Support the
National Music Museum
The work of the National Music Museum is supported through a network of generous individuals and businesses across all fifty states and many countries. Whether through a donation, an annual membership, or a planned gift, your investment in us empowers our NMM mission “to explore, enjoy and preserve the world of musical instruments.”
Explore below for information on Annual Memberships, Lifetime Memberships, Planned Giving, and Non-Cash Donations. If you would like to make a donation today, click "DONATE NOW" or contact us via the information seen under "Want to Know More?"
Gift Memberships: If you would like to give an NMM membership as a gift to someone else, please type the gift recipient's name and address in the Comments field (in addition to filling out the other necessary fields).
Want to Know More?
To learn more about supporting the National Music Museum, please contact us:
Email: nmm@usd.edu
Phone: (605) 658-3450
Annual Memberships
Annual memberships offer great benefits for individuals and families that wish to support the NMM on an annual basis!
Lifetime Memberships
Lifetime membership levels honor significant musical instrument makers whose work figures prominently in the collections of the NMM.
Planned Giving
The Amati Society was created by the Trustees of the National Music Museum to recognize and thank our friends and members who have included the NMM in their estate plans.
Non-Cash Donations
Looking to donate some other way? Explore options for non-cash donations here.
Annual Membership Levels & Benefits
Individual ($60/year or $5/month)
The following benefits are included per Membership year:
-- Periodic printed or electronic NMM Newsletter
-- 10% NMM Gift Shop discount (on site or online)
-- Free admission for you
Family ($120/year or $10/month)
The following benefits are included per Membership year:
-- Periodic printed or electronic NMM Newsletter
-- 10% NMM Gift Shop discount (on site or online)
-- Free admission for you and up to three guests
Smithsonian ($180/year or $15/month)
The following benefits are included per Membership year:
-- Periodic printed or electronic NMM Newsletter
-- 10% NMM Gift Shop discount (on site or online)
-- Free admission for you and up to three guests
Smithsonian Affiliate benefits:
-- CHOICE of Smithsonian Magazine (one year subscription) OR Air & Space Magazine (seven issues)
-- Personalized Smithsonian Affiliate member card
-- Free admission to the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, NY
-- 10% discounts on café dining at Smithsonian Museums in DC
-- 10% discounts on all Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
-- Reciprocal Admission/Discount benefits at other participating Smithsonian Affiliates
Sustaining ($240/year or $20/month)
The following benefits are included per Membership year:
-- Periodic printed or electronic NMM Newsletter
-- 10% NMM Gift Shop discount (on site or online)
-- Free admission for you and up to four guests
-- Smithsonian Affiliate benefits (listed above)
-- Free admission to institutions in NARMP, the North American Reciprocal Museum Program* (See list at:http://narmassociation.org/)
-- Guided tour for yourself and up to 6 guests (appointment required)
Supporting ($500/year)
The following benefits are included per Membership year:
-- Periodic printed or electronic NMM Newsletter
-- 10% NMM Gift Shop discount (on site or online)
-- Free admission for you and up to four guests
-- Smithsonian Affiliate benefits (listed above)
-- Free admission to institutions in NARMP, the North American Reciprocal Museum Program* (See list at: http://narmassociation.org/)
-- Guided tour for yourself and up to 6 guests (appointment required)
Founding ($1000/year)
The following benefits are included per Membership year:
-- Periodic printed or electronic NMM Newsletter
-- 10% NMM Gift Shop discount (on site or online)
-- Free admission for you and up to four guests
-- Smithsonian Affiliate benefits (listed above)
-- Free admission to institutions in NARMP, the North American Reciprocal Museum Program* (See list at: http://narmassociation.org/)
-- Guided tour for yourself and up to 6 guests (appointment required)
Steward ($2500/year)
The following benefits are included per Membership year:
-- Periodic printed or electronic NMM Newsletter
-- 10% NMM Gift Shop discount (on site or online)
-- Free admission for you and up to four guests
-- Smithsonian Affiliate benefits (listed above)
-- Free admission to institutions in NARMP, the North American Reciprocal Museum Program* (See list at: http://narmassociation.org/)
-- Guided tour for yourself and up to 6 guests (appointment required)
To become a member, please fill out the form below or send membership dues to the NMM at:
National Music Museum
The University of South Dakota
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
Lifetime Membership Levels & Benefits
Memberships in Lifetime Giving Societies are available at the followings levels for cumulative tax-deductible gifts as indicated. The various levels honor significant musical instrument makers whose work figures prominently in the collections of the NMM.
Each Lifetime Giving Society includes the following benefits per Membership year:
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Free admission/membership cards for two named members
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Free admission to other members of the North American Reciprocal Museum Program*.
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Ten guest admission passes for one time use.
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20% discount at NMM gift shop (on site and online).
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Periodic electronic or printed NMM newsletter.
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Invitation to annual member event.
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Priority curatorial research services.
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Personal gallery tour with staff member.
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*See list at: http://narmassociation.org/
The Adolphe Sax Society
$1,500-$2,499
Honoring the inventor of the saxophone.
The Charles W. Wheatstone Society
$2,500-$4,999
Honoring the acoustician and engineer among whose inventions were the predecessors of the harmonica and concertina.
The John Franklin Stratton Society
$5,000-$9,999
Honoring one of the finest New York brass instrument makers of the 19th century.
The Franz Schwarzer Society
$10,000-$24,999
Honoring the notable 19th-century zither maker from Washington, Missouri.
The Johann Wilhelm Hass Society
$25,000-$49,999
Honoring the founding member of Nuremberg’s premier brass making family of the 17th and 18th century.
The August Grenser Society
$50,000-$99,999
Honoring one of Europe’s most accomplished 18th century woodwind makers.
The Christian Dieffenbach Society
$100,000-$249,999
Honoring the maker of the NMM’s outstanding Pennsylvania-German pipe organ.
The Andrea Guarneri Society
$250,000-$499,999
Honoring the patriarch of the great Guarneri family of violin makers.
The Nannette Stein Streicher Society
$500,000-$999,999
Honoring one of the most outstanding 18th-19th century Viennese piano makers.
The Jakob Stainer Society
$1,000,000-$4,999,999
Honoring the greatest of the German-speaking violin makers.
The Andreas Ruckers Society
$2,500,000-$4,999,999
Honoring the Ruckers family of harpsichord makers, whose work exemplifies the highest caliber of keyboard instrument making.
The Antonio Stradivari Society
$5,000,000 and above
Honoring the world’s foremost stringed instrument maker, representing the pinnacle of excellence.
Planned
Giving
The Amati Society was created by the Trustees of the National Music Museum to recognize and thank our friends and members who have included the NMM in their estate plans.
The three generations of the Amati family were chosen as the symbol of this group, not only because their superb instruments have delighted so many people over the years, but also because they represent the enduring quality that is the NMM. It was in the workshop of Andrea Amati in Cremona, Italy, in the 1560s, that the physical form of the modern violin family first took shape.
Today, of the two dozen Andrea Amati instruments known to survive, the NMM proudly exhibits the only quintet of his instruments to be found in any one location.
Membership in the Amati Society is available to those who name the National Music Museum in their estate plans in one or more of the following ways:
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Including a bequest for the benefit of the NMM in your will or trust
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Participating in ta life income arrangement or a charitable remainder trust
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Creating a charitable lead trust for the benefit of the NMM
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Naming the NMM as the beneficiary of a retirement plan or a life insurance policy
For more information about how you can become a member of the Amati Society, please write or call the Office of the Director of the NMM at the address below.
National Music Museum
The University of South Dakota
414 East Clark Street
Non-Cash Donations
Contact the NMM
Persons wishing to donate objects and/or archival materials to the NMM should submit a letter of intent to the NMM at the address listed on the contact page. This letter should include a description of the instrument(s) or archival material (including any specific details that may apply such as maker's/manufacturers' names, city of manufacture, model numbers, serial numbers, condition, quantity, and so on) as well as photographs. A description of the previous use and ownership of the instrument(s) and/or archival materials is also requested. The NMM staff requests that potential donors submit this information and wait for confirmation before shipping or bringing items in for possible donation.
The NMM Staff Will Decide Whether or Not to Accept the Gift
Based on the information contained in the donor's letter, the NMM staff will make a preliminary assessment of the gift's relevance to the NMM's mission and contact the donor with further instructions. The NMM reserves the right to accept or refuse donations upon actual receipt and examination of the item(s).
Obtain a Third Party Appraisal
National Music Museum is a 501(c)3 charitable cultural and educational organization, and all non-cash donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Upon receipt of a non-cash gift, the NMM will issue a Deed of Gift to be signed by the donor, but cannot issue a formal appraisal suitable for IRS purposes. Potential donors should obtain a third-party appraisal of items to be gifted to the NMM, prior to their donation. For further details concerning the tax laws governing the donation of property, potential donors should consult the IRS website and/or publications 561 ("Determining the Value of Donated Property") and 526 ("Charitable Contributions").
When the Gift is Accepted
Upon the receipt, final acceptance, and cataloging of donated items, the NMM will issue the donor two copies of a Deed of Gift, one copy of which is to be signed and returned to the NMM. The second copy should be retained by the donor as proof of the donation.
Below is an example of how a typical gift to the NMM is recognized in NMM checklists, labels, and other printed materials.
NMM 2673. Square piano by William Knabe and Co., Baltimore, 1891. Gift of Max Siler Wehrly,1980, in memory of his mother, Maude Siler Wehrly (1877-1955).
NMM's Accessions Policy
In order to maintain the integrity of the NMM's collections and archives, the following guidelines have been established for the acquisition of musical instruments and archival materials for the NMM.
Objects shall not be accepted or otherwise acquired for the NMM's collections unless the following conditions are met:
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All acquisitions must be obtained in an ethical manner consistent with the NMM’s Code of Ethics.
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The acquisition of the object or collection of objects furthers the mission and activities of the NMM, as stated in the Mission Statement, found on page 3 of the NMM's Collections Management Policy.
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The NMM can provide adequate storage, protection, and preservation for the objects under conditions that ensure their availability for NMM purposes.
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The objects shall have permanency in the collections as long as they retain their physical integrity, their identity, and their authenticity, and as long as they remain useful for the purposes of the NMM.
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Objects added to the NMM’s collections will come to the NMM with free and clear title, with the exception of partial gifts.
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The NMM shall not knowingly acquire an object that has been exported from its country of origin in violation of that country's laws or of the ethical guidelines defined by the 1970 UNESCO Convention, as recommended by the American Alliance of Museums; or has been collected in violation of federal or state antiquity laws.
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Objects must be in a condition that does not require significant expense for treatment in order to consolidate and conserve them or make them relevant or useful unless funding for such purposes is provided by the donor or unless the curatorial team deems the objects to have historical significance.
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The object does not duplicate objects already in the NMM’s collections, unless the acquisition is intended to replace an object in poor condition or has a significant or compelling provenance that sets it apart from similar objects.
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The purchase price, if any, is consistent with or lower than current market values.
For additional information concerning the NMM's Collections Management policies relating to non-cash gifts, bequests, promised gifts, and purchases, link here to review the NMM's Collections Management Policy and Code of Ethics.