Earlier this week, nearly 100 music industry leaders, notable artists and arts education activists traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for all school-aged children to have access to quality, comprehensive school music education programs. As part of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Advocacy Fly-In, held May 22-24, the delegation met with Members of Congress and other policy stakeholders to reinforce the importance of music as part of a well-rounded education. The issue of music education takes on a special importance this year as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law in 2015 by President Obama readies for state-level implementation in 2018, and is facing proposed budget cuts. The law specifies music as core subject in a well-rounded education for all K-12 students.

The Advocacy week began on Monday, May 22 with a Day of Service at Jefferson Middle School Academy. Members from the group provided three hours of music education instruction on drum, ukulele and guitar for the middle school students. NAMM delegates also provided maintenance and repair to many of the school’s existing instruments. That evening, the group joined The NAMM Foundation in awarding the SupportMusic Champion Award to Senator Robert Casey (PA). The award was presented in recognition of the Senator’s long history in music education advocacy and role as a champion of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

On Tuesday, the delegates prepared for their efforts on Capitol Hill by participating in advocacy training at the Newseum, during which the music industry leaders were apprised of current issues facing public school music programs and briefed on ESSA and the current political climate from a variety of policy and arts leaders, including representatives from the United States Department of Education, Americans for the Arts (AFTA), the National Governors Association (NGA), the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), and the National School Board Association (NSBA), among others. The group also enjoyed a special lunchtime session on current policy trends presented by PBS News Hour contributor, New York Times columnist and Turnaround Arts artist, David Brooks. Delegation groups were also trained on developing state-level advocacy efforts for music and arts education to put into practice in their home states.

On Wednesday, nearly 200 meetings with Members of Congress were held by the delegation. The group of advocates discussed the multitude of benefits music education espouses such as increased brain function, focus and language development, as found in a new research study from Northwestern University. The Country Music Association, VH1 Save the Music Foundation, and former New York Yankees centerfielder and three-time World Series winner, music education champion and Turnaround Arts artist Bernie Williams joined the day of advocacy, sharing his own experience in music education and a desire to create a more musical world.

In addition to the advocacy work, the group was part of a special Congressional reception, held on Wednesday, May 24 in the Mansfield Room at the U.S. Capitol that brought together arts advocates and policy makers. The evening was capped by a special CMA Songwriters Series event held at The Kennedy Center. The event featured notable acts including LoCash Cowboys and Drake White, as well as songwriters Jim Beavers and Heather Morgan. The performance underscored a united commitment from both artists and delegates to continue to champion music education opportunities for all children.

To view images from the NAMM Fly-In for Music Education, please visit: https://www.namm.org/news/photos/2017-music-education-advocacy-fly-in

On Monday evening, The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) honored Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) with the organization’s SupportMusic Champion Award. The award was presented in recognition of the Senator’s long history in music education advocacy and comes on the heels of the historic passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015 (ESSA). This new federal law amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), to include music and arts as part of a “well-rounded” education, a term and concept championed by the Senator. He was instrumental in writing ESSA, and in moving the bipartisan bill through the Senate and eventually, to President Obama for his signature. His commitment is further demonstrated in the Senator’s home state, as 78 school districts were recognized earlier this year as Best Communities for Music Education by The NAMM Foundation.

The SupportMusic award was presented at a reception held in concert with NAMM’s annual advocacy fly-in in support of music education and received by the Senator's Education Legislative Assistant, Jared Solomon. The NAMM advocacy group includes professional musicians, representatives from the Country Music Association (CMA), VH1 Save the Music Foundation, and nearly 100 leaders in musical instrument and products industry. The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to education and access to music and arts programs for all students, particularly those in low-income school districts. Past recipients include Senator Lamar Alexander, Senator Jay Rockefeller, Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Tom Harkin, Congressman John Lewis, Randall Reid-Smith, the Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and former New York Yankee, Turnaround Arts artist

and music education champion, Bernie Williams, who was also in attendance at the event. The SupportMusic Coalition is presented by The NAMM Foundation, which counts over 40,000 members from the music education sector.

The Every Student Succeeds Act was the latest reiteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act –or No Child Left Behind – and the first federal education law to provide a framework to increase access to music and arts education for every student. Specifically, the law provides that music and arts education be included as part of a well-rounded education, an unprecedented step and shift in federal education policy. States and school districts will now have increased access to funds and resources to develop, strengthen and maintain music education in public schools. The law currently awaits implementation at the state-level in 2018.

To view images from the event, please visit:http://assignments.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyipa_public?nav=pr526739782

To view the complete list of school districts honored as Best Communities for Music Education, please visit: https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/best-communities-music-education

Professional development and business enrichment opportunities will take center stage at Summer NAMM, July 13–15. Members who join the mid-year gathering at Nashville’s Music City Center will have the opportunity to participate in more than 60 high-impact, future-focused educational sessions. Each day of Summer NAMM will feature a different series of topics covering the biggest ideas and game-changing tactics to enrich attendees’ businesses and professional development, and to help prepare them for the future.

Before the show officially opens on Wednesday, July 12, members can enjoy an all-day intensive training at Retail Boot Camp. The sessions will feature best-in-class experts in two different tracks: Sales and Marketing, and Financial Management. In Sales and Marketing, internationally recognized business expert Jon Schallert will show participants how to turn a music store into a consumer destination for your community — and abroad. In the Financial Management track, Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co. return to cover such topics as purchasing and managing inventory, employee compensation, financial statements, instrument rentals and more. Registration is now open and free to NAMM members.

Each day of the show will kick off with a rousing NAMM U Breakfast Session. Beginning Thursday morning, the show will officially open with a presentation from futurist and “Retail Prophet” Doug Stephens in a session titled, “The Retail Store of the Future.” Stephens will reveal his thoughts on what awaits retail and how the music products industry can begin to chart the future now. Friday’s Breakfast Session will welcome customer experience expert Doug Fleener as he presents “The Connected Consumer: Customer Experience in an Online World,” and shares best practices for creating a valued customer experience in-store and online. Saturday at the show will welcome member favorite “Best in Show.” Presented by moderator and Music Inc. Publisher Frank Alkyer, the panel of independent retailers will discuss their top product picks from the show floor.

All Breakfast Sessions will start at 8:00 a.m. in a new location: Grand Ballroom C on Level 4. They will be followed by a variety of NAMM U sessions starting every 30 minutes at the NAMM Idea Center, booth 463. Hot Idea Center topics, such as video and content marketing, selling through third-party platforms, store design, lessons, promotions, destination marketing and new social media tips and tricks, and more, will be presented in the industry’s biggest peer-to-peer sharing environment.

Along with the exciting Idea Center sessions, TEC Tracks will return to Summer NAMM with three days of pro audio education from top hit-makers, audio gurus and industry insiders, designed to enhance the audio professional’s repertoire. Topics to be covered include vinyl mastering, controlling latency in the studio, control room improvements and a special session, “The Art of the Craft,” presented by the Nashville Grammy™ award-winning producer and songwriter Mark Bright, and a guest recording artist. Other notable names include Grammy winner Chuck Ainlay (producer and engineer) and Bill Gibson (producer, engineer and author) as they discuss who’s doing what in the studios, how they got that sound and inside stories only known to the industry few. Recording studios The Bakery, and Welcome to 1979, a Nashville-based retro, analog-centric studio, alongside Mayfield Mastering, will talk how to master on vinyl for high-fidelity, and Slick Audio will talk pro and project studio options for interfaces and audio over Ethernet.

Looking ahead, A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange) brings the future of audio and music products to the fore, with a series of future-focused sessions on Saturday. Must-attend sessions include “Disruptive Technology for the Traditional Musician,” “The Future of Production: A Masterclass in Contemporary Country” and many others, to advance industry know-how and to prepare for the future of music, and music making.

For established and aspiring pro audio professionals, Audinate, the creator of Dante™, a media networking technology, will introduce a new advanced Level 3 Dante Certification course as part of this year’s Summer NAMM. The new advanced track is geared toward attendees that are already using Dante, and are looking to create more advanced systems and learn best practices. Audinate will make available the Dante Certification courses Level 1 and 2. All three of these courses will be taught on Friday, July 14 and again on Saturday July 15. Additional information, including advanced registration, can be found by visiting www.audinate.com/summernamm17

Saturday also welcomes the show’s Music Industry Day (MID) attendees and offers a chance to learn from leaders in their space and network with like-minded peers. Presenters include the Nashville Songwriters Association International, guitar pros and editors from Guitar Player magazine, social media, PR and marketing experts, as well as accomplished songwriters covering a variety of need-to-know topics. These include “Musician Marketing: Insider Tips to Grow Your Brand,” “Hit Songwriting: Making the Most of Cutting-Edge Trends” and the “2017 Songwriter Success Summit,” which will cover everything from contracts to how to achieve commercial success without the help of a publisher.

All NAMM U, TEC Tracks and A3E sessions are open to Summer NAMM badge holders and, on Saturday, to Music Industry Day attendees. To view the complete list of sessions, please visit https://www.namm.org/summer/2017/educational-sessions

To register to attend Music Industry Day, please register for tickets by visiting https://www.namm.org/summer/2017/music-industry-day/ 

For additional information about Dante training, please visit www.audinate.com/summernamm17

DOWNLOAD: To download the Word document of all Summer NAMM Professional Development sessions, please visit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n7bpzxcwljcpm79/SN17_Education_Schedule_FINAL.docx?dl=0

Make Music Day, the annual global celebration featuring more than 4,000 free, outdoor concerts, music lessons and jam sessions in the United States, returns this year on Wednesday, June 21. The all-day musical celebration on the summer solstice, which brings people of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels together to make music, will feature over 50 U.S. cities hosting major celebrations including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), St. Louis, San Jose, Seattle and the entire states of Vermont and Rhode Island, with smaller festivities popping up in other communities nationwide.

Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day seeks to encourage all people to experience the pleasure of making music. Every kind of musician – from bucket drummers to opera singers – pours onto streets, parks, plazas, porches, rooftops, gardens and other public spaces to share their music with friends, neighbors and strangers.

Highlights of Make Music Day in the U.S. will include Sousapaloozas in Chicago, Cleveland, Madison, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York and San Jose that bring together hundreds of brass and wind musicians to play the music of John Philip Sousa; Street Studios in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York and Philadelphia where DJs and producers bring their gear and engage passersby in the spontaneous, collaborative production of original music on the street; and over 150 Mass Appeals across the country that gather musicians to play together in large, single-instruments groups. Instruments with Mass Appeal events include guitars, harmonicas, accordions, flutes, percussion, trombones, bassoons, French horns, synthesizers, ukuleles, djembes, harps and voices.

Make Music Day, which began in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, has since grown to include more than 750 cities across 120 countries – and is presented in the U.S. by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance.

Additional Make Music Day 2017 highlights include:

Ella Fitzgerald Piano Bar – In New York City and Los Angeles, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Ella Fitzgerald’s birth and presented with support from the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation, a piano will be transported on a pickup truck to multiple locations that have deep connections to the jazz icon including the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and her old neighborhood in Beverly Hills. At each stop, members of the public will be given songbooks and invited to sing their favorite Ella song with live piano accompaniment.

Boomwhackers – In an “MP3 Experiment” produced by Improv Everywhere, over 3,000 participants in New York’s Battery Park will download an MP3 track that provides a kind of narrated adventure experience featuring Boomwhackers, which are colorful plastic tubes. By following the narration on the MP3, they will make music together by hitting the Boomwhackers against nearby objects. Ten other cities will also stage excerpts of this MP3 Experiment.

The Gauntlet – Choirs in New York City, Chicago and Providence (RI) will perform composer Sxip Shirey’s 2016 piece, where two rows of 30 singers engage in a musical dialogue as audience members immerse themselves by walking, at their own pace, through the rows of paired singers.

Lift Every Voice: Musicians Rising For Racial Justice – Performances of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings” will be held in Boston, Chicago and Cleveland.

Young Composers Contest – In celebration of Make Music Day, the software company MakeMusic Inc. and the nonprofit American Composers Forum are hosting a composition contest for young composers aged 13-21. Three judges – including Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon – will select one piece for wind band to be premiered in select cities on Make Music Day.

WTC @ WTC – In the spirit of contemplation evoked through the repertoire and the setting, four grand pianos at the four corners of the World Trade Center Memorial Plaza will stage performances of music from J.S. Bach’s “Well Tempered Clavier” by a rotating cast of professionals and students.

Other events around the country will highlight the musical history and ingenuity of each city including:

San Jose, CA – The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will host a music crawl on the light rail with performers and food trucks at different stations

Madison, WI – an Otis Redding-themed “Go Big Sing” will be held at the lake where the famed soul singer and six others died in a plane crash 50 years ago

Davis, CA – a sing-along will be held in Central Park to mark the city’s centennial

Los Angeles – a sunrise gospel celebration at Griffith Park Observatory for hikers and early morning park users will kick off the local music-making events

Washington, DC – musicians will unite together in the nation’s capital and globally to simultaneously perform the peace anthem, “Set Me Free”

Buffalo, NY – musicians will play inside the Marine A grain elevator at historic Silo City

El Paso, TX – local musicians will be joined by their counterparts from Juarez, Mexico, to make music together across the border

All Make Music Day events are free and open to the public. Participants who wish to perform, or to host musical events, may register at MakeMusicDay.org. A full schedule of events will be posted on the website in early June.

About Make Music Day

Held annually on June 21 to coincide with the summer solstice, Make Music Day is part of the international Fête de la Musique, taking place in more than 750 cities across 120 countries. The daylong, musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts. This year, 50 U.S. cities and the entire states of Vermont and Rhode Island are organizing Make Music celebrations, encompassing thousands of music making opportunities nationwide. Make Music Day is presented by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance. For more information, please visit www.makemusicday.org.

Participating U.S. Make Music Cities in 2017

Atlanta, Black Hills (SD), Boston, Buffalo, Cedar Rapids (IA), Chattanooga, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia (SC), Columbus (OH), Coralville (IA), Davis (CA), Detroit, El Paso, Fort Wayne, Fullerton, Huntsville, Iowa City, Issaquah (WA), Liberty (MO), Los Angeles, Madison (WI), Marion (IA), Mentor (OH), Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Montclair (NJ), Nashville, New York, Niagara Falls, North Liberty (IA), Ossining (NY), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Platteville (WI), Portland (ME), Portland (OR), Port Townsend (WA) Redmond (WA), Rhode Island (statewide), Salem (OR), San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Somerville (NJ),Vermont (statewide), Warrenton (VA), Washington, DC, Worcester (MA), and Wyoming County (NY).

About The NAMM Foundation

The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 10,300 members around the world. The NAMM Foundation works to advance active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

In a star-studded event on Saturday, April 8, music icon Graham Nash, community champions and music education patrons came together to “Play it Forward” at NAMM’s Museum of Making Music’s (MoMM) gala fundraiser event, “An Evening with Graham Nash.” The annual event was attended by nearly 170 guests, and raised over $70,000 in donations that will further the MoMM’s mission to offer educational immersion opportunities, exhibitions, hands-on experiences, and live performances that inform and inspire guests on how musical instruments impact popular culture and connect lives.

Guests of the event enjoyed a cocktail and dessert reception, the opportunity to preview “The Photography of Graham Nash” photo exhibit, as well as bid on a live auction filled with items provided from generous museum donors. The evening’s main event included an hour-long concert performance by Nash, accompanied by guitarist Shane Fontayne (Lone Justice, Sting, Bruce Springsteen). Nash, a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award™ winner (Crosby Stills and Nash, The Hollies) performed hits spanning his career, including “Bus Stop,” “Marrakesh Express,” “Wasted on the Way,” “Teach Your Children,” and many others.

Of the museum, Nash shared, “[The museum] truly celebrates the organic nature of music and for all of us who believe in music’s healing power, it’s a very important place. There’re many studies today that prove this; this idea that music actually has therapeutic properties [and] that’s why I’m so happy to be affiliated with the Museum of Making Music. They understand the power and importance of music. Not just for the sheer joy that it gives us, but how it can help us, too.”

The gala event officially launched “The Photography of Graham Nash,” a new gallery exhibit featuring 29 photographs of famed artists photographed by Nash, including Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash, Jerry Garcia, Judy Collins (with Stephen Stills), Neil Young, Cass Elliot, Taj Majal, David Crosby and Jackson Browne, along with some of Nash’s most significant quotes and song lyrics, blending his love of photography and music into one setting. The exhibit will be on display until August 31, 2017 and is included in the cost of admission.

Donations raised at the gala will also help offset the museum’s annual operating costs as it continues to provide access to visitors from around-the-world wishing to discover a century of instrument innovations that shaped American popular music. The museum offers a unique, memorable and educational adventure to 40,000 visitors each year by displaying over 500 vintage instruments and hundreds of audio and video clips from industry luminaries. Additionally, the museum’s year-round music education programs are crucial to thousands of children, adults and seniors. These efforts include the museum's Title One Fieldtrip Program, an annual venture that provides free access to the museum for low-income students, as well as a scholarship program that enables fixed-income adults and seniors the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.

“Sharing the vibrant history of the music products industry would not be possible without the generous spirit of NAMM members and our many community donors,” said Carolyn Grant, Executive Director of the MoMM. “I am deeply grateful to those who share in our vision and strive to make the world a more music place, one person at a time.”

The gala received generous support from museum members, patrons, NAMM members and local businesses. Major sponsors included Securematics and

Zuza Marketing/Printing/Mailing, South Coast Winery, Stone Brewing Co., and Morrison Hotel Gallery Fine Art and Photography. Additional support was provided from Birch Aquarium, Carlsbad Fire Department, Cobra/Puma Golf, Disneyland, Fratelli’s, Fortis Fitness and Strength Training, Fundraising Rides, H2Odyssey, Pamela Underwood Expressive Arts Studio, Sandy Radom Photography, Stellaluna, The Country Club at Rancho Bernardo, The Crossings at Carlsbad, Vista Valley Country Club, Fortis/YOGALUX, and many other generous donors who helped make the evening a great success.

Photos from the event are available for editorial use; credit Tim Whitehouse for MoMM: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kg6ft0bg2ncp5fu/AADqTuydh3dAaCDNa_g105NZa?dl=0

About the Museum of Making Music

NAMM's Museum of Making Music presents the storied history of music instruments and products - from invention, to creation, to market - as its canvas to enrich people of all ages and backgrounds. They do this by offering educational immersion opportunities, exhibitions, hands-on experiences, and live performances that inform and inspire, while demonstrating how musical instruments impact popular culture and connect lives.

A division of the NAMM Foundation, the museum opened at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) headquarters in March, 2000 and is the only museum of the music products industry, and the only museum worldwide that focuses on the ecosystem of music making from 1900 to present day. For details on the museum’s concerts, exhibits, workshops and outreach programs, please visit www.museumofmakingmusic.com.