2015 NASMD Convention – STEAM, not STEM

It’s great to see so many familiar faces each year,” says outgoing NASMD president George Quinlan, Jr. “Almost like a family reunion for many of us! We also saw many new folks attending NASMD for the first time. They were delighted to learn that most of our educational sessions were provided by our members with a ‘caring and sharing’ attitude. I was proud that our ‘newbies’ told us they felt most welcome, of course, aided by our social events including several fantastic receptions, our golf outing, and the “Band on the Run” scavenger hunt based on the “Amazing Race.”  We must thank our sponsors for their generosity allowing us to offer these events. History was made on Saturday night as our new president, Rosi Johnson was announced as the first woman president of NASMD.”

Indeed the 2015 gathering was memorable for a number of reasons and, by any metric, a success. In addition to the announcement of Johnson as the organization’s new president, a record-busting attendance of 444 dealers, suppliers, representatives, and guests this year’s NASMD Convention continued the upwards trends established by the previous years. “Over the last several years, the leadership has tried to focus on growing our organization, making the conference affordable, and strengthening our businesses through high quality educational sessions and, having some fun together too!,” comments Quinlan.  “I think we were able to accomplish all these objectives this year.” Held at the fourth-generation, historic Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, NASMD 2015 saw an unprecedented number of high profile, “big name” speakers, including Bill Rancic [the first winner of television’s “The Apprentice” – Ed.], Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, and Ellis amd Branford Marsalis.  “They delivered inspiring presentations followed by a closing party which could only happen in NOLA,” observes Quinlan.

The setting – the heart of New Orleans’ historic French Quarter – was a hit, across the board. With daytime temperatures near 80 degrees for the duration, attendees from the Midwest and Northeast (who have suffered through a particularly brutal winter) were especially appreciative, plus the vibrant music scene and atmosphere of the city fit perfectly with the organization’s overall themes and goals.

The 2016 NASMD Convention will be held March 30 – April 3 at the Grand Lakes Hotel & Resort in Florida.

Voices from New Orleans, 2015

“This year’s convention was outstanding.  The sessions were right on target and we walked away with some solid actionable ideas.  George, Rosi and the rest of the board did an outstanding job.

Our markets are very strong and we look forward to significant growth in 2015.  From the dealers I know around the country, I suspect the strength of B&O over the past several years will continue in 2015.”

Kevin Cranley, Willis Music

“I thought the NASMD board put together a first-class convention. There were very meaningful, informative and varied sessions throughout the conference. I think everyone walked away with some valuable and tangible ideas: road reps, store owners, retail sales people and vendors alike.

It seems to get better every year. I have been to many NASMD Conventions and I think this was the best one yet. The board seems to really listen to the membership, reading the session comment cards and reacting to what topics the attendees value. World class key-note speakers like Bill Rancic, the always inspiring and passionate Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, and the finale with New Orleans’ own Ellis and Branford Marsalis made for a pretty stellar lineup this year. Also the many productive conversations we were able to have with our retail customers was invaluable.

It ended up being a record NASMD, as far as attendance, which I think bodes well for the feeling that the school music business is healthy. I know the educational business at our company was up considerably over the previous year, and we feel the improving economy coupled with the continual message that kids in music do better in life, is resonating with parents and making an positive impact on our kids and our business.”

Doug Lady, Hal Leonard Corporation

“I feel like the Board went overboard (no pun intended) getting us amazing speakers – the Marsalis’, Dr. Tim, Bill Rancic – all of whom were very valuable and inspiring, and it’s unusual for a convention to have three ‘home run’ general session speakers. Kudos to George and Rosi for sure!

The breakouts – I really enjoyed the ones on company culture, and CJ’s [CJ Averwater – Ed.] about generations. Very useful information for myself and my staff.  Having ‘experts’ combined with colleagues leading sessions is always the most valuable for us.

This was a record-attendance, giving us the best chance to network, share ideas, and learn from others in our industry, and also to spend one-on-one time with our manufacturers, publishers, and suppliers. Of course, the food was amazing, and having time to eat on our own and to sightsee helped everyone have a great time. The final parade and banquet was absolutely the best in NASMD history. As the piccolo player, I loved marching with the Storyville Stompers, and the band at the House of Blues (which Buffet just plain rented out in its entirety for us!) was great too – especially when Al Maniscalco joined them 🙂

As for school music in 2015: Our county finally realized the need for quality instruments for the students, and did a $1.9 million bid, but national companies won most of it, so that defeats the purpose, in a sense, as regular, on-site service after the sale is not really possible. But in general, I see two things: 1) more and more parents are suffering financially – we have seen credit scores so low I did not even know those scores existed; 2) school programs are holding their own despite scheduling and budgeting problems. People do realize the value of music education, and are slowly putting music in more of a priority. We are finally seeing ‘STEAM’ instead of ‘STEM,’ in some cases (adding Arts to Science-Technology-Engineering-Math). That being said, our area is obsessed with marching band, so that makes a (negative) difference in our private lessons, step-up sales, et cetera. All in all, though, we are very optimistic. Our sales and rentals were up 15 percent in 2014 from the previous year, and for a new company (five years old) we feel pretty good about that!”

Tracy Leenman, Musical Innovations

“I thought it was one of the best NASMD conventions yet!  The location was excellent, the events were fun, and the educational program was one of the strongest that I’ve ever attended.  I think the health of the industry is stable.  We all have issues that we are working through, but I’ll take slow and steady any day.”

CJ Averwater, Amro Music
 

“I thought this year’s show was fantastic.  The hotel was a bit tight at times, but the ambiance of New Orleans was wonderful.  It was great to be in a musical city where music remains such a vital part of the culture.

As always, there is enough diversity in the NASMD sessions that there is something for everyone, and often the sessions leave lasting impressions that shape our practices for years to come.  Overall, I think the convention and its spirit reflects the resiliency of school music – often challenged, most often prevailing.  These dealers have been able to weather the economic recession better than most.

Looking ahead to the school music market, I think we are at the cusp of an emerging trend that could be the next threat, or could be spun to be our next opportunity; an opportunity to once again reinforce the value of music education within the formal curriculum, not as “extra-curricular,” but rather as a cornerstone of the educational experience.  That opportunity resides in STEM.  Much is being said about STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math), and its necessity for remaining globally competitive.  However, lost in STEM are the arts.  Rather than STEM, we should be talking about STEAM.  Adding the arts, centered around school music, will provide the necessary creative development that scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians need in order to generate breakthrough discovers.  Science without creativity yields iterative improvements.  Science, technology, engineering, and math with the arts will yield creative and innovative discoveries.  So, rather than spending our time ‘defending’ music, we need to spend our time grabbing ahold of the STEM train that is rolling through higher education.  For when the “A” is added to STEM, you have STEAM, and with STEAM you can indeed power locomotives.”

David Via, D’Addario & Co., Inc.