Music Advocacy
Ellis Marsalis had a firm idea how to bring out the best music in people, even before his famous sons were born. His understanding of music theory and notation became the cornerstone of his own career as a musician and that of an unofficial music teacher. Just a few years after Hurricane Katrina...
Tim Jones brings both passion and a dedication to the customers he serves in Texas. Starting his first store in Midland in 2003, Tim expanded to the communities of Odessa and Abilene. Tim makes it a direct point to provide support to the communities he serves in the form of local scholarships to...
Ella Jenkins earned the title The First Lady of Children's Folk Songs and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to bringing music to children. She began collecting and writing folk songs as a summer camp counselor, which years later tied nicely with her college studies of child...
Sue Collier-Lewis played piano as a young girl and loved singing, a passion that has continued with her all throughout her career as a music teacher and music advocate. After earning her master’s degree in music education she opened her own studios, which lead to her relationship with the Yamaha...
Jeanne Stiernberg teams with her husband, John, to run the Stiernberg Consulting Firm. Since the fourth grade, when she began piano lessons, Jeanne has always been active in music. While at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, she conducted research within her field of study of speech and...
Abe Thomas has shown remarkable insight and made great strides forward in the music therapy arena. Able to identify a unique instrument, the OmniChord, and immediately see its value to non-musicians, Abe embarked on a path that lead him to partner with Suzuki and bring the instrument into music...
Bob Magnusson played bass for Buddy Rich, which is when he learned firsthand about the role the bass has within a band and how to work with the drummer to create the best section possible. These lessons and many others he picked up during his long career in music were discussed in Bob’s 2014 NAMM...
Louise Harrison is the older sister of George and in fact played an important role in the Beatles’ success in America. In 1963, the year before the Beatles arrived, Louise was living in the United States when she was asked by her mother to bring some of the records George made with his new band. ...
Kev Rones received his first instrument experience when a musician on his block recognized Kev’s passion and allowed him to use the Fender in his garage. That early influence really directed him towards music, which has been his life’s passion ever since. In fact, Kev is the Pied Piper of...
Paula Simmons wanted to create a shop where good quality instruments could be accessible to all those who came in the store. As a teacher, Paula was very interested in providing lessons for students of all ages. She tied both needs together when she and her partner, Kevin Smith,opened The Violin...