NAMM-sponsored AARP National Convention Yields Extensive Media Coverage

NAMM was among the sponsors of the Life @50+, the AARP National Event & Expo in New Orleans.To demonstrate the interplay of rhythm on brain function, Mickey Hart, the longtime Grateful Dead percussionist and Trustee of American Folk Life Center, Library of Congress, headlined the "Life's Rhythms Reimagined" closing session with neurologist Adam Gazzaley, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Gazzaley has extensively studied how the brain handles memory, attention and aging.

Huffington Post reporter Karen Dalton-Beninato covered the event with the article "Mickey Hart's Brain on Drums -- Interview at AARP in New Orleans." She wrote, "By the time Mickey Hart finished his AARP convention appearance in New Orleans yesterday, we had quite literally seen his brain on drums as his brain waves were projected onto a screen by neurologist Dr. Adam Gazzaley through the magic of electrodes and computer modeling."

The Associated Press also covered the event, and the article "Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart Drums at AARP Meeting" was picked up by 500 media outlets across the country. The article noted that, "Hart and neurologist Adam Gazzaley a professor at the University of California at San Francisco, spoke about research showing music has a positive effect on the brain and how playing music can help offset the mental declines of aging."

For more on the AARP, visit http://www.aarp.org.