American Musical Instrument Society
A United States-based scholarly society dedicated to the study of musical instruments across cultures and historical periods.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The American Musical Instrument Society (AMIS) is a United States-based scholarly organization devoted to the study of musical instruments, their histories, designs, technologies, social functions, and uses. Its field is commonly associated with organology, the interdisciplinary branch of musicology concerned with instruments in all cultures and from all periods. AMIS was formed in 1971 to provide an organized forum for researchers and professionals working with musical instruments and to promote the preservation, documentation, interpretation, and dissemination of knowledge about them. The society serves an unusually broad community. Its international membership includes collectors, museum curators, historians, performers, instrument makers, conservators, restorers, dealers, teachers, students, and other specialists. This mix connects academic research with practical knowledge of construction, repair, collecting, performance, conservation, and museum stewardship. Rather than operating as a commercial product brand, AMIS functions as a learned society and professional network. AMIS's principal activities include publishing, conferences, member communications, awards, and support for emerging scholars. It publishes the Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society annually. The journal contains several substantial, illustrated research articles on varied subjects, together with book reviews, listings of recent publications, notices, and advertisements. Its articles are evaluated by members of an editorial board, and copies are held by institutional libraries on multiple continents. Journal content is also available through ProQuest, while the society provides an index to back issues through its website. The society also publishes its Newsletter twice each year. The newsletter carries official notices, reports on AMIS activities, short articles, reviews, communications, institutional acquisition news, member news, and classified advertisements. Current and recent issues are archived online. Annual meetings and conferences provide a setting for scholarly presentations, professional exchange, collection visits, and society business. AMIS has sometimes held meetings jointly with the Galpin Society and other organizations concerned with musical-instrument research. Digital communication became an important part of the society's activities through AMIS-L, a Listserv discussion forum established after an international joint conference involving AMIS, the Galpin Society, and CIMCIM at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, in May 2006. The forum was intended to maintain informal communication among members beyond the annual meeting. AMIS also recognizes achievement and supports participation through five named awards. The Curt Sachs Award honors lifetime contributions to the society's objectives. The Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize recognizes the best book-length publication in English on a relevant subject. The Frances Densmore Prize recognizes a significant article-length publication in English. The Frederick Selch Award honors the best student paper presented at an AMIS annual meeting, while the William E. Gribbon Memorial Award helps eligible students attend annual meetings through membership and travel support. Together, these programs reinforce the society's roles in scholarship, professional recognition, and student development.
History
The American Musical Instrument Society was established in 1971 in the United States with the objective of promoting the study of musical instruments from every culture and historical period. Its formation reflected the development of organology as a distinct and increasingly interdisciplinary area of scholarship. The society brought together people whose interests extended beyond conventional musicological analysis, including museum professionals, collectors, performers, makers, conservators, restorers, dealers, teachers, and students. From its early years, AMIS developed a program combining scholarly publication, annual meetings, professional communication, and recognition of achievement. Its central publication became the Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, an annual periodical carrying illustrated research on a wide range of instruments and related subjects. In addition to research articles, the journal includes reviews, bibliographic information, notices, and advertisements. Expert members of the editorial board review its articles. The journal's institutional reach extends beyond the United States, with copies held in libraries on four continents, and its contents are accessible through ProQuest. AMIS also maintains an index to earlier issues. The society's second major periodical is its Newsletter, issued twice annually. It provides a more immediate channel for organizational information and community exchange than the journal. Its contents include notices of society activities, short research contributions, reviews, communications, acquisition reports from member institutions, member news, and classified advertisements. Current and recent issues have been made available through the AMIS website, giving the society an online archive of its continuing activities. Annual conferences have remained central to AMIS's identity. These meetings allow members to present research, discuss instruments and collections, conduct society business, and build relationships across academic, museum, craft, and performance communities. The society has periodically collaborated with the Galpin Society, an organization with related interests in musical instruments. A notable example was the international joint conference of AMIS, the Galpin Society, and CIMCIM held at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, in May 2006. That 2006 gathering also led to the establishment of AMIS-L, a Listserv forum designed to continue informal communication among members after the conference. The forum expanded the society's communication infrastructure beyond printed publications and annual events, supporting ongoing exchange among participants in different countries and professional fields. AMIS has built a formal awards structure to encourage both established and emerging work. The Curt Sachs Award, named after a foundational figure in systematic musical-instrument study, recognizes lifetime contributions aligned with the society's purposes and includes an invitation for the recipient to address members at the annual meeting. The Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize, named for the scholar associated with a major catalog of ancient European instruments, was first awarded in 1989 for the best book-length publication in English. It was initially presented biennially and became annual in 2009. The Frances Densmore Prize, named for the ethnographer known for documenting Native American musical practices, was first awarded in 1988 for a significant article-length publication in English; it likewise shifted from a biennial to an annual schedule in 2009. The Frederick Selch Award was created in 2004 in honor of a collector of American musical instruments who was a founding AMIS member and its second president. It recognizes the best student paper delivered at an annual AMIS meeting, subject to selection by a committee appointed by the society president. The William E. Gribbon Memorial Award, established in 1989, supports students seeking to attend annual meetings. It provides a year of student membership and substantial assistance with travel and lodging for eligible full-time undergraduate or graduate students aged thirty-five or younger whose career interests relate to the society's mission. Through these publications, meetings, digital forums, and awards, AMIS has developed from a national scholarly association into an internationally connected organization. Its continuing work links historical research with the practical knowledge required to collect, conserve, restore, make, perform, and interpret musical instruments.
- 2009
Publication prizes became annual
[1]The Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize and Frances Densmore Prize changed from biennial awards to annual awards.
- 2008
William Waterhouse received the Curt Sachs Award posthumously
[1]William Waterhouse was named a posthumous recipient of AMIS's lifetime-achievement Curt Sachs Award.
- 2006
AMIS-L established
[1]A Listserv forum was created after a joint AMIS, Galpin Society, and CIMCIM conference at the National Music Museum in South Dakota.
- 2004
Frederick Selch Award established
[1]AMIS created the Frederick Selch Award to recognize the best student paper presented at an annual society meeting.
- 1989
Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize and Gribbon Award established
[1]The Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize was first awarded for the best book-length publication in English, while the William E. Gribbon Memorial Award was established to help students attend annual meetings.
- 1988
Frances Densmore Prize introduced
[1]AMIS began awarding the Frances Densmore Prize for a significant article-length publication in English.
- 1971
Society formed
[1]The American Musical Instrument Society was established to advance the study of musical instruments across cultures and historical periods.
Products and positioning
A learned society and international professional network for interdisciplinary research, preservation, and education concerning musical instruments.
Scholarly journal
Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society
AMIS's annual peer-reviewed scholarly journal publishes illustrated research on musical instruments from diverse cultures and periods. Issues generally include three to six research articles, book reviews, a bibliography or listing of recent instrument-related publications, notices, and advertisements. The journal is held by institutional libraries internationally, is indexed or accessible through ProQuest, and has an online index to back issues.
Society newsletter
Newsletter of the American Musical Instrument Society
Published twice a year, the newsletter communicates society business and member activities while also carrying short articles, reviews, communications, institutional acquisition lists, member news, and classified advertisements. Current and recent issues are archived on the AMIS website.
Electronic discussion forum · 2006
AMIS-L
AMIS-L is a Listserv-based forum for members and designated participants. Established in the wake of the 2006 international joint conference, it provides an ongoing informal communication channel between annual meetings.
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