Haus der Musik (House of Music)

The House der Musik (House of Music) located in Vienna, Austria, is an interactive museum of sound and music. With four floors of musical exhibits to explore, this museum provides visitors with a chance to learn about how sound is produced, famous classical Viennese composers, and the Vienna Philharmonic. Some popular exhibits include The Virtual Conductor (where visitors can try their hand at conducting the real Vienna Philharmonic orchestra), Namadeus (where visitors can find out what their name sounds like as a Mozart composition), and Sonotopia (where visitors can create their own sound creatures called "Clongs" that will float around a virtual world of sound).

We visited The House der Musik early one morning during our time in Vienna.  Upon entering the museum, my colleagues and I noted that a large group of elementary aged students were also beginning their visit.  In order to ensure that everyone had enough space to explore the museum comfortably, our group was asked to begin on the second floor.  While mildly inconvenient to have to backtrack in order to see all of the exhibits, exploring the museum “out of order” did not detract from the experience of learning and playing throughout the interactive exhibits.

When you visit, but sure to bring your inner child with you!  Many of the exhibits have a whimsical or fantastical feel to them, so it’s best to let your inhibitions go and really get hands on with the different activities!  Be sure to spend some time on the piano staircase, it really plays music as you climb the stairs!  Try your hand at creating a “Clong” in the Sonotopia exhibit.  Then kick back on the comfortable bean bag recliners and watch as the Clongs fill the overhead screen and create a symphony of sound.  On the fourth floor you can both experience a filmed concert of the Vienna Philharmonic performing on a big movie style screen as well as an opportunity to conduct a filmed version of the orchestra yourself.  The technology allows the video orchestra to really respond to your movements in order to speed up, slow down, and even change volume.

If you stop by the Namadeus exhibit to see what your name sounds like as a Mozart composition.  Be sure to save your creation for printing on the end screen of the exhibit.  Some of my colleagues decided later in our visit that they did want to pay for a printed version in the gift shop, but they were unable to do so since they had not saved their creation earlier in their visit.  

We were able to comfortably explore the Haus der Musik in about 2 hours.  This museum offers entertaining and interesting aspects for children, families, and adults alike! 

Haus der Musik. Accessed September 19th, 2023. https://www.hausdermusik.com/en/.