Music Advocacy

National Wanna Play Music Week, May 3-7, ends on a high note with the Friday announcement of National Music Store Appreciation Day by NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry.  The commemorative day will recognize and thank the thousands of local business heroes who help to promote music making.

NAMM today announced the full music education advocacy efforts of more than 30 NAMM Members who took time away from their businesses May 10-13 to travel to Washington D.C. and engage in activities and one-on-one discussions with representatives of the U.S. Congress to support music education programs in schools nationwide. 

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) today announced that Steve Schmidt, one of the top public affairs and political strategists in the country and senior advisor to John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, will be the keynote speaker for the association’s 2011 Washington D.C. Advocacy Fly-In training luncheon on May 10, 2011.

Schmidt will be among several prominent policy leaders speaking at the 2011 Washington D.C. Advocacy Fly-In event who will offer insight about the current political and economic climate. Presentations will be available to all NAMM Members via webcast at www.namm.org/publicaffairs.

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and the U.S. Dept. of Education today hosted an event celebrating and supporting national school music programs. The event highlighted the many compelling and proven benefits for school children who are involved in school and after-school music-making programs, and offered attendees a chance to participate in a drum and ukulele circle to experience the fun and benefits of playing music first-hand.

NAMM recently collaborated with numerous companies and organizations that support school music education programs and created an eight-page editorial supplement for the Washington Post  that highlighted the many proven academic, social and wellness benefits for kids and teens who play music.

The supplement was included in the Sept. 21, 2011, issue of the Washington post and was distributed to more than two million people. 

Highlights of the piece included: 

My name is Scott Erlandson and my grandfather served on the NAMM Board and as President in the 1950s.  My grandpa's entire life was dedicated to business and education. He was in the music sales business as vice president of Wurlitzer. He owned a chain of music stores in Ohio, which is what led him to NAMM as a board member. He was also the first assistant secretary of the N.E.A. Later in life he was involved with the American Institute for Character Education, for the implementation of teaching young children the values of good and kind behavior.  My grandfather always stressed the importance of music as part every education and character development.