If you get bored at a music museum, it’s your own fault.
Nothing connects with the human soul quite like music, and nothing will spark fun, creativity and nostalgia in your travel group like a visit to a music museum. Travelers of all ages enjoy the sounds, the sights and the stories of America’s greatest art forms and often get a chance to join in the creative process themselves.
From jazz and blues to country, rock and electronica, every American genre has a museum or two dedicated to honoring its greats and inspiring the next generation. If you have music lovers in your group or even casual fans who would enjoy a musical walk down memory lane, consider planning some trips around visits to some of these highly respected music museums.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Cleveland
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame makes news every year when it inducts a new class of musicians, songwriters, producers and other industry insiders. But this Cleveland institution isn’t just about remembering past stars — in addition to the actual hall of fame, it gives visitors an expansive overview of the breadth and influence of rock music with interesting artifacts and plenty of music along the way.
Travelers will love the stage costumes, instruments and other memorabilia that rotate on display through the museum. And they’re just as likely to see an item from a modern performer such as the Black Keys or Katy Perry as they are an artifact from one of the Beatles.
“In our exhibits, we like to make connections for people,” said Todd Mesek, the museum’s vice president of marketing and communications. “So if your entry point is Elvis Presley, we’re going to lead you to Bruno Mars. If your entry point is Lady Gaga, we’re going to present you with Ma Rainey. It’s about telling stories, not just displaying artifacts. We tell stories that someone might not otherwise know and provide them with new insight and context.”
In addition to the permanent exhibitions that cover the roots of rock, including jazz, blues, folk and R&B, the museum puts on a lineup of high-profile temporary exhibitions that explore interesting areas of music and their intersections with greater culture. One, titled Graham Nash: Touching the Flame, is open though March and features the well-known performer explaining his musical heroes and inspirations in his own voice. An exhibit coming later this year will examine the relationship between rock music and political activism.
“We tell stories with artifacts and video displays, but we’re also bringing it alive,” Mesek said. “We bring live, curated programs into the museum for daily visitors, sometimes even out of the theaters and into our exhibits. People walking through can experience deeper stories from our curators who are out in the exhibits telling the stories.”
— www.rockhall.com —
National Jazz Museum in Harlem
New York
Jazz has roots in musical developments that took place in various parts of the country at different times; but it really crystalized as a national phenomenon in Harlem in the early 20th century.
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem explores those roots and the role Harlem played in vaulting jazz artists into national prominence at a time when African-Americans weren’t afforded many opportunities. This year, the museum is opening a new exhibit, Vibrations, that offers a comprehensive look at Harlem’s place in the history of jazz.
“Musical and cultural vibrations were set into motion here in Harlem starting 100 years ago, and those vibrations have rippled around the world and have influenced music, fashion, culture and dance,” said Ryan Maloney, the museum’s director. “They got started here in nightclubs, living rooms and church basements.”
The exhibit will include a re-creation of an early 1930s Harlem living room with a player piano and a Victrola. It will also include information and artifacts related to Harlem local Duke Ellington, who became one of the most legendary figures in the world of jazz.
In addition to the new exhibition, the museum has a number of other signature collections. The Savory Collection is a series of audio recordings of radio jazz concerts collected by one audio engineer in the 1930s and 1940s. Visitors can hear performances by Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Ellington and other famous performers.
Groups that visit the museum should try to take advantage of some of its extensive special programs.
“Ever since 2002, the museum has done between 70 and 80 public programs a year — lectures, concerts, book talks, film series and all types of other events,” Maloney said. “We look for ways to keep jazz relevant and exciting, and offer programs for a broad range of audiences to understand the rich history of Harlem and the importance that jazz has had in this community.”
— www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org —
National Blues Museum
St. Louis
Much like jazz, American blues music developed and grew in various parts of the country, including the Mississippi Delta, Memphis, St. Louis and Chicago. As the most centrally located of these blues hubs, St. Louis was chosen to be the home of the new National Blues Museum, which is slated to open April 2.
Like other major music museums, the National Blues Museum will trace the development of its namesake genre through different eras and will highlight both its early pioneers and later artists whom they have influenced. But because it is a brand-new facility, it has the advantage of being able to deeply integrate interactive technology and social media connectivity throughout the entire experience.
“When you first come in, you use a computer to build your own blues riff,” said executive director Dion Brown. “After you leave that, there are interactive stations where you can lay down guitar, harmonica and piano tracks on top of what you wrote. At the end of the museum, you mix the tracks together and email it to yourself. You’ll have your own blues riff that you wrote and performed the music on.”
In the midst of all the creative opportunities, visitors will see artifacts such as an antique player piano and instruments used by blues greats such as Chuck Berry, B.B. King and Bobby Rush. Other exhibits will highlight today’s young blues musicians and how they’re using social media to keep the music alive.
Groups visiting the museum will find live music Thursdays through Saturdays, as well as various smaller performances at scheduled times throughout the day. Brown said the museum plans to have a robust schedule of traveling exhibits in its temporary galleries, as well as programming and experiences tailored to the group tourism market.
