational enrichment. In 2019, the MoMM established a music program with San Pasqual Academy to provide the school’s foster youth with individualized lessons and opportunities to explore the larger world of music-making and careers in the industry.
North Coast Strings and New Horizons Band programs, musical ensembles designed to be an entry point for adults, are also hosted and organized by the museum. The MoMM galas have presented notable names, including Graham Nash and Mavis Staples, and its Live@MoMM concert series brings musical masters from around the globe as well as our backyard to perform in an intimate listening environment.
Admission to the MoMM is $15; $10 for seniors, students, and active military; and free for Museum Members, NAMM Members, and children age three and under. Additional information is available here.
See you there….and stay healthy, San Diego!
