For this episode, I journeyed to Vermillion, South Dakota, to check out a distinctive national museum, on the campus of The University of South Dakota.
The National Music Museum has been located here since 1973. The renowned collections feature fine and historic instruments from many cultures and historical periods, according to the NMM website.
Some of the notable museum pieces include the oldest cello in the world and the oldest playable harpsichord, plus some that are more than 1,000 years old. There is a violin of a soldier who fought in the Civil War, plus a guitar played by Bob Dylan.
Explaining what is in the museum are Arian Sheets, director of Stringed Instruments, and Anna Van Kley, Museum Education. Some people visiting that late July day also shared impressions.
Many national museums are in the Washington DC area. Even being located in the Midwest, the National Music Museum draws thousands of people, some of whom travel internationally come to the facility that is the outgrowth of a huge collection of a South Dakota music teacher from the mid-20th century.
The museum is on the USD campus, where the only graduate degree in musical instruments in North America is an academic program.
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 73.
