NAMM and Museum of Making Music Launch MusicVentures Program

NAMM, the International Music Products Association, recently received a $100,000 Educational Improvement grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support its “MusicVentures in School” program, a project that aims to provide music-making opportunities in north San Diego County public school districts where access to arts and music education is limited.

MusicVentures in School provides teacher training, mentoring, artist residencies, museum field trips and family music learning toolkits to specifically enhance learning and educational opportunity in districts lacking music education. Families in each participating school district receive a free Sesame Street Music Works toolkit. In addition, the program seeks to demonstrate the positive benefits of music to local policy makers in an effort to affect long-term policy and funding decisions for music education.

The Museum of Making Music also developed three museum-hosted components of this project. These include an interactive field trip program through the Museum of Making Music, a MusicVentures Trail through the museum and family music days at the museum.

“The MusicVentures program brings the museum to life and broadens students’ awareness of the world of music around them,” said Carolyn Grant, executive director, Museum of Making Music. “Through the exhibits and hands-on experiences, they learn about music as an art form, as well as a career choice—not only as a performer but as a manufacturer, retailer, publisher, composer and more.”

The interactive field trip program provides an age-appropriate curriculum for students in each grade, from kindergarten through eighth grade, to educate them about the history of the music products industry and music in the United States. It also helps students apply their music products knowledge within the frameworks of science, language arts, social studies and math. Teachers receive pre- and post-visit activity sheets, and each student has the opportunity to play a musical instrument.

Walk-in visitors to the museum can participate in the MusicVentures Trail, which consists of interactive stands set up in each gallery. Each stand asks questions about musical selections, careers in music and instrument sound recognition that children and parents can answer together, encouraging learning and fun throughout the museum tour.

The museum also plans to host four Family Music Days each year with activities for everyone, including instrument making, drum circles, a petting zoo of instruments (providing visitors with a hands-on experience of instruments on display) and a viewing of the Sesame Street Music Works Wonders video.

Interested parties who want to learn more about the MusicVentures program can contact the museum at 877.551.9976.

About the Museum of Making Music
The mission of the Museum of Making Music is to celebrate the rich history and encourage the future of music making. The one-of-a-kind museum invites all NAMM Members to tour the museum FREE of charge. Located in the NAMM Industry Headquarters in beautiful Carlsbad, Calif., the museum is a great way to experience firsthand the impact of the music products industry over the last 100 years. For more information about the museum or its activities, interested parties should call 877.551.9976 or visit www.museumofmakingmusic.org.