5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy NAMM Show!

As the headline indicates, we’ve been counting down the days until The 2016 NAMM Show.

Hopefully, you’ve already made plans to attend (I’m talking to NAMM members, music educators, college music faculty members or college music students), though depending on when you read this column there may still be time to be a late registrant. On the fence? Check out the incredible lineup of NAMM Show exhibitors and thrilling performances at https://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2016. There, you will also find information for how to register, as well as relevant travel information. 

This year, the NAMM Foundation offers expanded programming for music educators (see below) during Music Education Days (MED) and for college music students and faculty as part of NAMM’s GenerationNext program. All program details for both tracks are available at www.nammfoundation.org , including details for registration.

We have been attending to hundreds of details as we prepared for the global music industry to converge with us in Anaheim, California on January 21-24, 2016. And so this is crunch time for NAMM staffers who are busy getting ready for The 2016 NAMM Show and its many program offerings. There is tremendous excitement among our ranks to meet with so many old and new friends and colleagues, who will unite and share a passion for ensuring access to music education for all children.

After you register for your NAMM Show badges, make travel arrangements, and begin to schedule your time, I thought it would be useful to share a few “not to miss” events. These are only a few highlights; the full (and I mean FULL) menu of offerings is available at NAMM.org and NAMMFoundation.org.

For NAMM Members:         https://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2016

For Music Educators:         https://www.nammfoundation.org/projects/music-education-days

For College Music Students and Faculty: https://www.nammfoundation.org/projects/namm-generation-next

To download the NAMM Show App, with info when you are on-site: http://app.core-apps.com/namm16

NAMM Show Day of Service, Tuesday Jan. 19: Over the last few years, the NAMM team has created a new tradition to support the advancement of music education through direct service by NAMM Members with its Day of Service program. The NAMM Foundation Day of Service events have taken place in New Orleans, Louisiana; Washington, D.C.; and Anaheim, California. This year, we kick off The NAMM Show with a day of music-making at an elementary school in Anaheim. The Anaheim Public School District has committed to comprehensive reinstatement of music education for all children. The NAMM Foundation connected the Anaheim group to learn best practices from the Nashville Music Makes Us program, in NAMM’s other music city., The success of our event comes down to dedicated volunteers, and we need your help with drum, guitar and ukulele teaching events for this year’s Day of Service on Tuesday morning, Jan. 19. For information on volunteering and to sign up, please check out this link https://www.namm.org/issues-and-advocacy/music-education/day-service, and if you can’t join us, consider making a donation to the NAMM Foundation to support the effort by visiting https://www.nammfoundation.org/donate.

Music Education Showcases have quickly become a “must attend” event offered as part of Music Education Days at The NAMM Show. Showcases offer a fast-paced format where new materials and services are presented in five-minute segments (time limits are strictly enforced!) so information and presentation are geared to spark interest and provide quick overviews of assets. Networking blocks are built in to the schedule to allow for follow–up discussions. It is a great way to explore emerging technologies and connect with available services and learn some new best practices.  Showcases are just one offering of many during the Music Education Days program; check out all sessions by visiting https://www.nammfoundation.org/projects/music-education-days .

College Music Society/GenerationNext/Sandy Feldstein Roundtable: NAMM is proud of our collaboration with the College Music Society (CMS)– the association that serves college music faculty and leaders. Through this collaboration, we have developed a conference program that offers detailed perspectives and various pathways for those seeking careers in the music industry. Check out all the offerings of various sessions (https://www.nammfoundation.org/projects/namm-generation-next) that culminate at the Sandy Feldstein Music Industry Roundtable on Saturday, January 23, at 4 p.m. in the NAMM Foundation Lounge in the Hilton Hotel. This MUST attend event is where music business leaders and industry professionals share career journeys, provide guidance and offer suggestions for career development. If you have or are working on a career in music, this is a must-attend session filled with inspiration to support goals for a life in music.

The GRAND RALLY FOR MUSIC EDUCATION: With guests “Weird Al” Yankovic and a return of the awesome Canadian Brass, this gathering to celebrate music education is truly going to be GRAND with stories from our guests about their musical and creative journeys (along with performances!). The event takes place on Saturday morning, January 23, at 9:30 a.m. and will also be available via live webcast (see NAMMFoundation.org) for those who cannot attend The NAMM Show this year. Please be part of this GRAND RALLY that seeks to inspire music education supporters and advocates everywhere to keep music education strong and assure that is available to all children as part of the school curriculum.

Best Communities for Music Education: Get the recognition your school district or school deserves for its commitment to music education. Participate in the Best Communities for Music Education program (available to school districts) and the SupportMusic Merit Award program (available to individual schools) to be considered for national recognition by the NAMM Foundation. The application process closes on January 31, 2016 and all information is available at https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2015-10-14-namm-foundation-opens-2016-best-communities-music-education-survey.

Talking Up Music Education Podcast: Finally, to assure you are current with music education news, subscribe to the NAMM Foundation’s new podcast “Talking Up Music Education,” available on iTunes and in Stitcher. Be informed on news and advocacy updates from leaders in the music education field and tap into a network of fellow “music education believers” who are working to keep music education strong. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-up-music-education/id1051087311?mt=2

You are likely to be reading this in the dawning days of 2016, either just before or just after the NAMM Show has begun, in earnest. Whenever this message greets you, I wish you warmest regards for the New Year, and hope that it is filled with music!

Buckle your seatbelts, because the New Year and The 2016 NAMM Show are in full swing!