Indian Music Experience Museum: Explore the Revolution of Indian Music in Bangalore

Are you a musicophile living in Bangalore? Here is a great place to step in and experience all things related to music in your city. India’s first music museum is now located at JP Nagar and will tell you the historical revolutionary tale of Indian music.

Explore the variety of genres, stories behind iconic songs, inspiring tales of the music makers, artifacts on display, and marvel at the beautiful musical instruments. From old music culture to young, or from traditional cultural music, to the contemporary, Indian Music Experience Museum (IME) has something to offer each and everyone.

The IME initiative is a non-profitable initiative supported by the Brigade group. The motto behind the initiative is to educate and make the youth aware of the diverse culture of Indian Music to make it alive within us from one generation to the other.

The Indian Music Experience Museum involves hi-tech multimedia Exhibition Galleries, a Sound Garden, for special music education a Learning Center, and a few Performance spaces. Since its first launch in 2019, IME has witnessed massive in-person visitors, and a lot more online.

The Indian Music Experience Museum bridges the Musical Exhibition, Conservation, Audience Development, Musical Education, and community outreach. Additionally, IME also hosts a variety of cultural programs that can be enjoyed in person as well as online. In 2020, IME hosted a crucial exhibition named  “Ravi Shankar@100: India’s Global Musician” to immortalize the centenary of Sitar Guru. IME is very active with its regular events, the online exhibition on Google Arts, and provides cultural platforms, and online classes in a variety of music genres.

You can also explore a digital musical archive on a violin maestro from Mysorre, T. Chowdiah from, https://www.chowdiah.com/ 

Indian Music Experience is an affiliate institute of the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. The projects exceed other project flagship, ‘Project Svaritha’ which involves students who have many social disadvantages, and dealing with neurodiversity. “YuvaInCulture”, motivates and involves the youths to work along with the museum as an intern, learn about leadership, and involve themselves in creative work at IME.

Location, Contact Details, & more:

Open Hours:

Ticket Price:

Indian Music Experience Museum welcomes you to explore the Indian Musical culture in a budget-friendly range. The ticket prices start from Rs. 150 onwards and vary based on the day you are planning to visit. Ticket price is different on weekdays and weekends. We recommend you take a minimum of 90 minutes time to explore the place fully.

How to Reach IME:

The Indian Music Experience Museum seeks everyone’s cooperation to contribute to a better future and pollution-free world. IME asks all visitors to travel and visit the place using public transport. Also, there is parking available for a limited number of vehicles. You can access your wheelchair inside the museum if required.

IME says, "Change Starts from within. Use public transport to visit the museum and make a difference to reduce the carbon footprint..."

If you are looking for a bus to reach the destination, take the 215 bus series to reach IME.

While traveling by metro, take the metro from your location, change it to the Green line if needed, and get down to Yelachenahalli Metro station. The Indian Music Experience Museum is located at a 2.2 km distance from the metro station.

What to Explore:

There are 9 exhibit galleries that you can explore. Here is a list of what you can explore, and learn in detail inside the museum.

The Stars:

In this section, the hundred inspiring musical leaders are being featured. Those who make Indian music more lively. The music that heals, inspires, and attaches us to the culture.

Key Highlights:  The iconic Shehnai of Bismillah Khan, the Concert attire of Bhimsen Joshi, the Tambura of MS Subbulakshmi, and much more.

Reaching Out:

The revolutionary changes in Indian Music, the process of recording the music using a Gramophone and later using a mobile phone, tale of a journey of Sound recordings in India. You can know more about the pioneers in recording fields, and how technology has influenced music culture.

Key Highlights: Rare phonograph and wax cylinder display, recording studio, a setup to click photos with a gramophone set, etc.

Stories Through Song:

The first ‘Talkie’ appeared in the year 1930s, and since then music has played a key role in Indian cinema. Come across all the legends, and notable landmarks of Hindi cinematic music, and the influencing nature of different genres used in film music that is different from one another. You can also spot that special music reminds you and brings you back to your childhood, the youth days, or some romantic memories.

Key Highlights: Theme memory boxes, a photo opportunity with the poster of some iconic Hindi movies.

Songs of Struggle:

The gallery is designed in a way to show how Indian music has played an important role in the Indian Political Movement. From uniting people together to expressing protest, music has empowered and created changes during the national movement of India.

Key Highlights: More than 35 different versions of the legendary song ‘Vande Mataram’, a replica of a letter to MS Subbulakshmi from Mahatma Gandhi, a reflection of some patriotic songs from Hindi films across the ages.

Instruments Gallary:

A display of more than 100 musical instruments collected from across the country, along with other important details such as origins, making, and playing techniques.

Key Highlights: Snake-shaped Nagphani, Peacock-shaped mayura veena, and many more iconic instruments.

Melting Pot:

Indian music, which is a combination of many influencing cultures. The gallery will show the different culture that belongs to a different era, and how interactions through music have evolved, and enhanced culture in it. You can also learn about the history of different instruments such as the violin and harmonium.

Key Highlights: Brass band photo opportunity, leg harmonium display, the story of nottuswara.

Songs of the People:

The gallery will let you know about how birth, puberty, and death were memorialized by a fold song culture. Learn more about the folk song culture, different tribal communities in India, and the context behold the songs.

Key Highlights: Mechanized puppet displays, folk art murals, and kaavad boxes.

Living Traditions:

In this section, you can learn more about shruti, raga, taal, dhrupad, khayal, kutcheri, the influence of different Gharana in Indian Classical music, the basic knowledge about Hindustani, and Karnatic music, and listen to the music of the leaders of traditions.

Key Highlights: Web of Composers interactive, different Gharana display, and Musical concepts of interaction.

Contemporary Expressions:

Walk down memory lane, and witness the early days of the independent early ‘indie rock’ music. Know about the legends behind the musical movement in India and the iconic locations of contemporary music in India.

Key Highlights: Daler Mehndi’s performance costume, Hybrid Sounds interactive, auto rickshaw mini-theatres