How to interest people in Mechanical Music

To all Mechanical Music & Automata Enthusiasts -- Following the
latest conversation or 'thread' on MMD on "How to interest people...",
I thought you all might find this very recent New Jersey Arts program
of interest.

It is something that was taped early this year and broadcast via radio
(WBGO) this past February, 2011, but it hasn't yet been picked-up for
TV broadcast.  Now that NJNetwork is in a state of transition, Susan Haig,
the producer/journalist/conductor, had the completed video segment
posted on New Jersey Arts News web site, earlier last month.  Please go
to this web address and enjoy:

http://www.njartsnews.org/2011/05/08/guinness-collection-of-mechanical-musical-instruments-2/ 

Watch for our enthusiastic volunteer demonstrators (and MBSI members),
Bill and Carolee Wineburgh, as they were captured one afternoon while
presenting the regular live demonstration at 2 p.m. within the "Music
Machines & Living Dolls" permanent, public exhibition gallery.

The Morris Museum is lucky enough to benefit from at least seven East
Coast Chapter MBSI members who each day graciously donate their
valuable time, knowledge and enthusiasm in order to introduce, educate
and expose the entire field of mechanical music instruments to the
general public, 99.9% of which are not members of any collector's
association.

These once-a-day demonstrations, alone, have immediately and quite
personally exposed the magic of mechanical music and automata to over
30,000 visitors since opening in 2003, and that's _not_ taking into
consideration any other special event demonstrations, the huge amount
of school groups that are specifically there for the mechanical music
educational programs, nor any of the museum's "Educational Outreach"
programs, which literally take amongst many others, a mechanical music
instrument program "on the road", into regional schools, libraries,
senior facilities, etc...

The total amount of visitors on a yearly basis that are exposed to the
Guinness Collection is quite large, but most collectors realize, just
as Murtogh Guinness did, the "magic" happens when you see and hear
these instruments perform live -- the ultimate purpose for which they
were originally designed and created.  Immediate and very personal
memories are solidified when the public is invited to 'have a crank' or
sit down and 'pedal a pumper' in person.

Preservation and conservation of these objects for future generations
is the museum's ultimate mission; that is why modern technology is
utilized throughout the exhibit, both in creating relative interactive,
teaching and learning displays as well as extensive videography and
touch-screen playback of 90% of those objects (about 135), which can be
seen and/or heard via video displays, overhead directional speakers and
hand-held sound-sticks.

Just watch the children in the video and listen to the spontaneous
applause towards the end, then please pass the link along to everyone
you know, as well as those you don't know, yet!

For those of us already 'vested' in the field, you should be interested
to know that the new hardcover book, or Guinness Exhibition Catalog has
just been published and is being sold via the Morris Museum Shop, so
please visit www.morrismuseum.org to see the release notice and link to
the order form, or call the Museum Shop to place your order in-person:
tel.: 1-973-971-3737.

All best,
Jere Ryder - Conservator, Guinness Collection
Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey