Three WSC students applied for and received the National Association of Music Merchants scholarship and attended the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA, from January 21 to 25.
Three of Wayne State College’s musical proteges 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. Derechaillo 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 being asked about their favorite part of the NAMM Show, it came as no surprise when Music Industry major, Johnson talked about her favorite part being 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 everything. 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 that 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 have met so many amazing professional DJ’s and to 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 had received. They got to talk to him about his goals and ambitions for NAMM, where 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 a little bit in between seminars and listen to some concerts that the event had going on all day. There were also a couple of exhibit floors with hundreds of vendors where they could play some instruments and even some 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. Batiste not only inspired Aldridge but also inspired Voboril. He looked up to Batiste’s outlook on his career.
“The musician who inspired me the most was Jon Baptise,” Voboril said. “His outlook on life and his career, his overwhelming sense of joy he lit up the room with, and his passion to help others and everyone felt like they belong and matter and contribute was fantastic.”
They 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.”