Oral History - all
Mike White grew up in the Boston area where he was inspired by his band directors. While studying music in college in New Hampshire, Mike was focused on becoming a band director himself. He greatly enjoyed his time as a music educator and still speaks of what he learned along the way. When the... more
Dan King was exposed to music at a young age. His brother played in band and as soon as he could, Dan himself began playing trumpet in his school band. He joined the US Marines and while serving his country, he learned the craft of band instrument repair. He also had several great playing... more
Ricia King as a child took piano lessons from the mother of future Yamaha Marketing Manager Roger Eaton (fun fact). Ricia has always loved music and because she grew up in her father’s Kawasaki motorcycle dealership, she always enjoyed the interaction with customers. So when her husband Dan sprang... more
Cindy Quinlan was once introduced at a NAMM meeting as “the boss lady” and the nickname stuck. She met her future husband, George Quinlan Jr., at a NASMD meeting in 1983. She was there on vacation with a friend when the two just happened to meet walking to a restaurant. Over the years she has... more
Johnna Meyer loves the look on the faces of young students when they make a sound for the first time with a musical instrument! Taking part in band night at the schools Meyer Music serves has been an inspiring experience. Johnna and her husband, Mike, are proud of the work they do within their... more
Fumio Mieda was hired by the founder of KORG, Tsutomu Katoh, back in 1967. Mieda-san began working on a number of innovations as he hoped to improve the function of electronic organs. The results of his efforts led to a number of advances for the emerging synthesizer. Just prior to this, Mr. Mieda... more
John Meyer grew up in the music business and can remember as a child playing under one of the pianos in the family-owned store his grandparents opened in 1966. His father, Mike, never pushed John into the business but rather encouraged him to discover what he was passionate about and pursue that... more
Larry Redhouse grew up in a house with six siblings who were all, like their mother, very musical. The family formed a musical act, the Redhouse Band, in the late 60s. The band played a large repertoire of styles including funk and jazz fusion, and cites influences such as Santana, Malo, and Tower... more
Jason Bartel opened Maple Leaf Strings in 2011, right across the street from his father’s business, Baroque Violin Shop, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The two companies helped each other, and often Jason would walk a customer's violin over to his dad for repairs. Jason’s father, Paul Bartel, opened a small... more
John Fulton has had a very interesting ascent to his position as Vice President of Sales for Conn-Selmer. He started taking violin lessons in the fourth grade, at first to get out of class but discovered a teacher who inspired him to do his best and work hard. He played in the all-star band in high... more
Sandy Goff, co-owner of Paige's Music, has had many first-hand experiences witnessing the importance of music education in the lives of young students as well as the passion for music so common with those who work in the music products industry. As the First Lady of NAMM, when her husband, Mark,... more
Established in 1999, the NAMM Oral History Collection is unique, unlike any other collection in the world. The heart of the collection is the depth of its narratives that cover innovative creations, the evolution of musical instruments, the ever-changing world of music retail, as well as our... more
Wes Sutton has a background as a musician and a welder and wasn’t too sure about an opening at King Music Company in Brownwood, Texas, but he was looking for a change so he took a chance. He was the only employee in the store so he quickly learned every element of running a music store. He learned... more
Mike Kamphuis is perfectly suited for his position as Vice President, Division of Education at Conn-Selmer in Elkhart, Indiana. His role allows him to work closely with educators and industry leaders with the mission to make music programs available to all students. Leaning on his own experiences,... more
John Jarvis is the president and owner of the music retail store in Florida, Music Man. His father was a band director back in 1944 who retired to Florida in 1973 and opened a small store three years later. As a result, John grew up in a very musical home. He played saxophone in his high school... more
George Reeder and his wife, Lynn, are the owners of Rovner Products, which produces ligatures, mouthpieces and other accessories for musical instruments. The company was established in the 1970s when Phil Rovner, a mechanical engineer and musician, set out to redesign the ligature for his saxophone... more
Lynn Reeder did not become actively involved in music until her mid-40’s after receiving a gift certificate for voice lessons from her husband George and son Alex, although an avid listener throughout her life! Those lessons resulted in 13 years of musical performance, singing in a women’s choral... more
Syndenn Sweet was the first woman hired as a luthier at Bookmans Entertainment Exchange in Tucson, Arizona. This distinction is one she makes with pride, especially considering her father was a luthier as well. After earning her business degree, serving on the board of the Tucson Folk Festival, and... more
Mark Mason has always been interested in technology. He was only ten years old when he began programming computers. He became a technician for Microsoft in the 1990s and played a role in the launch of Windows 2000. After a time as a teacher, Mark found himself at Southwest Strings in Tucson,... more
Gregg Proniske began working at Southwest Strings in 1998. The distributor of stringed instruments is located in Tucson, Arizona, and specializes in contracts with school music programs around the country. Gregg started out on the phone taking orders and now wears many hats for the company... more