Museum of Making Music

Small museum (takes about 1 hour to walk through) with some very interesting instruments. They cover modern music from 1900 onward. The best section of course is near the exit where you can play a large variety of instruments yourself.
Downsides: the staff tries to be nice & helpful but it reminds me of a car dealership where a salesman won’t take hints. I wanted to explore the museum with my wife and not with a tour guide tagging along the entire time. I really wish they had some sheet music there.

A very interactive place. It’s a small museum but it’s packed with history and a variety of instruments. The surrounding area is great too. You can overlook the Carlsbad outlet malls and the ocean.

My last tour stop after leaving San Diego Botanical Gardens and the Chocolate Festival, and before heading back to PCC.
Lead by our tour docent, Jacinta, she gave us a wonderful guide of the various musical instruments played throughout history and up til today. It was fun, educational and interactive.
I dig that they encourage us to play with the instruments, and I got to play with the bass guitar and hit the Chinese Gong 3x — it was cool!!! :)
This museum is a great place for music lovers to come and check out. They also got a gift shop and free open wifi.
Though it does get pretty hot in there. Either step outside for a breather or chill inside the restroom for a pee break (it’s cooler in there).
Cool museum to check out if you’re ever in Carlsbad.

Very interesting and informative. The docents were very helpful and informative. I highly recommend a visit to see American musical instruments and music from the 1800s. Much better than we thought.

If you’re into music and in the area its a cool place to stop by. They also sponsor a program of shows in the evening in a small cozy environment that really lets you feel comfortable with the musicians.

This is such a cute, little museum. Took my girl scout troop there this past summer. The tour was really fun. The girls got a music lesson and a tour. The instruments from various points in time were interesting. The fact that the girls got to try out different instruments was the highlight. Planned tour is the way to go!

Very nice interactive experience for both adults and kids. Small place but somehow we spent over an hour there. Had a groupon for two and only paid $ 8.

«One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.
~Bob Marley
My older daughter’s college assignment was to pay the MOMM a visit. She asked if we would care to accompany her and we were in. We thought this would be a good way to spark an interest in my little one.
The lobby looks like the entrance to a normal museum, however you hang a right and the museum is a lot smaller with a low ceiling. The front desk volunteer was very pleasant. She rang us up, provided us brochures and pointed us in the right direction. $ 8 Adults, $ 5 students/​children/​military/​seniors, 5 and under free.
The first exibits are a bit dull, but it gets better as you continue your tour. There definitely will be instruments that you have never seen before. There are also numerous opportunities to play and experiment. We all received a great lesson in the history of musical instruments. Minus one star for the size.
The best thing is I think we have an idea what my daughter will play. Either the drums, gong, piano, guitar or harp.
Well maybe not, but it was a good day. ;)

Five stars? Eh. Not really a must-​see.
I mean, it’s perfectly fine, but it has the feel of an office.
I’d see no reason to come back.
I’d rather buy the book. Is there a book?
I love museums.
And I love music.
But I love $ 8 more.

Music has always been in my life in one form or another. The most moving pieces I’ve found originate from the great classical music masters such as; Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Tchaikovsky to name a few. My favorite instrument is the piano, probably because my Mother plays quite well.
So as you can imagine I was very interested in the progression of musical instruments detailed in this museum. It does not disappoint!
Throughout the museum there are interactive instruments you may sit down to play, music videos to watch and various push buttons playing period music. Note; plenty of instruments are off limits for touching, so tread carefully.
This is the kind of museum that is so chalk full of information you could keep coming back and either find something new or missed since the last trip. Additional reasons to visit; monthly concerts, orchestra and band programs, summer camp and family music making days.
The 2007 National Medal of Arts was awarded to Henry Z. Steinway and presented by US President George Bush on November 15 2007 in an East Room ceremony at the White House. Henry Z. Steinway received the award for «his devotion to preserving and promoting quality craftsmanship and performance; as an arts patron and advocate for music and music education; and for continuing the fine tradition of the Steinway piano as an international symbol of American ingenuity and cultural excellence. The National Medal of Arts is a presidential initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. Wikipedia.

It’s a pretty small museum but it’s got some great information and each stop had an instrument to try out. I loved the end where you could try lots of different instruments with instructions on how to get started — brilliant!

We had passed by the museum for years when we used to go to Legoland and I was always intrigued but never checked it out. A few years later and a couple years of drum and piano lessons under out kids belt finally got me to get around to paying the museum a visit and it didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the exhibits and reading up on the history of music. Our 9 year old really enjoyed all of the hands-​on instruments laid out throughout the museum and especially in the main hands-​on room. I loved that they have a Theremin there to play around with! We probably spent about 1.5 hours there and had a great time.

Went here today with a toddler and a baby thinking they had a kids play section (they don’t, in my sleep deprived state I just assumed this). My toddler was touching everything in the gift shop and just being, well, a toddler. The sweet ladies working the front didn’t even bat an eye, scoff, our act put off in any way. In fact, they found us a few times in the museum to give us things we kept dropping off the stroller (toys, hair bows, food, etc.) They were so incredibly kind, patient and overall amazing. I’ll bring my OLDER kids here soon because the museum is super awesome too. Almost as awesome as the customer service and hospitality we received today.

The Museum of Making Music makes almost every square inch of it’s space a masterpiece. Admission is priced inexpensively, especially for students. Such amazing museum as this is filled with previously recorded music activated by buttons, exhibitions of musical artifacts, items that are interactive and more. The space is small, but if you read the descriptions, do the activities and listen to all the music, you can spend a good chunk of time here.
I hadn’t visited this museum since I was aged in the single digits. The museum is arranged from order of oldest music to the most recent music. Please be aware that despite the wonder of the permanent collection, they don’t do temporary exhibits. They go through how each instrument gradually became electrical. Situational context such as changes in the economy and how it affected the sales of the music industry is marvelously put in context. Hearing the Edison phonographs, banjo playing Dixie’s Land, beautiful old singing and so on made me want to ask grandpa about old times.
The instruments and music of each era is consistently displayed. If you know how to play an instrument, there is probably at least one interactive version of it here. I was dancing constantly, since music used to have more passion than today. Digital music plays a greater role in the end. Photography, seemingly also including flash photography, is allowed. Parking is plentiful.
Visiting the Museum of Making Music will be music to your ears.

So much fun!
This is such a lovely place I feel so lucky to be so close to it. Walk through and learn about music history in a very interactive and visually stimulating environment, get involved in the many workshops, seminars or concerts they have (I’m attending a music theory seminar tonight in fact) or just go play in the instrument room! I love it so much I became a member, but if you are just passing through it is very low cost and quite enjoyable for all. My mama thought she would not enjoy it since she is not a musician like myself, but she thanked me repeatedly for bringing her and said she would welcome another opportunity to go on her next CA visit.

We are so fortunate to have this music making museum so close to us! Who doesn’t enjoy music — it’s what brings people together and it’s healing too (per my music therapist friends)! I have taken groups of adolescent students here and they always had a great time. I love the history of women and the piano, the swing era, everything from Elvis to the Beatles, musical history through the ages, MTV, seeing the ukulele’s (one my favorite instruments) the harmonica collections, famous guitars, and the interactive area at the end which includes drums to harps! There is something entertaining for everyone!
One of my favorite things to do is attend their local flavor nights. This includes a local brewery, eatery and a live music session (often at a great deal price of $ 10 for all this). It’s the best deal in town: I have included photos of one of my absolute local favorites that I saw last: «The Lovebirds»
PS Look close — the entry desk where you pay for the museum tour is a piano!

Founded in 1998 by the National Association of Music Merchants the exhibits are organized chronologically with each gallery in the museum featuring historic milestones, popular music and instruments of those eras. Several locations are provided for visitors to actually play instruments. Great displays and interesting instruments from all periods.

What a gem! If you’re here for homeschool days at Legoland, don’t miss this stop. There are 6 different ‘rooms.’ emphasizing a different time period in music. Each rooms has a selection of songs that you can listen to, musical instruments and history from that time period, and a musical instrument that you can play. The last room has half dozen or so different instruments that you can play and listen to (synthesizer, drums, bass guitar, ukulele, etc). Great gift shop and wonderful history of music. If you’re into music, like history and enjoy pop music, this is a must stop! Very reasonable ($ 8 for adults, $ 5 for kids). They even have the Beatles drum set on display. Please check it out!

As we were leaving the Museum of Making Music, a dad who was headed there with his wife and three young children asked, «So is it worth it?»
I understand his reservations because it’s located in an office building located within an office complex and doesn’t look like much from the outside. As a matter of fact, it’s not all that big on the inside, either. And anytime you take the whole family out for any kind of fun that isn’t free, the expenses start to add up quick.
But if you consider that general admission for adults is $ 8, kids $ 5, and little ones under 5 free, and you can get at least a good hour’s worth of musical exploration, some of it even hands-​on, and possibly even inspire your kids to want to learn to make music, yeah — it’s totally worth it. And the people who volunteer there are so nice and welcoming.
It’s also right around the corner from Legoland, so if you’re staying in the area, this is a nice, low-​key activity to follow up a crazy day at the amusement park.
A few more hands-​on exhibits, including a few more kid-​sized ones, would rate 5 stars for me. :)

This museum is small but terrific. I could easily spend half a day here. If you appreciate all kinds of music, and the history of music, shame on you if you haven’t been here.
Hardly anyone here at noon on a Saturday. What a shame.