Volunteer Team Member Spotlight: Museum Guides

MIM’s museum guides help guests of all ages explore the world through music Museum guide John Carey shows guests the Kwakwaka’wakw totem pole in MIM’s United States / Canada Gallery. MIM’s museum guides help guests of all ages travel the world through music at MIM, leading tours for groups ranging from prekindergarten classes to guests in MIM’s senior programs. With warmth and knowledge, these volunteer team members deepen guests’ experience in MIM’s galleries and empower guests to continue their exploration. MIM’s flourishing field trip program would not be possible without the dedication of the museum guides, who conduct school and youth field trip tours. During these engaging educational experiences, museum guides lead prekindergarten through 12th-grade students on journeys through the Geographic Galleries and highlight connections between music and subjects such as history, geography, English language arts, and STEM. “Watching students become curious and excited is fantastic,” says museum guide John Carey. “Young students bubble with energy and are full of questions. With older students, we can dig deeper with more detail, which encourages very interesting conversations about music and culture.” Students and teachers appreciate the museum guides’ expertise and encouragement. “Our museum guide was really great,” says a 2nd grade teacher whose class recently took a field trip to MIM. “My students were so engaged the entire time.” Museum guide Bill Brand tells field trip students about a Turkish oud in the Middle East and North Africa Gallery. Museum guides also lead a variety of adult tours at MIM. These include orientation tours offered Fridays through Mondays, tours for MIM’s Memory Care and Music series, gallery getaway tours following programs such as MIM Talks and World Choir Workshops, and private group tours. Many museum guides are energized by the spontaneity of their interactions with diverse groups. “You have no idea what’s going to happen with a particular group, and that’s exciting,” says museum guide Karen Strauss. “I love experiencing the museum through their eyes.” During every tour, museum guides exemplify MIM’s mission to foster appreciation for the music and cultures of the world—and they devote hours to making the museum’s world-class gallery tours possible. Every museum guide undertakes 11 training sessions over five and a half weeks to learn about MIM’s exhibits and group engagement strategies. They shadow experienced museum guides on various tours, co-lead tours with a mentor, then lead solo tours for a field trip group. “Our museum guides are very dedicated, and they want to give the best possible experience to all of our guests,” says Annabel Cates, field trip manager and team lead for the museum guides. “They work very hard, and they do whatever is needed to make sure that everybody has a great time at MIM.” Museum guide Maryellen Ferring discusses objects on display in the Africa Gallery. For museum guides, donating time to MIM is rewarding. Many form friendships as they learn together, and they all enjoy deepening their knowledge of the instruments and objects on display. “The variety of galleries and exhibits keeps every tour fresh and inspiring for me,” says museum guide Maryellen Ferring. “The evolution of MIM creates constant opportunities to grow and learn.” Fall 2026 museum guide training sessions start in October! Learn more at MIM.org/museum-guides.