By Natalie Keller
 Continued from The Artist’s Loft: Volunteering at the MIM
Prologue
This month’s “The Artist’s Loft” column consists of two articles about volunteering at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). There are many different types of volunteer opportunities available. This is the second article and it focuses on the training program for guides. The first article, “The Artist’s Loft: Volunteering at the MIM,” provides general information about volunteering. Les Conklin, Editor
The Artist’s Loft: Becoming a MIM Museum Guide
Erin also introduced me to Niki who works as the Museum Guide and Curriculum Coordinator. Niki teaches the volunteers who desire to be a Museum Guide. She is a unique individual who is like the “Energizer Bunnyâ€! She was very enthusiastic and it shined through her words and expressions!
Learning and Practicing
Niki stated that the Museum Guides lead all the tours. They must study but she also believes they have to practice, practice, practice! She said practice is a huge part of the curriculum but she also wants it to be fun. There is some initial training and some gravitate to their own likes and styles. It’s a ten-week course with usually 35-50 in one class. It’s usually ten Tuesdays for approximately four hours, which is usually about 40 hours of class. She has this class whenever it is needed depending on the number of applicants but at least twice a year.
Niki likes the class to be an informal interactive experience. The classes are in the museum and they have all the musical equipment as the base that they build on. She mixes the activities and the more she talked about how she teaches, the more it sounded like a lot of fun! She discussed how small group’s talk and practice with each other. They act out scenarios, practicing in the galleries with peer evaluations and mentors helping and giving feed back. The curriculum is highly organized and they learn how to engage the audience. There are games to call attention, especially when they are touring with young children. They learn lots of ways to call and repeat so that they can get the young group to focus. Training concentrates on presentation skills and effective touring methods.
More Than a Guide
There are guest speakers and collections the team will have the opportunity to see. They get to visualize how things are stored and understand why the instruments were chosen. There are numerous artifacts and curators so the volunteers are learning about everything the MIM has to offer. There is an early Childhood Specialist with a Doctorate degree who helps the volunteers learn what to say to children and how to handle different situations in the museum. They have tours from prekindergarten through adults. There are six to seven guides per 100 from a tour group. There are also numerous special attractions and musical instruments for children to experience.
Niki works with all ages of volunteers but especially loves working with the adults. Helping them find their strengths in something new at the MIM gives her great satisfaction. I could see her face light up when she was talking about the interactive classes. There are 120-130 guides right now and she has another woman on the team who helps her along with a second woman who books all the tours. Nike remarked, “If you love music and this museum and can also interact with people…you can find a place here!â€
Keeping the Guides knowledgeable
There are five to seven continuing education classes during the year and the guides are very enthusiastic about taking them. They get training on how to engage someone who speaks a different language to helping people with disabilities. The MIM had 40,000 school tour participants this year and they have nine different options to chose from. MIM has been recommended from middle and high school teachers and the Museum Guides are hugely responsible for these good comments.
The MIM is a large, two-story building and you will need a few hours to survey most of the areas. The MIM has a guidePORT system and headphones and guests are encouraged to discover the world of music at their own pace. Tours can be booked ahead by groups and schools. Complimentary orientation tours are available on most weekends as specific times. Contact MIM or check the website for tour information.
How to Volunteer
For more information about volunteering, including a description of the various types of volunteer responsibilities, visit www.mim.org/about/volunteer/  Visit Website.
You can also call the Volunteer Office at 480-245-6915, or email volunteer@mim.org.
About MIM
MIM collects, preserves and makes accessible a wide variety of musical instruments and performance videos from every country in the world. MIM offers guests a welcoming and fun experience, incomparable interactive technology, dynamic programming and exceptional musical performances. MIM also fosters appreciation of diverse cultures around the globe by showing that we all innovate, adapt and learn from each other to create music—the language of the soul.
MIM is located at 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard in Phoenix (corner of Tatum and Mayo Boulevards, just south of Loop 101). For general museum information and a full schedule of events, visit MIM.org or call 480-478-6000.Â
Planning a visit? For a video review, ticket prices and more visit http://mim.org/visit/plan-your-visit/ Watch Video  Â
 Related Articles & Websites
MIM’s Second Annual Music Festival, MIMFest, Set for Nov. 7 & 8 – Published  9/13/2015
The Artist’s Loft: Volunteering at the MIM – Published 9/30/2015
The Artist’s Loft: Becoming a MIM Museum Guide – To be published 10/5/2015
Musical Instrument Museum Website: www.mim.org Visit Website
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