Music Advocacy
Nat Kusano has always been compelled to create and market ideas and products that inspire and encourage people to pick up an instrument and play. Having had piano lessons when he was a child, Nat grew up understanding the importance of providing the right tools, such as method books with large...
Emily Achieng Akuno became the first music professor from Kenya to be elected president of the International Music Council (IMC). This took place in 2018. The position allowed her the opportunity to bring attention to the challenges African nations face regarding music programs. Emily earned her...
Tracy Leenman remembers hearing her father play the saxophone and wanting to play the same instrument. She played several instruments throughout school including the sax, flute, and bassoon, while also singing in the choir. Tracy earned her Master’s in music education with the idea of becoming a...
Linda (Wert) Young asked her parents, when she was twenty, to assist her in the upstart of a music store after realizing her passion for helping children identify their interest and abilities in playing music. Her dad mortgaged the family farm, which lead to the opening of Wert Music in 1973. With...
Dr. Steven Eisenberg is an Oncologist with a deep passion for music making. He followed his family’s tradition of medicine while following his own love of music. Since 2008, he has teamed up with dozens of his patients to write songs together, which he feels is a key element to their treatment. Dr...
Conrad Janis played a music store owner on the hit TV sitcom Mork and Mindy. Conrad, who became a trombonist as a teenager, played Mindy’s father, the owner of a musical instrument store set in Colorado. Between takes, Conrad often jammed with Robin Williams who, according to Conrad, played a mean...
Eric Ebel is a Senior Project Manager for the Public Affairs and Government Relations department at NAMM. Working throughout the industry before taking a job at NAMM prepared Eric for a multitude of roles within the organization including in the Trade Show Sales department before finding his...
Mike Tyler has been involved with music his entire life, and at the age of five he was playing clarinet. He was a rock drummer while in college studying music education and was later a school band director for ten years. Mike then advanced to an administrative role within the Queensland Department...
John Masson was front pumping organs during the great home organ boom of the 1970s. He opened Masson Organ Villa in 1975 demonstrating Baldwin Pianos and Kawai keyboards and organs. He later expanded into a shopping mall before renaming the store Masson Music. Along the way, John has been very...
Barry Croll played a vital role in the expansion of music education throughout Australia. Playing music since he was five and having performed for troops in Asia, as well as clubs all around the United Kingdom, Barry knew firsthand the importance of good musical training. As a result, he took on a...