Talking Up Music Education

Mark Phillips, acting president of the Historic Black College and Universities Band Directors Consortium, shares thoughts on the importance of a “complete education” including the arts, creating exposure for students to experience full instrumentation in ensemble performance, and pivoting the organization’s conference to online.

Music educator Anne Fennel reflects on the joy of teaching music, the limitless potential for creativity in music learning and re-imagining music education.

Staff from the Museum of Making Music- Carolyn Grant and B.J. Morgan- reflect on the universal language of music, pivoting to online programming, and the museum’s re-design for their 2021 reopening.

Composer Eric Whitacre was inspired to write Sing Gently; a new piece to share through Virtual Choir 6. In a time of crisis and isolation Whitacre discusses his creative process and how to get involved in this global Virtual Choir 6 phenomenon.

Mandi Jackson, Executive Director Music Haven shares thoughts about equity and access to music education and virtual music as a life line for students in New Haven, Connecticut.

As the youngest of five children, Victor Wooten’s musical family needed a bass player. The rest is history. In this episode, the 5-time GRAMMY award-winning musician talks about his Center for Music and Nature, dubbed “Wooten Woods,” a retreat center for musicians and students outside of Nashville, Tennessee and the journey that every person can take to make music – as natural as learning to speak. Recorded LIVE at The 2020 NAMM Show.

A special “Flipping the Script” episode recorded LIVE at The 2020 NAMM Show features John Mlynczak interviewing Mary Luehrsen, Executive Director of The NAMM Foundation. The usual host of host of Talking Up Music Education, Luehrsen shares strategies for taking passion-to-action, the mosaic of music ed, and counting your blessings.

Violinist Laura Escudé chats with Mary Luehrsen about her early beginnings as a music student playing in orchestras and her career creating and designing live shows for herself as well as other artists like Kayne West, The Weeknd, Demi Lovato and many more. Recorded LIVE at The 2020 NAMM Show.

Scott Page, musician, technologist, entrepreneur and performer, is widely recognized as the saxophonist/guitarist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Toto. Chatting with Mary Luehrsen at The 2020 NAMM Show, he reflects on his professional life of playing the trumpet and sax, his ever-expanding career options and being kind to everyone you meet.

Grand prize winners of the first-ever A Cappella at NAMM, student leaders of UCLA’s ScatterTones discuss their performance at the Grand Rally for Music Education, opening up for Bobby McFerrin, and the confidence they gain when singing together. Recorded LIVE at The 2020 NAMM Show.

NAMM member Mark Despotakis discusses the importance of bringing everyone to the table to advance music education advocacy efforts, the value of attending The NAMM Show as a music educator, and being part of the “SupportMusic Coalition.”

Arts education leader Eric Booth spent the last 13 years working with El Sistema-inspired programs that bring music education opportunities to children and youth that also propel community connections. Booth talks about his beginnings as a Broadway actor, moving to Tanzania and Venezuela as a teacher, and working with The NAMM Foundation to grow a new El Sistema program in a Texas/Mexico border community where realities of immigration impact students and their families.

Steve Venz, Chief Program Officer of Little Kids Rock -a NAMM Foundation grantee- shares his insight as a devoted music education advocate including a review of resources available to teachers and administrators to serve as champions for music education in their communities.

Stephanie Landino, senior at Millersville University, PA chats about attending The 2019 NAMM Show through the GenNext program and how it boosted her college-to-career path.

Chris Martin, president and CEO of Martin Guitar, discusses his recent role as Founding-Chair of The NAMM Foundation. Martin chats about a few things he finds to be remarkable, namely picking up a ukulele for the first time, digital technology and the meaning and rewards of donating to The NAMM Foundation.

Mike Reisman, President of MKTG, reflects on the life and loves of his late wife Liz Reisman: playing the flute, a vision for music education opportunities, and activism for elephants in Thailand. Reisman shares the reasons to creating The Liz Reisman Fund for School Music Education in The NAMM Foundation.

Robert Morrison, founder of Quadrant Arts Education Research, the nation’s leading arts education research and intelligence organization, joins host Mary Luehrsen to discuss the Drum Corps experience and what he did to change marching ensembles for years to come.

Bernie Williams joins guest host Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM, at NASMD. Bernie shares how his resiliency and determination in both baseball and music led to overall excellence in both fields.

NAMM Young Professionals (NAMM YP) is a network of music industry professionals under the age of 40. Several NAMM YP’ers joined us live at NASMD to talk about their roles in the music products industry, and the windy roads that led them to their current careers: Mark Despotakis, Progressive Music; Stephanie Murphy, DANSR; Nick Averwater; and Ryan West, West Music.

Mike Meyer- of Meyer Music and current president of the National Association of School Dealers- discusses his motivation for making sure music education programs are present in communities across the country. In this podcast episode Mike highlights supporting music education in schools and how to help music educators get more kids playing music.

Fred Schiff of All County Music chats about how music is bringing layers of healing to the Parkland, Florida community after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. Sitting down with Mary Luehrsen at NASMD, Fred talks about how music has helped the community of Parkland move forward and rise up. His company gave away 50 trombones in 50 different schools to recognize Alex Schachter, a freshman band student who was killed during the shooting.

Peter Luongo and 16 members of the Peter Luongo Ukulele Experience stop in for a lively discussion about learning literacy - learning a language, a code, and a methodology. He talks about the method of teaching from the Langley school district, and the limitlessness of learning. He also graces us with several performances, to end our last live podcast episode from The 2019 NAMM Show.

Sam Gronseth from Paradise, California sits down with Mary Luehrsen to talk about the remarkable work that he's done to bring hope and healing through the Butte Strong United Choir from Butte County, California. His community was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire. Sam got heavily involved by taking musicians, both young and old, on performances on the road. We also talk about his incredible music education career, and how he continues to learn and grow through his local music educator association.

Rich Redmond is a professional percussionist, music educator, and a motivational speaker. As a traveling musician, he has a versatility and wide range of accomplishments, including acting. He was in the drumline, and ended up getting his bachelor's degree in music education with percussion emphasis at Texas Tech. He’s now in Nashville, which he says is always about storytelling. We discuss his musical career, acting, and how there’s currently a new evolution of country music.

Len Horowitz from History of Recorded Sound in Culver City, California devoted his professional recording engineering career to analog restoration. He talks about recording technology through the years, and the changes that have revolutionized the industry. The History of Recorded Sound teaches or helps young people listen to music again as an audio-only format and how to appreciate music and audio. The language of the recording industry is discussed in detail and is a riveting learning experience.

Jonathan Dely joined us at the Grand Rally for Music Education. As a jazz trumpeter, he fronts a very diverse and eclectic group of musicians. He talks about his journey from Wall Street to “The Main Stage,” and how being an academic has helped foster his love of music.

J. Dash discusses his musical career, the fellowship of musicians, and advocacy for music education. He plays an original composition, and talks about his virality. J. is active on Facebook, and enjoys sharing his music and enthusiasms with his audience. J. Dash also talks about his education in computer science and scoring movies and television.

Mary Luehrsen chats with members of the historic black college and university, HBCU Band Directors’ Consortium. Guests are Thomas Warner Jr. who currently serves as assistant director of bands at North Carolina A&T State University, Professor Roxanne Stevenson who directs bands at Chicago State University and presides over their new program called Gospel Music, and Al Davis who is director of bands and assistant professor of music at St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina. the HBCU Band Directors’ Consortium is a collaboration of historically black colleges and universities in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gibson artist Gina Chavez got her start in the Austin Independent School District where she discovered a love of singing. From the moment she discovered her dad’s guitar tucked away in a closet she’s been playing to audiences all over the world seeking to connect to audience and to connect them with each other. A true cultural phenomenon, Gina performs her song, “ Miles de Millas,” LIVE at The 2019 NAMM Show.

Conductor and Composer Eric Whitacre shares his love of music and astrophysics and talks about how they intersect for him. A musical child, Whitacre has always been deeply moved by music, and by choral expression in particular. Composer of the Virtual Choir(s) as well as the film, “Deep Field.” Whitacre’s compositions pair perfectly with images from the Hubble Telescope Deep Field images.

Black Violin’s Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste stopped by to catch up with Mary Luehrsen before opening The 2019 NAMM Show with their “90 minutes of fury” performance for an audience of thousands. Kev and Wil talk about their musical and professional growth over the past 22 years of friendship and performing together that includes shifting their perspective on the term “crossover.”

Guest host Claire Kreger-Boaz, Senior Project Manager at The NAMM Foundation talks to Randy Barnett, recipient of the 2018 John Patrick Hughes Parent/Booster award. He is one of many parents who have gone above and beyond to support music programs that played a key role in their children’s lives. Special guests include the award’s namesake, John Patrick Hughes and his son, Patrick Henry Hughes. Recorded LIVE at The 2018 Bands of America Grand Nationals.

Guest host Claire Kreger-Boaz, Senior Project Manager at The NAMM Foundation chats with Joshua Simonds, Executive Director of the Percussive Arts Society about his first love, the piano; when he was presented with the opportunity to play the xylophone by Mrs. Clauss; and what an international service organization’s role should be in local advocacy efforts. Recorded LIVE at The 2018 Bands of America Grand Nationals.

Guest host James Stephens, Director of Advocacy and Educational Resources at Music for All talks with band directors and drum majors from American Fork High School in Utah, Camdenton High School in Missouri, and O’Fallon High School in Illinois about some of the “ingredients” required to create a successful band program. Recorded LIVE at The 2018 Bands of America Grand Nationals.

Guest host Mark Goff, owner of Paige’s Music explores, through an in-depth interview with Eric Martin, President and CEO of Music for All, Bands of America, how the largest Grand Nationals Marching Band competition ever in Music for All, Bands of America’s history came to be and what Music for All is doing to promote access to music education for urban communities such as Indianapolis. Recorded LIVE at The 2018 Bands of America Grand Nationals.

Guest host Marcia Neel, Senior Director of Education at Yamaha talks with Dr. Reginald McDonald, Director of Bands at Tennessee State University (TSU), Keyana Cole, TSU senior and clarinet section leader, John Hague, Director of Bands at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis and Daiquon Dupree, student leader of the drumline at Crispus Attucks about how marching band becomes family, opens doors and is the one thing no one ever regrets doing. Recorded LIVE at The 2018 Bands of America Grand Nationals.

Gator Cases CEO Crystal Morris is on a quest to grow her company; to continuously learn and innovate as a leader; and to encourage other women to become leaders in the music product industry. She does all of this through mentoring junior colleagues and by establishing the Smart Women in Music (SWIM) Fund, with NAMM Chair and President/CEO of West Music Robin Walenta and Executive Vice President of Heid Music DeDe Heid, which supports professional development opportunities for women in the music products industry. To donate to the SWIM Fund please visit nammfoundation.org/donate/smart-women-in-music.

Nashville-based drummer and percussionist Aaron "A Train" Smith played drums with Motown greats, including on The Temptations hit, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," but his humble musical roots began at home with his mother. From being drafted during the Vietnam War to playing punk rock for the 77s to his career in Christian rock to his volunteer work with the Jazz Workshop, the "A Train" shows no sign of slowing.

Kala artist, vocalist, and America's Got Talent contestant Mandy Harvey found her voice after a devastating hearing loss that derailed her plans to become a vocal teacher. Through family encouragement and the realization that at her core, she was a musician who just happens to be deaf, Harvey relearned to play music and to sing by feeling the vibrations of the instrument along with the assistance of a visual tuner. She shares her inspirational story and performs LIVE from Summer NAMM.

NAMM Chair and President and CEO of West Music Robin Walenta and Executive Vice President and Co-owner of Heid Music DeDe Heid discuss their motivation for starting the Smart Women in Music (SWIM) Fund (with Gator Cases CEO Crystal Morris), which promotes leadership training and mentoring opportunities for women in the music products industry.To donate to the SWIM Fund please visit nammfoundation.org/donate/smart-women-in-music.

American folklore scholar and former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Bill Ivey explores ideas for how to achieve meaning and purpose in life through art and music as American society moves away from work and wealth as a means to fulfillment.

2018 American Eagle Award honorees Cheryl Bentyne, Alan Paul, and Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer share their musical origin stories, including the evolution of the iconic jazz vocal group. They explore the importance of vocal training as part of caring for your instrument, and the hard work that goes into maintaining a lifelong musical career.

Professional vocalist and musician Thomas Claxton just might be the hardest working musician you haven't heard of... yet. With more than 300 performances per year, all over the U.S., Claxton performs original material as both a solo artist and with his band, "The Myth." He also can play more than 1,800 cover songs and was Rockwell UnScene Magazine's "Best Male Vocalist" in 2014 and 2015. Special thanks to Cole Clark USA for the guitars made available for the podcast.

Country music band Parmalee was raised on a diet of southern rock, country, and blues. They've played on country music’s biggest stages, landed on the top of Billboard’s Country chart, and have 30 million combined streams on Spotify. Special thanks to the CMA Foundation as well as Fender Musical Instruments Corp. and Cole Clark USA for the guitars made available for their performance on the podcast.

Mike DiCesare, co-founder and President of Jamboxx shares his commitment to making a product that allows everyone to play music, regardless of ability. The Jamboxx is an electronic, USB-powered, breath-controlled instrument styled after a harmonica that plays digital MIDI notes. Notes are played by sipping or puffing via the mouthpiece. Moving the mouthpiece left or right determines which note is played. https://www.jamboxx.com/our-instruments

Arabian Prince got his start in Compton where his mother was a piano teacher and his father was a radio talk show host. He developed an affinity for technology at a young age and began paying around with synthesizers, echo boxes, and computers to make new sounds. His career took off when he co-founded N.W.A. and he continues to write songs, produce, and DJ—in addition to his big philanthropic project, Open Labs.

Forte Tenors Josh Page, Alok Kumar, and Zach Page talk about finding their voices as young men; their musical influences; training like a tenor; performing in operas all over the world; and the role of social media for professional musicians.

Vanessa Carlton, 2018 NAMM Foundation SupportMusic Champion Award recipient, gets real with host Mary Luehrsen about becoming a super star before she was ready; settling in to her freedom as a songwriter; parenting as a touring musician; and her philanthropic work with Nashville schools.

NAfME and The NAMM Foundation have worked together on music education advocacy initiatives for many years. In this episode of Talking Up Music Education, host Mary Luehrsen catches up with NAfME’s Mike Blakeslee and Denese Odegaard as they discuss the current landscape of music education—and how to effectively prepare music teachers to ask for support from their administration.

Partners and collaborators from AEP, NAESP and The NAMM Foundation get specific on how to create resources that are accessible and informative for decision-makers in education—and how to spread the message that arts and music are part of a well-rounded education that develops academic and emotional intelligence in children.

Multi-instrumentalist and five-time Grammy-nominated CMA artist Hunter Hayes went from playing a toy accordion to becoming proficient in playing the guitar, piano, and actual accordion—among dozens of other instruments. In a heart-to-heart chat with host Mary Luehrsen, Hayes shares his love for antique timepieces; his belief that all kids should grow up with music; and his hope that nerd culture is more than just a passing fad.