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Three WSC students applied for and received the National Association of Music Merchants scholarship and attended the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA, from Jan. 21-25.
Three of Wayne State College’s music students were selected for the NAMM scholarship in a cluster of about 152 students from around the country and even Toronto. As part of the scholarship, Hannah Aldredge, Haley Johnson, and Isaac Voboril received complimentary badges to attend the NAMM Show, a $750 stipend to help offset travel to the NAMM Show, and the opportunity to participate in panels, workshops and discussions about how to get into the music industry successfully.
“Dr. Derechailo told us about the opportunity. Before that, none of us knew about the NAMM Show,” Johnson said. “We applied for the scholarship, and three of us got it!”
For many musical artists who attended the NAMM show, music is their first language. They express themselves through their music, and for most of their life, music has been their haven. So when asked about her favorite part of the NAMM Show, it came as no surprise when Johnson, a music industry major said her favorite part was the panels. Many different aspects of the industry were covered at the panels, from the different career paths, how to utilize technology for marketing and even the business side of the music industry. Being able to hear stories and learn more about her future career path intrigued her for what is to come in the future.
“Honestly, my favorite part of the trip was going to the panels with the industry professionals and hearing how they got to where they are and hearing their advice on going for what you want, not what you think you should settle for,” Johnson said.
Aldridge couldn’t stop talking about how much she enjoyed the panels, especially the Networking with the Pros panel. She got to talk with not only other students, but also professionals within the music industry. Within the one-hour session, Aldridge got to meet so many different professionals, including the people who got Charli XCX started. With Aldridge being a DJ here at WSC, she was very excited to meet so many amazing professional DJs and learn that a lot of those professionals are teachers, or even own music schools.
The WSC musicians also got the opportunity to attend a few seminars with the president of NAMM due to the scholarship they received. They got to talk to him about his goals and ambitions for NAMM. He talked about how he wants the number of college students to double at future shows.
Not everything was all business while at NAMM. There were many occasions when the students received the opportunity to slow their day down in between seminars and listen to concerts that the event had going on all day. There were also several exhibit floors with hundreds of vendors, where the attendees could play instruments and test out tech equipment like mixers, speakers and audio equipment. Not only did they get the opportunity to learn all about their career path, but they got the chance to work in close quarters with professionals in their field.
Aldridge even got the chance to get an interview with Jon Batiste, an American singer and songwriter who not only has had a successful career but also has a Grammy Award under his belt. She attended his concert, where he had no set list to follow. He just played what he wanted to play, and the band just went along with it. Bastiste surprised the crowd by bringing Stevie Wonder’s pianist out on stage, where they improved the whole concert. Basiste gave Aldridge the advice to always be curious and went out of stage and showed that being curious pays off.
“It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before,” Aldridge said. “Batiste is a very down-to-earth man, who doesn’t believe in climbing a hill when it comes to a career because then you’re striving for a goal, and once you have that goal, what’s next?”
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