After entering through the gift shop, with someone for every music lover in your life, you begin the exhibit with instruments and information about music style from 1890. As you walk through the musuem, you also travel through time musically, with interactive exhibits and displays of instruments and musical styles as they develop up to the present day. It was fun to play samples of music I didn't know about, as well and dance and sing along to '80s tunes.

There were some really impressive instruments, including the Leo, which is like a huge synthesizer/hammond organ. See the picture.

The last exhibit room has instruments, such as an electric bass, a theramin, turn tables, electric guitar, an organ, and a midi computer synthesizer to play yourself. Most of the instruments had someone playing them, so I didn't try any myself.

They also have a great website with photos and examples: http://www.museumofmakingmusic.org

MOMA, as it’s usually referred to, is presenting "Drum Roll, Please…a hands-on history of the drum," through the end of August. Throughout the year, they offer special tours, host special performances by guest artists and have workshops, all to fulfill their dual mission as a museum of the history of music-making and musical instruments since the twentieth century began, and as a teaching center developing appreciation for musical instruments.

This is another headquarters, that of the National Association of Music Merchants, which is why you’ll see NAMM on the front of the building ; don’t be confused by this sign, just look for the Museum of Making Music sign on the side driveway leading to the back parking lot(see photos). They have more than 450 vintage musical instruments on display and samples of "Top 40" tunes from the last 100 years or so. They’re open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 to 5; during Artsplash they’ll be open free see my "Carlsbad's 50th" journal.

Organized into five displays, each of which represents a twenty year period between 1890 and 1990, this museum has over 450 instruments, some of which are very rare like the 1912 Hohner Harmonette Harmonica is. Aiming to detail the history of making, marketing, distributing and performing music in America during the century the museum deals with, the association hopes that experiencing its museum will inspire future music makers. That purpose is realized at its interactive stage where instruments (piano, guitar) are available to play and make one’s own music. It was no surprise when I learned that the current President of NAMM is the President of Steinway, the name synonymous with pianos.

So, if you’d like to see the 1967 Fender Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix used, or you’re a Beatles’ fan and would like to learn more about the particular instruments they experimented with , or just love music (me), you’ll love this museum. For more details, check out their excellent web site, www.museumofmakingmusic.org.

You enter through a gift shop, and it is divided into era's. The items inside show how the instruments evolved over the years. They have interactive displays that play music from the era. The adults loved the old videos that showed the evolution of rock, from The Beetles through MTV's latest. The last room was the kids room. They have hooked up several instruments to headphones so the kids can play and have fun without distrubing anyone else. We played the drums, electric guitar, piano, synthesized machines, and more for hours. Each day the kids begged to go back. This is a hidden, unknown MUST-DO.