Experience the National Museum of African American Music
To experience the rich history of a less-explored genre, head to America’s country music capital. The National Museum of African American Music opened its doors in Nashville in 2021.
As stated on the museum’s website, “the 56,000-square-foot institution is the only museum dedicated to educating, preserving, and celebrating more than 50 music genres and styles that were created, influenced, and/or inspired by African Americans, including spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, and hip hop.”
The museum includes artifacts, memorabilia, clothing, and state-of-the-art technology, guiding guests through the evolution of African American music from the early 1600s to present day. According to a press release, “More than 50 genres and sub-genres of American music are explored.”
Exhibits and Galleries
The experience begins with a short film showcasing the origins of African American music, set in West and Central African cultures within the museum’s Roots Theater. Visitors can then explore the museum’s six galleries at their leisure.
“We [prepared] for this day for more than 20 years, but this museum has actually been more than 400 years in the making,” stated H. Beecher Hicks III, museum president and CEO, to Matador Network.
The gallery experience covers various genres, including religious music and blues, exploring the origins of jazz in New Orleans and hip hop in New York City. The Rivers of Rhythm corridor features an interactive timeline of American music history.
Delve into the Wade in The Water gallery to learn about spirituals, and transition to The Love Supreme gallery that presents African indigenous musical traditions from New Orleans’ Congo Square.
The Crossroads gallery traces the lineage of blues from sharecropper work songs during the post-slavery era in the Deep South to the Mississippi Delta in the 19th century.
Conclude your journey at The Message gallery, which focuses on hip hop and rap, originating from the South Bronx in the 1970s.
The museum facilitates local educational opportunities and community events, catering to a diverse audience of music enthusiasts, from B.B. King aficionados to Beyoncé fans.
Ticket Information
Tickets are available for $25 for adults and $14 for youths, with free entry for children under seven. For further information, visit the museum’s official website.
