GRAMMY Museum To Open Immersive Music-Making Experience 'Sonic Playground'

The GRAMMY Museum® has announced the opening of Sonic Playground, a groundbreaking and interactive experience that transforms music-making into an engaging, hands-on adventure by merging creativity, education, and cutting-edge technology into one captivating space.

Opening on Feb. 14, Sonic Playground transforms the Museum’s 3,000-square foot second floor gallery into an immersive hub featuring 17 unique interactives that encourage visitors to explore their creativity. From producing beats and mixing loops, to performing on stage with professional instruments, visitors can step into roles like singer, producer, or disc jockey and experience the joy of music creation.

Sonic Playground has four primary sections:

• Moodmakers: Featuring groundbreaking installations like the Electric Forest, this section also features interactive booths that explore the role that music plays in film, TV and gaming, where visitors can act as music supervisors for films, create soundtracks for video games, and even record voice-overs for movie trailers.
• Songbuilders Hub: A music production hub featuring GRAMMY®-winning virtual hosts like H.E.R., Jimmy Jam, Prince Paul, and others, guiding visitors to create beats, freestyle, mix samples, and experiment with instruments while learning the basics of music production.
• The Roland Stage: A hands-on performance space complete with theatrical lighting and equipped with guitars, a Roland RD Stage keyboard, an AX-EDGE keytar, and V-Drums percussion, where visitors can take center stage.
• SoundTrax Career Wall: A 50-foot interactive wall showcasing 125 music industry careers across eight categories, expanding awareness of the many jobs that are available in the music industry and offering visitors educational tools to achieve their career goals. Visitors can access exclusive filmed interviews with industry professionals sharing insights about their roles and paths in the industry.             

The heart of Sonic Playground is the Electric Forest, a mesmerizing blend of music, lights, and technology that epitomizes the intersection of art and technology. Visitors interact with 16 immersive columns of light and sound that respond to gestures, altering the sound and intensity of an original 19-minute composition by Shaun Chasin and allowing visitors to create their own musical symphonies through movement.

“At the GRAMMY Museum, we believe that music has the power to inspire, connect, and transform,” said Michael Sticka, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Museum. “This installation is more than an exhibit — it’s an experience designed to ignite the creative spark in everyone while showcasing the endless possibilities of a career in music.”

Sonic Playground, dedicated to the legacy of Jim Long, is made possible by a gift from The Long Family Trust. Additional support provided by Roland Corporation.

Sonic Playground opens to the public on Feb. 14, 2025 and will serve as a vibrant community space for workshops, open mics, and educational programs. This permanent installation is the cornerstone of the GRAMMY Museum’s Campaign For Music Education, a fundraising campaign launched in 2022 with the primary objectives of eliminating the financial burden to access music education and fostering future generations of music’s creators and leaders. The Museum recently announced that, thanks to funds raised through this campaign, they now offer free general admission for ages 17 and under.

The Campaign For Music Education has recently surpassed its fundraising goal of $5 million, and with this initial milestone now achieved, the GRAMMY Museum is announcing that it has doubled its fundraising goal to $10 million, which it hopes to reach in 2026. Additional funds raised will greatly expand the Museum’s education and community programs, which have served more than 550,000 students through programs such as GRAMMY Camp®, GRAMMY In The Schools® and the Quinn Coleman Scholarship Fund. The Campaign For Music Education is co-chaired by some of the biggest names in music, including Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendes, and Rosalía.

To post a comment, you must register and login.