Really Good - This was a real nice experience to visit here. The building and layout is quit nice. The exhibits are well displayed. Lots of interactive exhibits. Great place to learn about all types of history of Canadian music and musicians. The Oscar Peterson exhibit was extremely informative. Be ready to spend about 2-3 hours to view and experience the entire facility. There is a Canadian country music hall of fame as well as a Canadian music hall of fame. Definitely try to go here at least once in your lifetime

Museum experience at its best! - This Museum is one of the best I have experienced! I work in the industry and this is a true gem. We spent almost 4 hours listening, looking & reading. Great experience design and amazingly well done graphics & fantastic photos! So many good interactive items. Overall really good content. It was fairly empty on weekday so we had time to dive deep investigate each area. So fun to see SUM 41 and I absolutely fell in love with the Oscar Peterson story! The sound bath area was too cool! The cherry on top—on our way out there was a talented man playing the cool red piano in the main lobby, with his baby happily sleeping in a stroller next to him. It was so serene.

Impressive! - Impressive museum that allows to touch instruments and test devices which is very surprising for a museum. We were delighted by the visit which corresponded to a day when access was free! The architecture is impressive and blends well instead

Best spot in Calgary - Excellent facility with great exhibits. Lots of memorabilia from Canadian musicians as well as hands-on exhibits. Loved all of it.

Influence & provided more to explore later - It opened my eyes to all the Canadian influence on music. I knew about some of the names like Celine Dion and Gordon Lightfoot , but other names were new to me. When I got home, I explored some of these people's music on spotify

Definitely worth the price of admission - This was super interesting and informative. I love the various exhibits and learned so much about Canadian music history. I really enjoyed the rooms with the instruments to play.

A must visit for the music lover. - The museum has a nice selection of information about Canadian music history, as well as a large collection of instruments and vintage equipment. The best part (in my opinion) was the live band (Rock the Nation) that played snippets of songs from impactful Canadian artists, which made the visit fun and enjoyable. Well worth the visit and ticket price!

Interesting visit in beautiful architecture - Great to discover Canada’s musical heritage! The “reception” staff was far from welcoming but it was the only downside to the visit, I learned a lot about Canadian artists and there are exhibitions that are definitely worth a visit like the one on the Kimball organ.

A lovely afternoon spent wandering and reading - A stunning building and great spot to spend a couple hours. I tool my Mom (biggest Beatle fan) and sister and we had a pleasant time wandering the floors and looking at the displays. The Beatles exhibit is a bit underwhelming, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. I always love to see the fashion and enjoyed the K.D Lang portion of the exhibits. There is a little sweet cafe, a small gift shop area and it wasn't busy - even on a Sunday....it felt like we had the place to ourselves, which we loved.

Very disappointing first-time experience at the National Music Centre - Well...What an enormous disappointment. I have been involved in the music industry for over 65 years as a musician, writer, publisher and performer. I had not yet visited the NMC, but saw an opportunity to go and hear Legends of Laurel Canyon Oct 4. Very excited to go, particularly as the advertisement encouraged people to get there early (performance started at 8:00 pm) and as the doors opened at 7:00 pm, we could "tour the museum, take in the exhibits and have a drink or something to eat". We arrived earlier than 7, having just been to a fabulous Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra performance that afternoon, and then out for an early dinner. It was a rainy windy night in Calgary, and quite cold. When we arrived at the NMC at about 6:40 pm, the doors were locked (there are two sets of doors - one on the street, and another about 10 feet in to enter the NMC). There were two people standing in the alcove area, and a young security guard came to the door, but would not open it. We were standing in the rain and wind, and asked if we could just step into the inside area to wait. He had no interest in us doing that and said the doors did not open until 7:00 - all the while, with two others standing in the very area that he had let in. He left, and the gentleman opened the door for us to stand inside. Over the next 20 minutes, about 15 other people showed up, so people let them come into the area as well to get out of the cold and rain. We all stood there, wondering why we could not at least go into the foyer, and we were told by this young man that there were not enough volunteers there yet to let us in - this with the very volunteers who eventually did let us in, all roaming around and talking about 10 to 15 feet inside the door. About 6:45, they all assembled within feet of the inside doors, sat in a chair, and chatted, while we were left standing there. At 7:00 pm on the dot, the doors were opened. We walked in, and right away noticed that all entries to all exhibits, except for two pianos on the main floor, were blocked. I approached the information desk, and asked if we could go look around, as that is what we had read we could do, only to receive a smile, and "No, the museum is closed". I reiterated that we were led to believe we could tour the museum prior to the show, as others had said while waiting they believed was the case, and he said "Sorry, we are closed other than for the performance. I then asked if our tickets could be used toward purchasing a membership, which a few people we had met earlier said they had done. Once again, "No you can't - this is a private performance and not one being put on by the museum". So we were limited to wandering around the foyer, having the option to purchase very expensive beverages, and the right to wander through the limited gift shop that was selling items not dissimilar to what you might find on a midway! When we were eventually allowed to go up two flights of stairs to the performance area, there were volunteers ensuring we didn't try to wander into the hallways to see the exhibits - we were actually told we could not view anything. We could hear a number of people who were visibly upset by the fact that we had been led to believe this would be a night of fun to explore the museum prior to the performance, and for those who had to stand outside because the area we were standing was so small, people were very disappointed. Again, having been in music my entire life, and even having had occasion to associate with or work with some who are featured in the museum, I must say that this was one of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had in the music industry. To appease my disappointment, I was told by someone at the information desk that "I was free to come back another time and purchase a ticket to view the museum". What he didn't tell me, and we noticed this on a message board inside, was that seniors can go in on Tuesday or Wednesday (can't remember which) for $20. What added insult to our disappointing experience, was when he looked at me and smiled and said, "Oh, and we had free entrance just recently". I asked when, and he said it was on September 30 just past...So of course, I inquired, "Now that we have purchased tickets for tonight, and they cannot count toward a membership (which provides discounts for future events), when is the next free event?" He responded, "Beats me...they don't tell us". Given all this, we went upstairs, sat down for a few minutes, realized it was going to be about 45 minutes to an hour (depending if the band started on time) until the music would begin....and left! The staff clearly demonstrated little interest in their jobs, care for visitors, and the museum's false representation of how our evening could have unfolded, is enough that we will not be going back. What a shame, and what a sham!!