Celebrate Independence Day and America’s 250th anniversary with a special Discovery Saturday at the National Music Museum (NMM) on Saturday, July 4. Visitors can enjoy special $2.50 museum admission while exploring the NMM’s special exhibition, "Of Thee I Sing: Origin, Heritage and Patriotism," which tells America’s story through the musical instruments, makers and traditions that have shaped our nation.

Everyone is invited to join in to play “Yankee Doodle” in the NMM Kazoo Band! Meet at the NMM tent in Prentis Park at 12:45pm, with a performance at 1:00pm.

As part of Discovery Saturday, guests can also experience "American Made, American Played," a self-guided gallery tour highlighting instruments built on American soil and the musicians who brought them to life. From jazz and bluegrass to gospel and rock, discover the iconic sounds that have defined the American experience.

Presented in the Jason and Betsy Groves Special Exhibition Gallery, "Of Thee I Sing: Origin, Heritage and Patriotism" explores the themes of origin, heritage and patriotism through musical instruments and the stories they tell. The exhibition features instruments connected to Native American cultures, the colonial period in North America, immigrant innovators of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and instruments adorned with patriotic imagery that reflect our nation's evolving identity.

The exhibition opened in March and remains on view through the end of the year. Support is generously provided by the Clayton and Odessa Lang Ofstad Foundation, the Mary Chilton DAR Foundation, the Margaret Ann Martin Everist Foundation, and the City of Vermillion, South Dakota.

The celebration continues beyond the museum. Visitors are invited to join the NMM at Vermillion's Fourth of July festivities in Prentis Park, where museum staff will host hands-on games and activities throughout the day. At 1:00 p.m., everyone is invited to become part of the NMM Kazoo Band for a patriotic performance of "Yankee Doodle." Kazoos will be provided while supplies last.

All Discovery Saturday activities are included with museum admission. Veterans, active-duty U.S. military personnel and their families receive free admission through the Blue Star Museums program, a nationwide collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and the Department of Defense.

Discovery Saturdays take place on the first Saturday of each month and feature unique educational activities, guided experiences and family-friendly programming throughout the museum.

The National Music Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information, visit www.nmmusd.org.

About the National Music Museum
The National Music Museum (NMM), located on the campus of the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, is one of the world’s finest collections of musical instruments, with some 14,000 instruments in its holdings. The NMM owns some of the most historically significant musical instruments in existence. Founded in 1973, the National Music Museum Inc. is a non-profit entity in partnership with USD.