The MIM, less than 10 years old, lives in a gorgeous sandstone monolith on a sprawling campus just south of the 101 in north Phoenix. Vast halls, broken down by continent, showcase an astonishing variety of musical instruments—some 6,000 on display at a time—from all over the world. Not only will you see countless unfamiliar instruments, but you’ll get to watch videos of them being played in their countries of origin. (The museum has done a great job with the technology of its audio guides, which are a must here.) Among the many displays are the first Steinway piano ever made (built in 1836 in the Steinweg family’s kitchen in Seesen, Germany); the tools brought to America in 1833 by guitar-maker C. F. Martin; and the piano Taylor Swift played on her Red Tour. One room that is especially popular with children has instruments you can play yourself. And music fans should look at the MIM’s concert calendar; just about anyone’s worth seeing in its jewel of a theater.