Stomping Good Fun: NAMM's Museum of Music Making Unveils New Interactive Piano Floor for All Ages & Abilities

A museum in California that sees over 80,000 people a year come and celebrate the people and the products that bring music to our world is now encouraging visitors of all ages to come and enjoy its newly installed interactive Floor Piano.

Founded in 1998, the museum includes exhibitions, immersive experiences, programs, and live music, encouraging everyone to find—or to recognize—their own place in the world of making music.

On a tight deadline, the museum sought to add another instrument to its interactive gallery. They were looking for a durable instrument that would allow children to be active and use their bodies to create music.

Alisa Mize, Development Officer at The Museum of Music Making, quickly identified Percussion Play’s Baby Floor Piano as an option.

Alisa says, “The museum is entirely inside, and we were looking for an interactive Floor Piano that would, importantly, be durable. We saw other floor pianos on the market, and we were worried about their durability. We were impressed by Percussion Play, and because the instruments are made for outdoor use, we thought they were a safe bet!”

Because the piano was going to be in an indoor setting, Alisa worked with Percussion Play to re-design it and think creatively about how it would look in the museum. Alisa says, “We were really impressed with Percussion Play’s ability to work with us when it came to the look of the instrument in an indoor setting. The team went over and above in terms of customer service – we had a really great customer experience from the very start of our journey to when we received the instrument – we were really impressed by the company.”

Throughout the museum visitors can tour the galleries and pick up instruments to play – there are hundreds of instruments to experiment with. Once installed, Alisa was surprised by who was engaging with the piano. She says she thought there would be mainly young kids playing it, but she welcomed seeing people of all ages jump on the piano and make music.

Alisa says, “Children with special needs particularly enjoy the piano, feeling a lot of success when they can move their body and make a sound, stomping their feet in confidence. Children with really active energy levels also enjoy the piano's physical aspect – it lets kids get their wiggles out, have some fun, and be introduced to different sounds.”

The Museum is a program division of the National Association of Music Merchants, a not-for-profit organization that serves and strengthens the global music products industry.