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National African American Music Museum Nashville

National Museum Of African American Music Opens In Nashville

National Museum of African-American music opens in Nashville

The National Museum of African American Music opened its doors to much anticipation in January 2021. The museum is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans.

Located in the heart of Nashville, the NMAAM is a perfect fit for Music City. Tennessee was critical during the Great Migration , when approximately six million African Americans left the South to relocate to large cities throughout the northeast, midwest, and western United States. Nashville also holds significance in African American music history as artists like The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, and Little Richard spent time early in their careers in Nashville. NMAAM is poised to strengthen and diversify the Music City brand with compelling connections to both local and national musical distinctions. Sharing the states spotlight with other Tennessee music institutions like Chattanoogas Bessie Smith Museum, Nashvilles Country Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry, and Musicians Hall of Fame, Memphis Graceland, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and Sun Studios, the NMAAM is a welcomed addition.

Initially proposed in 2002, the project evolved over the next decade from a local to a national initiative and refined its purpose from a broad focus on arts, culture, and music in the African American community to exclusively cover music.

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Immerse Yourself In Hip

There is no denying the culture-shaping impact of hip-hop, and The Message gallery tracks the growth of the genre from niche New York art form to global phenomenon. The music is there, of course. There are journeys of male artists from Grandmaster Flash to Kendrick Lamar, and influential women like Queen Latifah and Lil Kim. But the non-musical impact of the genre is there, toofrom the fashion to the language to the ability of the art form to make gods out of mortals once relegated to the margins of society. In The Message, Jay-Z, Tupac, and so many others stand as the manifestation of their ancestors wildest dreams, the proof that musicBlack musiccan change lives and the world.

Where To Start Your Visit To The National Museum Of African American Music

NMAAM is appropriately located on Broadway Street, Nashvilles entertainment center, where a multitude of honky tonks play live music every night.

You will access NMAAM via the Fifth Street and Broadway entrance , but before walking in, we encourage museumgoers to take in the sights and sounds of one of the most famous streets in the United States. It is a fitting introduction to what you will experience inside the museum.

Start you visit with the lobby where you can listen to live music in amphitheater-style seating. Take the time to admire the decor of the space, including the wall of instruments, and the light fixtures built to look like drumsticks.

From the lobby, you are also able to visit the beautifully decorated Amplify gift shop. There are records on the walls, record covers on the ceiling, a car cut in half with its trunk open that serves as a display shelf, and more fun decorations. Amplify sells vinyl records, record players, and books, along with clothing and traditional gift shop items.

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National Museum Of African American Music

National Museum of African American Music

Established
Curator Dina Bennett

The National Museum of African American Music is a museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The museum showcases the musical genres inspired, created, or influenced by African-Americans. Its location at Fifth + Broadway in Downtown Nashville, as opposed to historically-Black Jefferson Street, has been controversial.

From Nothing To Something

New Nashville music museum sets African American history to a terrific ...

From Nothing to Something is a series of one-hour workshops that educates students in grades K-8 and Senior classes about the music innovations that early African Americans used to create by memory and with limited resources. The program includes six different workshops: Spoons, Harmonica, Lyrics, Cigar Box Guitar, Banjo, and Wash Tub Bass. Students receive their own instruments to play in each workshop. An artist leads each presentation, which explores the music history and techniques and provides knowledge about how each instrument influenced the development of music genres.

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Fine Tuning: A Masterclass Series

The Fine Tuning Masterclass Series is an opportunity for aspiring adult vocalists and musicians to learn from professionals who have excelled in their genre in the music industry. Class attendees will experience a blend of instructional, contextual and theory-based practices designed to help them hone their individual skills and styles as well as how to monetize their talents.

History Of The Museum

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce originally proposed the idea of the NAAMM in 2002. The task force first envisioned the museum to be a local initiative to highlight area music, culture, and art. But they soon realized that a project centered on African American music would have a major national appeal. NAAMM wanted to attract more diverse visitors from around the globe to experience this cultural music experience that wasnt offered anywhere else in the country.

The original construction plans for the museum also entailed a location in North Nashvilles historic Jefferson Streetan area rich in Black history and culture spanning from the early 1800s to the Civil Rights Movement. However, it was determined that the NAAMMs new location would reside at the heart of Music City on Fifth and Broadway, an already popular site for tourists from around the world.

When the NAAMM broke ground in 2017, the museum served the community with the Museum Without Walls. These are unique engagement programsmost of which were held virtually and in other locations throughout the city since there was no physical space. Construction was completed on the museum in 2020, but the opening to the general public was delayed until 2021 because of the pandemic.

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Visitors Wristbands At The National Museum Of African American Music

Upon presenting yourself at the reception desk of the museum, you will be given a wristband. This wristband is linked to the email address that you provided when you purchased your ticket, which will also be confirmed before your tour starts.

The museum staff will instruct you on how to use your wristband if you need help, but its straightforward. Your wristband can be used throughout the museums exhibits to save part of your museum experience. Just wave the wristband in front of the sensor on the display to save an artists playlist or your own prowess as a dancer or singer. Whatever is saved to the wristband, will be available for 60 days after the date of the museum visit.

Deep Roots: The National Museum Of African American Music

National Museum of African American Music opens in Nashville

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  • Deep Roots: The National Museum of African American Music

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Nearly every genre of American music can be traced back to the creative ingenuity and artistic expression of African-American artists. With a tapestry of lived, shared experiences woven throughout different eras, African Americans originated and shaped musical styles from the blues to hip-hop, helping to spawn many other musical cross-pollinations in between. African-American Music Appreciation Month, observed in June each year, gives us an opportunity to illuminate those essential contributions and reacquaint ourselves with some of the people responsible for the music that forms the soundtrack to life in America and around the world today.

What is African-American Music Appreciation Month?

A Trip to Nashville

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Get An Introduction To The Blues

Emancipation didnt bring liberation for African Americans living in the south, and many of the formerly enslaved still found themselves chained to the land and exploited for their labor. The music never stopped, though, and the songs of heartbreak and distress that rang out from mouths of sharecroppers and railroad workers alike became the basis for the blues. Later, as Black folk traveled north in search of true freedom, they carried their blues with them, ultimately swapping acoustic guitars for electric and adding piano and other instruments. In the Crossroads gallery, visitors learn the stories of blues pioneers including Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith theyll also see how the music of the Black rural south became the stylistic foundation for country and rock and roll.

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National Museum Of African American Music In Nashville Tennessee

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  • By Noelani Kirschner| Sherry L. Brukbacher

    The history of Black American music in the United States spans four centuries, and now theres a museum to honor that legacy.

    The National Museum of African American Music , which opened January 30 in Nashville, Tennessee, calls itself the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced and inspired by African Americans.

    Divided into six sections covering four centuries, the museum educates visitors about the history and influence of Black American music in the United States, all of which can be traced to the hymns and songs enslaved Africans sang in the 1600s.

    NMAAM highlights the more than 50 genres created or influenced by Black Americans, focusing specifically on spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues , and hip-hop throughout its six galleries.

    And as the museum declares, Black music is Americas music.

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    One Nation Under A Groove

    Along with the evolution of music comes the transformation of dancing. In the One Nation Under a Groove gallery you have the opportunity to show off your dance skills to mix education and fun. Alone or with a group, you can go into the large room that resembles a dance studio and give it your all. A silhouette on the large screen in the front of the room will show you the steps. The first song will be from the 1950s, and each song that follows will be from the next decade. The last song to play is Love On Top by Beyonce , and during that tune, your own dancing silhouette will be recorded. Youll then have the option to save your dance video on your wristband.

    Circle Nash Pass With Trolley Tour Johnny Cash Museum And Nmaam

    History in the Making: Black Music Museum Taps Minority
    • Discover the highlights of Nashville
    • Learn more about the history of music
    • Enjoy a trolley tour and a tasting at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery
  • The experience complies with government regulations
  • Areas frequented by visitors are regularly disinfected
  • Hand sanitizers are provided for staff and visitors
  • All gear/equipment is sanitized between use
  • Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative result from a recent antigen or molecular test may be required, please check the local requirements before your visit.
    • 1-Day Nashville hop-on hop-off trolley tour
    • 15 stops on trolley route including Johnny Cash Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame, and Broadway
    • Admission to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
    • Admission to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Nashville
    • Admission to Johnny Cash Museum or Patsy Cline Museum
    • Admission to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
    • Sample tasting at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Nashville
    • VIP Opry Mills coupon book voucher
    • Admission to the National Museum of African America Music

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    Improvise Your Own Jazz Song

    If the blues is the unvarnished depiction of what was and what is, jazz is the expression of what could be, a sonic fantasy composed by some of the greatest musical geniuses of all time. In the A Love Supreme gallery, visitors are reacquainted with well-known artists including Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Ella Fitzgerald, even as they are introduced to more obscure figures like the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, the first integrated, all-female jazz band. Theres also plenty of attention paid to the racial dynamics that underscored the burgeoning genre, as Black artists like Billie Holliday faced discrimination even at their career peaks, while white artists began carving out their own space in the traditionally Black genre. The interactive experience in the gallery gives visitors the chance to live out their own Cotton Club fantasies, as they press a table embedded with notes to improvise on their own jazz song in real time.

    The Roots & Streams Interactive Kiosks

    One of the coolest activities at the museum is creating a custom music playlist. The Roots & Streams interactive kiosks, found throughout the museum, are fitted with noise-canceling headphones that allow for the opportunity to listen to the music without interruption. The kiosks will have you learn about new artists or rediscover others. You can save the music you enjoyed thanks to your wristband to listen to it again after your visit.

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    Icymi: National Museum Of African American Music Opens In Nashville

    The National Museum of African American Music opened its doors to much anticipation in January 2021. The museum is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans.

    Located in the heart of Nashville, the NMAAM is a perfect fit for Music City. Tennessee was critical during the Great Migration , when approximately six million African Americans left the South to relocate to large cities throughout the northeast, midwest, and western United States. Nashville also holds significance in African American music history as artists like The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, and Little Richard spent time early in their careers in Nashville. NMAAM is poised to strengthen and diversify the Music City brand with compelling connections to both local and national musical distinctions. Sharing the states spotlight with other Tennessee music institutions like Chattanoogas Bessie Smith Museum, Nashvilles Country Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry, and Musicians Hall of Fame, Memphis Graceland, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and Sun Studios, the NMAAM is a welcomed addition.

    Initially proposed in 2002, the project evolved over the next decade from a local to a national initiative and refined its purpose from a broad focus on arts, culture, and music in the African American community to exclusively cover music.

    General Policies And Procedures

    Construction continues at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville
    National Museum of African American Music Nashville Admission Ticket price starts from $28.85. Discover and book National Museum of African American Music Nashville Admission Ticket on Tripadvisor
    What is the National Museum of African American Music Nashville Admission Ticket cancellation policy?
    National Museum of African American Music Nashville Admission Ticket cancellation policy: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. Discover and book National Museum of African American Music Nashville Admission Ticket on Tripadvisor
    Which company provides National Museum of African American Music Nashville Admission Ticket?

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    About: National Museum Of African American Music

    Description

    The National Museum of African American Music is a gateway to the past that showcases the deep impact African Americans have had on shaping American music. From southern gospel to blues, jazz, R& B, and hip-hop. Across five galleries, you can see each genre against the backdrop of history, and learn how the music was shaped by the currents of time. Expect to see artifacts like instruments, stage costumes, and sheet music. Theres also a film theatre that provides context around the birth of African American music.

    Opening hours

    Highlights Of The Nmaam

    Youll start your experience in the Roots Theater to see a film that sets up the museum experience for you. Its equally educational and emotional.

    One of my favorite parts of the museum experience is that they give you an arm band with a swipe card on it when you check in. Then when youre listening to any music at any of the interactive tables in the main entryway or side rooms, you can scan it to your band and when you leave they will email you a playlist with all of your music.

    Rivers of Rhythm Pathways: This is the main hallway thats filled with the interactive tables. It cycles through a projection show that covers all of the genres and time periods that youll find in each gallery. You could stand or sit here and just listen to music for hours.

    From the Rivers of Rhythm Pathways, these galleries fan out:

    Wade in the Water: The African American Religious Experience, Early 1600s to Present

    Crossroads: The Great Migration and the Emergence of the Blues, Early 1900s

    A Love Supreme: The Harlem Renaissance and the Emergence of Jazz

    One Nation Under a Groove: Civil Rights Movement, 1940s to Present

    The Message: Urban Renewal, 1970s to Present

    An interesting thing I learned: The rock n roll genre was really rhythm and blues marketed to white people.

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    Experience Concert Footage In The Rivers Of Rhythm

    The entire NMAAM exhibit is divided into five musical galleries that represent the larger musical branches from which all American musical genres ultimately sprout. Arranged chronologically, they also reveal the timeline of Black musical exploration and expression. But before you can make your way through these galleries, you must pass over the Rivers of Rhythm. On screens lining the walls of the corridor that provides entry into each of the galleries, concert footage of Prince, James Brown, and others showcases the power of Black music.

    Below, an interactive table walks you through the songs that made Blackand Americanhistory one era at a time. Interested in hearing the music that provided the soundtrack to the Black experience of the 1930s and 40s, when segregation still reigned but Black folk were beginning to make a name for themselves in the world of sports and entertainment? Theres a playlist for that, featuring Count Basies King Joe, a tribute to Black boxing champion Joe Louis, sung by college football All-American and former NFL player Paul Robeson.

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