Advancing Music Making
Many know Mark Despotakis from his days at Progressive Music as the company’s Director of Market Development.
Since 1998, School of Rock has aided aspiring musicians to master their craft, unleash creativity, and develop the tools they need to thrive in life. Earlier this year, the music education institution launched its newest innovation, School of Rock Online™, to expand access to quality music education for all.
Make Music Day (MMD) is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st. Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.
The NAMM Foundation presents “Building a Nationally-Recognized Music Program: It’s All About Collaborative Structures,” an educational program only available at The NAMM Show this June.
Percussion Marketing Council (PMC), a NAMM Foundation grantee, is welcoming the return of International Drum Month. This May, the organization is offering drummers the opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn from a percussion icon.
NAMM Member Artiphon is helping students in Anaheim, California, and around the country find new ways of expressing themselves using its Orba, a synth, looper, and controller that “lets you create songs with intuitive gestures like tapping, sliding, and waving.”
Iconic amplifier brand, Orange, has launched a new online learning platform, Orange Learn. From aspiring to professional, musicians of all levels are encouraged to hone their skills courtesy of Orange.
California-born Nick Rail grew up in the shadow of his older brother, a talented artist and academic. Struggling to find his own identity, in the fourth grade, Rail discovered what would become the defining force in his life, music.
In December 2021, tornados devastated eight states, including parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. In the aftermath of the devastation, Kentucky music retailer, Currier’s Music World teamed up with national radio host, Michael Johnathon, to replace instruments lost in the disaster.
The eleventh annual Make Music Winter returns on December 21. The NAMM Foundation sponsors this free, outdoor, musical event. Each December, communities are encouraged to turn into music makers on the winter solstice, and this year, the celebration includes more than 35 cities.
NAMM Member, Popplers Music, is teaming up with a grassroots campaign to save arts and music education in its community’s schools.
NAMM Member KHS America has donated $100,000 worth of musical instruments to Waverly Junior High and High School to revive their school music programs after a devastating flood swept through their Tennessee community.