Kamau Kenyatta grew up surrounded by a family that had a deep running passion for music, and as a result Kamau was able to get his first clarinet when his grandfather, an electrician by t...
Stephen Bennett provided music lessons in two music stores in the late 1970s while gigging at night. It was the first time he quit his day job, at a department store, to focus on music fu...
Jim Fahey adds a unique twist to many of the tours he provides as a docent for the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music. Growing up in the 1960s, Jim understands the impact music has ...
Sandy Radom is a volunteer at the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California and can often be found enjoying one of the many concerts presented at the museum. Sandy...
John Lewis was awarded the 2015 Volunteer of the Year for his dedication to the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California. John has enjoyed several positions within...
Jack Hill was introduced to music at a very young age as his uncle was a professional musician. Jack started taking guitar lessons at eight years old, which he paid for himself with the m...
Barbara Honig found out about the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music when she joined their New Horizons band - a band that offers learning new instruments and playing in a concert b...
Jacinta Brunkala grew up taking piano lessons, without even owning a piano. She would use a friend’s piano when she could, but would often pretend with a set of keys she made out of cardb...
Marilyn Shepard taught music in public schools for thirty-five years. Ever since she was young, she was involved in making music, along with her twin sister, as well as collecting instrum...
John Tedeschi started playing music again when his son took up the saxophone in the school band and needed someone to practice improvisation with. John had been playing the guitar since h...
Françoise Dahod was born and raised in France, and remembers classical music often being played around the house. In her 20s, she came to the United States and was first introduced to new...
Trish Gapik has been volunteering at the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music for quite some time now, and could not have wished for anything better. Her aunt was a singer during WWII...
Joyce Schmauder says that her favorite part about volunteering at the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music is the people. From the young kids to the seniors, Joyce enjoys interacting ...
Allan Rosenthal has served as NAMM’s Certified Public Accountant beginning in the 1980s, when the trade association moved its headquarters from Chicago to Carlsbad, California. Allan has...
Donna Henson holds the unique distinction of being a docent for the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music as well as a former employee of NAMM. The headquarters for NAMM in Carlsbad, ...
Sue Collier-Lewis played piano as a young girl and loved singing, a passion that has continued with her all throughout her career as a music teacher and music advocate. After earning her...
Gordon Grubbs grew up in a very musical home. His mother was a professional pianist and was very encouraging to Gordon when he was three and wanted to play. Gordon was later guided by a...
Paula Simmons wanted to create a shop where good quality instruments could be accessible to all those who came in the store. As a teacher, Paula was very interested in providing lessons ...
Ruth Kadison enjoyed her role as a NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music volunteer, and applied many of her talents and skills to the organization over the years. Her love of music go...
Greg Walker was inspired by musical masters and song stylists such as Nat "King" Cole, Johnny Hartman, Sarah Vaughn, and Sam Cooke, and started singing at the age of nine. These legendary...
Cliff Lange has been a dedicated volunteer for the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music since his retirement from the Carlsbad Library. His long and interesting background in library...
Allan Clark began taking training classes as a volunteer docent right when the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music was opened to the public in 2000. Since that time Allan has provid...
Katie Wheeler was an early volunteer of the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music in the NAMM headquarters in Carlsbad, California. Her docent experience with the museum gave Katie th...
Wanda Pugh always enjoyed singing. As a child she sang in church and later formed several vocal groups and ran different chapters of the Sweet Adalines. Her love of music led her to the N...
Toni Perrine grew up in England where she was a touring actress in several musical productions. When she came to the United States she worked for Pedrini's Music in Southern California fo...
Florence Sachs was very active in community organizations, especially those with a focus on continuing education. When she heard about the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music she sig...
Sam Eisenman grew up in New York during the heyday of the Big Bands and BeBop. As an ardent music fan he saw many of the great Big Bands, including Benny Goodman's Orchestra in 1938 at C...
Gladys Hayes taught choir in school for more than 25 years and was very active in vocal programs throughout her career and after her retirement. Gladys and her husband Morris retired to C...
Curtis Smith grew up loving the music of the 1950s and remembers the first 45 record he ever bought was "Cry" by Johnny Ray. While working in the aerospace industry Curtis continued colle...
Jerry Bongard enjoyed playing music since he was a kid in New York. Along the way he became eloquent in his explanation of the benefits of music making and the passion music can add to yo...
Sue Jones had a warm way about her, which sets visitors at ease when they visited the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA. As a volunteer Sue was trained as a docent ...
Velia Villasenor-Telles grew up singing with her sister. Music was always a big part of her life, as she is related to the record producer Johnny Otis and the jazz composer and arranger G...
