"The NAMM Show," by Trey

Three weeks ago, Trey traveled to Anaheim, CA for the 2015 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show (@NAMM, @NAMMShow, #NAMM, #NAMM2015).  He reflects upon his experiences below (using his own words):

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The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) held its annual convention in Anaheim, CA, from January 22-25. It is a huge trade show where companies that sell music equipment showcase their latest and greatest products. This was my second year attending. I couldn't wait to see what was in store for this year’s show.

This year provided me an opportunity to reconnect with Robb from Auralex (@Auralex). Robb is a friend of the Kildonan School.  His company donated the sound panels that I installed on campus last year.  It was great to see him again, and I was able to tell him about my plans to attend Full Sail University (@FullSail).  He was excited and encouraged me to stay in touch.
 
Walking through the aisles of the convention hall, you experience very talented musicians demonstrating wonderful pieces of equipment.

The drum sets, for instance, were breathtaking. My favorite was the Neil Peart up-coming Touring Drum Set that was displayed. (Here’s a shout-out to Emily’s dad who might be a bigger Rush (@rushtheband) fan than myself.)

Saturday morning was a dream come true for me. I was seated in Row 11 for the Steve Wozniak (@stevewoz) presentation. He was very entertaining when talking about his past experiences, and he offered very thought-provoking ideas about the future of technology. I found it interesting that he believes we are limited in the next step towards new technology.  However, I believe that he is from an older generation. After all, the room was full of young music enthusiasts, techno geeks who have many ideas for the future swirling in their heads and the determination to make them a reality.

One of the highlights of the show was catching up with David Rosenthal, the Keyboardist and Musical Director for Billy Joel (@billyjoel). He welcomed me with open arms.  He spoke with me for a while and invited me to stay for a minute because he was going to play some different genres of music. He laid down some classical music and a mix of Billy Joel tunes and The Root Beer Rag.  It was quite an experience.

I made many connections and I am sure I will meet many of my NAMM friends again at Full Sail University!

Description of images:  All photos were taken by Trey on-site at the 2015 NAMM Show.