Visitor Profile June 2018

Mike is a volunteer  at the Grainger Museum. We spoke to him about his experience of being a volunteer, and what he has gotten out of the role.

How did you hear about the Museum?

I am on exchange at The University of Melbourne. Back at my home university, I play the clarinet for the music school’s band, and one of our conductors has lived in Melbourne before and visited the Museum himself. As a big fan of Grainger, he really liked Grainger’s music and would occasionally talk to us about what he found interesting in the Museum. So really, that was how I came to know that Grainger has a museum about himself in Australia.

Why did you want to volunteer at the Grainger Museum?

Because of this conductor, I played some of Grainger’s pieces in our band and became really interested in his music and life. In 2016, I also visited Melbourne and spent some time at the Museum, during which I could actually see, with my own eyes, these things that had been talked about over and over. So, when I came back to Melbourne this February, this time as an exchange student, I thought it would be really interesting to volunteer at the Museum, as this was a good opportunity to learn more about his lifestyle and musical achievements. Besides that, I also feel like volunteering at a museum could increasing my work experience – a bit of volunteering work never hurts anyways :)

Before you started, what did you expect volunteering at the Museum would be like?

Honestly, I wasn’t particularly picky about what the volunteering program would be like. I understand that some people joined the program to gain specific knowledge or experiences that could help them with their degrees or enrich their resumes. Since I came here to learn more about Grainger, I didn’t really have these concerns. So yeah, maybe I was just hoping to see more people with similar interests in music.

What is your favourite part about volunteering at the Museum?

I’ve met many visitors and fellow volunteers who are so enthusiastic about the collections here, and it’s a great pleasure to hear their stories about their ties to the Museum and/or Melbourne’s music scene. Chatting with them made me feel like there’s so much more to explore in this museum besides Grainger’s own life.

Many thanks to Mike for participating in our visitor profile and the Grainger's volunteers program. We hope you enjoyed your time in Melbourne and returning to Canada to finish your studies.