Music & Arts

Marilyn Brown grew up in a home full of music, thanks in large part to her father’s career as a band director.  She was hired by the Yenny Music store for 25 years, which was in fact the store her father called on for many years.  After the store was sold she was hired by the Music Centers Inc.

Kayla Davis was in grade school when a high school band performed for her class. The group played the theme from Star Wars and Kayla took a special interest in watching and listening to the trumpet player. When it came time to choose an instrument, Kayla picked the trumpet, and later switched to Tuba. Today Kayla is an Educational Sales Rep for Music & Arts, traveling to schools in the metro Washington DC area and calling on band directors just as she witnessed her own band directors gaining assistance from local music retailers. Kayla participated in the Women of NAMM (WoN) l

Dee Halacsy grew up with an upright piano in her home, often listening to her mother play. She took piano lessons and developed a real love for music. While in school she joined the band, starting on the clarinet and later playing the saxophone. As an adult, she has enjoyed playing the bass. She works for Music & Arts in Virginia as retail operations manager and appreciates being surrounded by music and music makers each day. Dee was a Women of NAMM (WoN) scholarship winner and attended the NAMM Show in April 2023, taking part in educational sessions and being exposed to the i

Ted Herbert was a well known bandleader during the great big band era who opened a store on Manchester, NH to help him get the repair service he needed for his own road band. Although his band worked steady long after swings golden days, Ted found the store a nice place to come home to. NAMM's interview with him is a wonderful history of the music retail environment after World War II and his own history as a bandleader during that era.

Jennifer Hoffman joined the corporate staff of Guitar Center in 2019 as Category Manager, having started at Music and Arts in college before moving to the West LA Guitar Center for several years. This position utilizes her attention to detail, organizational abilities, and knowledge of music, which goes back to growing up with a mom who was a choir director. Jennifer participated in the 2023 Women of NAMM (WoN) leadership summit. This yearly event helps participants develop leadership skills and expand their network of contacts and resources, to strengthen their current positions

Bob Kohl was hired by Music & Arts in Maryland just before turning sixteen years old and has been in the industry ever since that time.  The store was located in the local mall and he began working within the sheet music department, an area of the industry he would soon fall in love with and remain.  Bob was later hired by Columba Music Publishing to work in their Miami office to transfer over the Belwin inventory, following the acquisition of Belwin Music Publishing by Columbia Music.  Bob moved to Ward Music in Canada and remained with the four store company until it was pur

Kenny O’Brien is the president of Music & Arts, a retail store chain that his father, Ken O’Brian, established. Kenny oversees the stores, which focuses on school music and print and has locations in 18 states including Arizona to Delaware to Ohio and Texas. Kenny is proud that he continues, as his father did, to keep up with his knowledge of the business by actively participating in educational programs such as those offered by NASMD and the NAMM Idea Center as well as other industry organizations.  

Dale Thompson joined the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) at the remarkable age of 11, already showcasing his talent on the trumpet. Ironically, Dale would later serve as a dedicated steward of the AFM. Before that, he performed with the Escovedo Latin Jazz Band while attending San Francisco State College. Among his many playing highlights, one of the most significant was his six-year tenure with the renowned Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Buddy DeFranco, starting in 1967. During that period, he was invited to test-play Yamaha trumpets while on tour in Japan.