Each January, music educators from across the U.S. gather in southern California for Music Education Days at The NAMM Show. The program offers music teachers and administrators informative sessions, inspiring performances, and the opportunity to preview the latest instruments, products and tools relevant to today’s music classrooms. MED programming included The Grand Rally for Music Education, Music Educator Showcases, the Recruitment and Retention Forum, and the Engaging Music Students in Changing Times Forum. Descriptions and audio recordings from the Showcases and Forums can be found below.
What Attendees Had to Say About Music Education Days
“The NAMM Foundation provides a vital bridge between the trade side of the music industry and those of us working within the broad domain of music education. It was clear from this years show that this intrinsic relationship is being strengthened,” said Lee Higgins, president of International Society for Music Education (ISME). “The 2017 NAMM Show provides opportunities to have wider conversations with potential collaborators.”
“Being able to create contacts with other music educators to share ideas and inspiration for best practices is so important and can be tough to do. It's great that NAMM creates these times for educators to share and learn from each other. I'm thinking specifically of the Music Educator Showcase.” Music educator participant
"Music Education Days was informative and enormously motivating! The stories of Black Violin's Kev Marcus and Will B, as well as those of Keb' Mo' and Bernie Williams, were inspiring,” said Marcia Neel, senior director of education at Yamaha Corporation. “The sparkling performance of Perfect Fourth Quartet served to remind me that our ultimate purpose as music educators is to enhance the lives of young people by introducing them to the many fulfilling opportunities that active music-making can provide. Thank you NAMM Foundation!"
“Being at NAMM opened up a whole new world for me. I was connected with resources that I didn't even realize existed. Also, being able to interact with industry people gave me insight into their vision and allowed me to give my input as well. As far as my professional goals; the program introduced me to ideas in music education that will enhance my classroom and after school programs.” Music educator participant.
“The Music Educator Showcase is a gold mine of valuable information for any music educator attending The NAMM Show. Each company that presents is able to share what tools and resources are immediately available for educators to use in their programs,” said Michael Kamphuis, managing director of Educational Services at Conn-Selmer, Inc. “Having the opportunity to present at the showcase has allowed me to meet many great music educators, non-profits and other contacts that share the mission of providing music for every child.”
"The Music Education Day events at NAMM offer a wonderful opportunity to network and learn about the new trends in the field of Music Education!" - Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich, Nuvo Instrumental
Music Educator Showcases: Audio Recordings
These five-minute, lightning-speed segments provided information about innovative music education tools, nonprofit music programs and best practices from the classroom.
Showcase #1: Saturday Jan. 21, 12pm
Audio Recording
Topics and speakers include:
Berklee Opens its Doors, K-12 Music Resources for All. Lee Whitmore, Berklee College of Music
Homemade Musical Instruments. Mia Lorenzen, Starlight Park Elementary School
Practice Methodology. Laszlo Stacho, Liszt Academy of Music
Plug in Your Ears, Extreme Orchestra Makeover. Mark Wood, Wood Violins
Dorico, The New Standard in Scoring Software. Greg Ondo, Yamaha Corp. of America
Smart Practice. Deliberate Practice. SmartMusic. Ryan Sargent, MakeMusic, Inc.
Noteflight Learn to Music Education. John Mlynczak, Hal Leonard Corporation
Educational Resources, Clinicians and Performance Possibilities. John Wittmann, Yamaha Corp. of America
Showcase #2: Saturday, Jan. 21, 1pm
Topics and speakers include:
Be Part of the Music. Neil Anderson, Be Part of the Music
Group Learning and Collaboration at Its Best. Tiffany Stalker, Korg USA
Conn-Selmer Division of Education Resources. Michael Kamphuis, Conn-Selmer, Inc.
The STEM Guitar Project. Tom Singer, Sinclair Community College
Ukulele At School. Daniel Ho, Romero Creations
The Joy of Song and Revolutionizing the Music Classroom. Nadine Levitt, Wurrly, LLC
Make Music Day! Aaron Friedman, Make Music Alliance
Showcase #3: Sunday, Jan 22, 10am
Audio Recording
Topics and speakers include:
STEM Guitar Building. Tom Morrissey, Community College of Rhode Island
Drum Set in the Classroom” and More. Craig Woodson, Percussion Marketing Council
The Art of Microphone Placement. Jon Russo, DynaMount, LLC
Inspiring Musicians Through Sound. Helene Webman, ToneWoodAmp
MIDI Resources for Educators. Gene Joly, The MIDI Association
Never Say No. Instigate. Collaborate and Conspire. Cynthia Faisst, Suzuki violin instructor, Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center
Connecting the Casio Music Educator Nation. Sandra Kilpatrick Jordan, Casio America, Inc.
Introducing Tablets in Schools. Aurelia Azoulay, Newzik
Showcase #4: Sunday, Jan 22, 12:30pm
Audio Recording
Topics and speakers include:
Orff Arrangements That Worked (and Some That Didn’t). Chris Berry, San Bernardino Valley College
Nuvo WindStars: A Pre-band Approach. Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich, Nuvo Instruments
Making Recording Studio Practice and Learning Accessible to Everyone. Sam Fisher, Audio Fusion, LLC
Online Band and Orchestra Rentals Done Right. Brad Bone, RMI-BAC
Starting a Guitar Program. Bill Purse, GAMA, Teaching Guitar Workshops
Using Music Education to Help Low-Income Families Beat the Odds. Tyra Hawthorne, Heartbeat Music and Performing Arts Academy
Current Music and Current Methodologies, Oh My!. Richard Frank, PlayTheGroove.com
Music Education Days Forums: Audio Recordings
Music Educators Forum, Recruitment and Retention: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2pm
Audio Recording
Attendees learned strategies and tools to ensure a seamless transition from the first day that the student picks up the instrument through high school graduation - and beyond. Presented by the Music Achievement Council.
Music Educators Forum, Engaging Music Students in Changing Times: Saturday, Jan. 21 3pm
Audio Recording
This forum addressed the question, “How do we engage all of our students in music?” and gave attendees an opportunity to discuss how students learn in a technology-based world. Presented by International Society for Music Education.