Patrick Nettesheim was a Milwaukee based guitar instructor when a life-changing meeting occurred in 2007 with Vietnam-era Marine, Dan Van Buskirk. Dan had always wanted to learn how to pl...
Chris Noyes began studying guitar at the age of 8, taking lessons at a Washington DC area music store. The bands he played in as a kid often included politicians, in fact one band played ...
John O’Reilly is the composer and editor whose musical career spanned educational and textbook materials to movie scores and classical works. He was published by Shawnee Press and G. Sch...
Linda Oberg grew up in a very musical family and was always surrounded by music at a young age. She took piano lessons and studied music in school, which ultimately prepared her to be a p...
Gloria Orange was approached by her friend, Brett Mulzer, to assist him in managing the music lessons of his music store, Moore Music. Brett had purchased the business, located in Evansvi...
Marsha Orwig serves as the dynamic and tech-savvy CIO of Quinlan & Fabish Music in Illinois, a renowned and respected chain of music stores she first joined as an eager intern back in...
Tom Ostrander was the founder of Colonial Music in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Now a string of stores, the retail company began with the simple idea of providing top quality instruments to the area...
Ray Ostwald Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Ostwald has taught orchestra in Illinois for twenty years and has been at York Community High School in Elmhurst for the past sixteen. He comes ...
Charles Owens has always believed in the importance of music education; after all, his own career began while attending the University of San Diego. As a result, Charles kept returning to...
Jessica Palmer, as a passionate music maker throughout school and a music education major in college, was impressed by West Music's approach towards supporting band directors. As a young ...
Mary Jo Papich has dedicated decades to creating programs to assist music teachers! As co-founder of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) and as a former band director and arts director admin...
Willie Bam Bam Parker’s mother has said that at birth, her son came out swinging and she knew even then that he was going to be a drummer. At age 3 his love of drums was rewarded his with...
Kelly Patterson gets a smile on his face each time he assists a child in playing their first note on a musical instrument. He recalls that moment for himself, while in the 5th grade and p...
Bobbi Paul is the Co-Founder of Piano Trends Music Company in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Bobbi and her husband opened the music store in 1990 and have been proud to see it grow into an impor...
Sir John Pearse was proud of the role he played in encouraging countless people to play the guitar. His BBC program Hold Down a Chord was based on lessons he created by picking up simple ...
Bruce Pearson developed his own methods of teaching students music, which became the center of his three successful book series for Kjos Music Publishing. He taught music in the public s...
Jeffrey Pellegrini was mentored as a General Manager for Ted Brown Music by Kent Isenberg, who had been with the company for over 50 years. Jeffery paid close attention to the way Kent ap...
Jerry Pellegrino wanted to own a business ever since he was a kid, so when the opportunity arose to start his own music store, he jumped at the chance. With a small loan and the help of s...
John Perdue has always had a deep passion for music, first as a kid playing clarinet in horn bands, then as a music educator, and now as a docent for NAMM’s Museum of Making Music. He tau...
Sylvia Perry and her late husband, Mack, teamed up in 1945 to establish Peripole, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Perry taught music and worked to innovate and manufacture instruments for the growth an...
Jim Petercsak grew up in New York and recalls the days he visited the Henry Adler Music Shop, and how he became so passionate about drumming and music that he made it his career. Jim has ...
Gordon B. Peters spent decades performing, teaching, and composing for the percussive arts. He worked to provide meaningful tools to students and teachers alike while keeping his techniqu...
Danny Petersen was born in Cape Town, South Africa, where his father was the musical director of their church. Young Danny began playing bongos in his father’s band and by 11, he found hi...
Danno Petersen was beating out rhythms for as long as he can remember. Encouraged by his parents, who established an organization to encourage young people to make music, Danno followed i...
Menzie Pittman is the founder and owner of Contemporary Music Center located in Virginia. Menzie was inspired to to pursue music after he saw The Beatles perform live on Ed Sullivan. Afte...
Summer Pittman began taking piano and voice lessons at Contemporary Music Center when she was seven years old. After studying with many teachers, Summer also started playing guitar. She h...
Jim Progris attended the Berklee College of Music back in 1956 and witnessed firsthand the development of the school’s courses and programs over the years. He returned to the school to te...
Daniel Puccio grew up in the music store his mom and dad ran in Corning, New York. As you might guess, the passion for music was passed along to Daniel at a young age. He played and lat...
Manel Punti is the Managing Director of Music Distribution, a wholesale business in Spain that his father established in the 1960s. Manel grew up in the music industry as well as a musica...
Fred Rast is the founder of Fred Rast Mouthpieces and a music lesson instructor for Music Village. The store is located in San Jose, California and is his musical haven with students and...
Ron Raup was among the first commercial members to serve on the NAMM Board. His long career in the industry has been highlighted by his incredible vision and marketing skills for the Make...
Les Ray was a well spoken advocate for music education. As the founder of ASM Music Schools in Florida, he created a respected educational program that includes some 2,500 students each w...
