The Bernice Ash Memorial Award was established in 2021 to honor Bernice Ash's remarkable life and legacy. As a music retail visionary, Bernice spearheaded the expansion of the Sam Ash family-owned music stores, broadening the chain's inventory across multiple new categories.
The annual award provides emerging music industry professionals a scholarship to support professional development, tuition, and/or training opportunities. In addition, the Bernice Ash Memorial Award assists recipients with a one-time travel stipend to attend The NAMM Show for the first time. Awardees also participate in a one-year mentorship program through the NAMM Young Professionals (NAMM YP), a group dedicated to connecting like-minded peers, building solid business relationships, and facilitating learning opportunities with industry veterans.
This year’s recipients are Connor Taylor of The Music People and John Allen of Neighborhood Music School.
“The NAMM experience is unlike any other. Every person in our industry has goals specific to them, but we can move those goals forward together in real time. NAMM feels like the culmination of a year’s worth of work, coming together to be celebrated by the industry.”
Connor Taylor, Product Line Manager, The Music People
“NAMM has generously supported me in my journey to study at a postgraduate level in order to expand my teaching reach and give back to our community. A true testament to their 360-degree commitment to the music world, now and for the future.”
John Allen, Teacher, Neighborhood Music School
More information about the award can be found here.