Jonathan Noble attends California music industry trade show
Jonathan Noble of Munnsville was one of 26 students who attended The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show in Anaheim, Calif., from Jan. 25 to 28. The annual trade show is a The NAMM Show is a place for professionals in the music industry to explore and discover innovative new products being released in the new year.
The students got a firsthand look at how music retail and music business go hand-in-hand, testing out the latest products from more than 7,000 brands, attending cutting-edge industry education sessions and demonstrations, and seeing lots of live performances.
Experiential learning is key to anyone’s education, according to Music Department Lecturer Nancy Tarr, who accompanied the students on the trip and presented during a panel at NAMM.
“Whenever you can see people doing what you want to be doing someday, and you can talk to them about how they got there, that’s a wonderful opportunity,” she said. “NAMM is a great way for students to get a sense of what the music industry is like, and they can make excellent connections with business owners and company owners. If they’re motivated, they could walk away with an internship.”
Tarr has attended NAMM annually with students for the past 25 years. One of her students interned at Fender because of networking opportunities at the event, and he now works there full time, she said.
All of the SUNY Oneonta students received D’Antonio funding, and some received funding through SUNY Oneonta’s Student Travel Excellence Program to defray expenses.
When the students weren’t at the NAMM convention, they were exploring Anaheim and also performing community service. The students partnered with the House of Blues’ Music Forward Foundation to help out with an All Access event during NAMM, which let local at-risk youth tour the House of Blues venue and learn what goes into the making of a live show.