Music museum of nepal

The Music Museum of Nepal was founded in the year 1995 with a view to collecting, preserving and glorifying Nepali folk musical instruments. There are more than 100 ethnic groups in Nepal, each with their own culture and traditions to mark every occasion from birth to death with music. Each group organizes various musical ceremonies and plays their own musical instruments in accordance with traditions and rituals. Many groups such as Gaine, Damai, Badi have adopted folk music as their way of life and play folk musical instruments professionally. Our study has found more than 525 kinds of musical instruments in Nepal.

Folk musical instrument makers, musicians, singers and dancers have long had a lowly position in Nepalese society and their arts and skills have not been fully recognized, appreciated or properly rewarded. Consequently the people of Nepal have not generally developed a national pride in their folk music and successive Governments have not seen the importance in keeping alive the country’s intangible musical heritage. Many songs have undoubtedly already been irrevocably lost; many traditional folk musical instruments have disappeared. Nepalese culture is in a state of flux and the future of the extended family tradition is likewise unstable. Singers, musicians, dancers and instrument makers are consequently increasingly unable to pass on their arts and skilled crafts to their children and grand children.