Reflecting a Living, Creative Community

How do you represent a creative community that is constantly evolving and changing? 

That is a question we think about often at the Museum of Making Music. Music is never still. Neither are the people who design the instruments, imagine new sounds, solve technical challenges, and take creative risks behind the scenes. Our unique role as a museum is not only to preserve history, but to stay connected to the living, breathing community that continues to shape how music is made today.

For those who may be unfamiliar, the NAMM Show is the world’s leading global gathering of the music and sound products industry. It is where new ideas are introduced, instruments are unveiled, and conversations begin that often ripple outward into studios, classrooms, stages, and living rooms around the world. It is where tomorrow’s sounds are first imagined.

Because the Museum of Making Music is dedicated to this industry, the NAMM Show matters deeply to our work. For us, attending the Show feels a bit like stepping into the current of a fast-moving river. We walk the floor with curiosity and intention, looking for instruments to bring back to our interactive spaces, sparks of inspiration for future exhibitions, and insight into where music making is headed next. We listen, we ask questions, we reconnect with old friends, and we make new connections that will shape the stories we tell here at the Museum.

In many ways, what happens at the NAMM Show quietly finds its way into our galleries over time. An instrument you try, an innovation you learn about, or a story you encounter may trace its roots back to a conversation or discovery made there.

This year’s Show, taking place January 20-24, will be my 25th, but for some members of our staff, it will be their very first. Watching that sense of wonder unfold never gets old. We also invite our volunteer team to attend, because it is important that everyone who welcomes you into the Museum feels connected to the industry we represent. When we serve you with knowledge and confidence, it is because we have spent time listening, learning, and immersing ourselves in the world behind the music.

We return from the NAMM Show exhausted, yes, but more importantly we return energized, inspired, and full of ideas. Thank you for being part of a community that values music not just as something we enjoy, but as something made possible by creativity, craftsmanship, and connection.

Stay tuned!