Delegates meet with Speaker of the House John Boehner.
NAMM’s DC Fly-In allows members to evangelize NAMM’s vision of a world in which every child has a deep desire to learn music and a recognized right to be taught. This year’s Fly-In, the largest ever, included a day of service at Savoy Elementary, advocacy training at the Kennedy Center, a celebration of Turnaround Arts at the Library of Congress and more than 100 meetings with members of Congress.
Fly-In participants sit down with Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI).
Joe Lamond, President and CEO of NAMM, speaks on Capitol Hill.
“One of NAMM’s most important objectives is to represent the industry’s voice to our elected officials,” said Joe Lamond, President and CEO of NAMM. “NAMM members who took time out of their lives to come to DC deserve all of our respect. With NAMM’s unified message of music’s power to improve creativity, listening skills, innovation and the ability to work in teams, these members have stood up and made their voice heard for all of us.”
Sixty-five NAMM members, STEAM Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, auditory learning expert Dr. Nina Kraus, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, former New York Yankee and Latin Grammy-nominated musician Bernie Williams and actor Doc Shaw fortified the 10th annual event.
In face-to-face meetings with members of Congress, NAMM members and artists urged the reauthorization and full funding of The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The delegates also urged lawmakers to continue the designation of music as a core academic subject. Music learning in early childhood is particularly important, according to Dr. Kraus, a Northwestern University researcher, who briefed education staff during the Fly-In. “Everyday listening skills, including the ability to perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention and keep sounds in memory, are stronger in musically trained children than in those without music training,” Dr. Kraus said. “Our studies show that even a few years of musical training early in life improve how the brain processes sound. This early exposure can last well into adulthood, years after the training has ceased.”
Participants described the meetings as highly productive.
The Fly-In kicked off with a day of service at Washington DC’s Savoy Elementary. Savoy students jammed on guitar, drums and ukulele with NAMM members, Chad Smith, Bernie Williams, Doc Shaw, Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, Glen McCarthy and Bob Bloom. Savoy Elementary is one of the eight pilot schools in the Turnaround Arts program. Turnaround Arts, funded in part by the NAMM Foundation, infuses low-performing schools with the arts in an effort to narrow the achievement gap and increase student engagement. First Lady Michelle Obama announced during the first-ever White House Talent Show that Turnaround Arts will expand to include 35 schools in 10 states.
Fly-In participants attended the NAMM Foundation-hosted “Celebrating Music Education” reception at the Library of Congress honoring the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Turnaround Arts and Kent Knappenberger, recipient of the Grammy Foundation’s Music Educator Award, with Support Music Awards.