Experience Music Project-EMP
add photosExperience Music Project (EMP) is dedicated to the exploration of creativity and innovation in popular music. By blending interpretative, interactive exhibitions with cutting-edge technology, EMP captures and reflects the essence of rock ‘n’ roll, its roots in jazz, soul, gospel, country and the blues, as well as rock’s influence on hip-hop, punk and other recent genres. Visitors can view rare artifacts and memorabilia and experience the creative process by listening to musicians tell their own stories.
Since EMP opened in 2000 and SFM in 2004, EMP|SFM has welcomed more than 4.3 million visitors through its doors. From its museum planning stages in 1998 through 2007, EMP|SFM has been a key economic driver among Seattle nonprofit arts and culture organizations, with combined EMP|SFM institutional expenditures and EMP|SFM audience-member spending resulting in $580 million dollars of local economic impact. EMP|SFM is housed in a 140,000 square foot Frank O. Gehry-designed building. This spectacular, prominently visible structure has the presence of a monumental sculpture set amid the backdrop of the Seattle Center.
11 Reviews for Experience Music Project-EMP
25
50 families found this helpful
"EMP Building is worth a visit"
My favorite part of the EMP is the building. It's super, uber cool. The EMP is probably best for older kids and adults. If you have a child who has a particular interest in music, they'd adore this. To get full benefit of this museum, allow yourself time to read labels and "experience" it. It's a cool museum for music lovers and worth a visit, but not my favorite Seattle attraction, and certainly won't be on the top of the little one's list.
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1 family found this helpful
"Awesome unique music experience!"
Kids and adults will love this place. It is so cool, and just from the exterior of this weirdly awesome-shaped building, you know you are in for a blast. I went here without kids, however, but we were just enthralled with all the detailed aspects of music, history, and fun. It is a little overpriced for entry in my opinion, but is very well located near the space needle. If you had to choose between this and the Science Center, I would choose the PSC, but I have smaller kids. If you have older pre-teens or high school kids, they would definitely appreciate this!
0 families found this helpful
"One for music loving teens."
This is a very unique museum and is found near the base of the Space Needle. Lots of fun interactive exhibits that music loving kids will love. A quirky little portion of it also houses science fiction exhibits too. Not everyone will like this but those that do like it will LOVE it!
0 families found this helpful
"The museum was ok, the Muppets exhibit was great!"
We visited the EMP/SFM while in Seattle a year and a half ago. The Science Fiction Museum was a lot of fun for my husband and myself (as we are total nerds), but I don't think it is at all appealing for younger children. The nice thing for kids while we were there was a Muppets exhibit that was very interactive and hands on. They had fabric fur from the Muppets, concept drawings, and even a Muppet theater. It was awesome!!
'11, '12, '131 family found this helpful
"Music Fun!"
The exterior of this building says it all: EMP is definitely a unique museum experience! There are tons of activities for kids of all ages, but the Sound Lab seems to be a definite favorite....you get to play a variety of instruments and pretend to be a rock star! There are so many things to do in the museum, you could spend quite a bit of time. It's a bit spendy, but definitely a place you should visit, especially if you have a music lover in your family. Fun, fun, fun!
0 families found this helpful
"Great for music lovers"
Rating this was difficult because for our music lover child it was a fantastic experience he will treasure for years. For two children in our group (6 and 2.5) it was perhaps not worth the price of admission (though they did enjoy pressing all the buttons on the interactive displays).
The big hit for our music lover (age 8) was the sound booth where he got to record and keep a cd. He got to try out several different instruments before making the cd. The cd isn't just a 2 minute piece either, its 12 minutes long so he got to play several songs/pieces and have a jam session with Dad at the end. We listen to the cd all the time so far and it is still one of the most talked about parts of our trip.
The rest of the exhibits were interesting, though not overly exciting. The guitars sculpture was impressive though.
It is attached to the Science Fiction Museum which was mildly interesting. The robots display was a big hit with the boys.
1 family found this helpful
"Interesting Place"
My husband and I visited the Experience Music Project building because we had nothing else to do, we found it pretty entertaining. We really liked all of the old outfits that they had from all kinds of musicians. I personally think $15.00 is a little expensive for this place though.
2 families found this helpful
"Good museum, but not for me"
We checked out the EMP/SFM one year during Smithsonian's Free Museum Day. The building itself must be seen to be believed- it's a multi-colored building made out of metal- all waves and swirls. The architect for this building was Frank Gehry, who is known for some unusual architecture, and this building is no exception!
Inside the museum is fairly large, with lots of rock and roll memorabilia and interactive displays. If you're a big fan of rock music, you'll probably really like this museum. The EMP is connected to the Science Fiction Museum, which is also full of exhibits and items from all the Science Fiction movies and shows that everyone knows and loves. Both museums frequently host traveling exhibits, so there's always something new to check out.
0 families found this helpful
"Fantastic Museum"
This museum is great for all ages. Kids will adore the interactive exhibits on the Second floor, while adults will enjoy perusing the endless amounts of music memorabilia and facts. A little pricey, but Worth the trip if you are in the Seattle Area.
0 families found this helpful
"fun for the whole family"
The EMP was fun for the whole family. Our toddler loved to press all those buttons in the sound lap. There was also a table with drum noises which she enjoyed. We also liked the ride with the Monorail and a walk through the closeby Olympic Sculpture Park during sunset.
1 family found this helpful
"Not Your Usual Museum Experience"
This very unique museum in Seattle Center is a place to visit especially with older children. The museum is owned by Paul Allen from Microsoft which is different already! My daughter loves the sound lab! You will actually get to place all sorts of different instruments. They have all sorts of summer camps and educational programs. On the third Saturday of every month they will feature a family day which will include activities such as; art projects, special tours and music demonstrations. Concerts are periodic so check the website. I can personally say the sound system is AWESOME!! Tip...on the first Thursday night every month (5:00-8:00) admission is FREE!
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