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Read a wrap-up of the 2011 RPMDA convention in Tampa, and mark your calendars for May 2nd-5th for the 2012 convention in Los Angeles at the Hilton Hotel Universal City.
Bob Kohl of Long & McQuade in Vancouver, BC, became a Canadian citizen on September 22nd. He retains his U.S. passport as well as a dual citizenship. Congratulations, eh!
After nine years, Amber Carroll has left the the Neil A. Kjos Music Co., but for the happiest of reasons. She has joined her husband in Maryland where he is stationed in the Navy. If you'd like to stay in touch with Amber, her email is amberdawncarroll@gmail.com. The new sales manager for Kjos is Jason Yamaoka, say hello to Jason at jason@kjos.com.
Mel Bay (1913-1997) was inducted into the The St. Louis Walk of Fame in June. The ceremony will include the unveiling of a bronze star and biographical plaque located in front of 6178 Delmar, St. Louis, MO, across the street from the Moonrise Hotel. More than 20 million copies of Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method have been sold worldwide. An obituary in the December 1997 issue of U.S. News and World Report magazine referred to Mel Bay as "the George Washington of the guitar world."
The Lorenz Corporation has promoted Kris Kropff to President of Lorenz Corporation's Music Publishing divisions. She formerly held the positions of Managing Editor and Vice President of Marketing. Larry Pugh will continue to serve the Lorenz Corporation as Executive Editor. "Ms. Kropff's industry savvy, years of experience, and dedication to Lorenz's writers and editors makes her the perfect person to lead our music team," said CEO Reiff Lorenz. "Her vision for the future of publishing and understanding of marketing will continue to drive our sales increases."
Lori Supinie, Senseney Music of Wichita, KS, was selected from the group of Top 100 Dealer Award winners as the inaugural "Dealer of the Year" honoree, and now joins NAMM's Dealer of the Year Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Lori!
The Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference will present Garwood Whaley with its Music Industry Award this December. The award was introduced in 1991 to honor persons for outstanding support of music education through their work in the music industry. Gar is president and founder of Meredith Music Publications.
Carl Fischer Music welcomes Denise Eaton as its Choral/Vocal Editor. "We are very excited at Carl Fischer to have Denise Eaton join our editorial team," says Editor-in-Chief Larry Clark. "She brings a wealth of real classroom experience along with leadership in the choral and music education field. We know that with these talents and experiences, Mrs. Eaton will take our choral program to a new level of success." A native Texan, Eaton is the Immediate Past-President of the Texas Music Educators Association.
Bethel Music Center's Bruce Treidel recently starred in a Google video promotion. In the segment, filmed last May, Bruce discusses his love of promoting music in the community and how using Google AdWords has boosted his business by 15%. Click here to see the video.
NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond delivered the keynote address at the 4th IMC World Forum on Music in September. In keeping with the overall conference theme of "Music and Social Change," he spoke about the role of commerce and the music products industry to create access to music making for people of all ages and NAMM's ongoing music education advocacy efforts.
Drew and Marlene Parker's Separk Music Co. moved out of its longtime downtown Winston-Salem, NC, to a more spacious location with plenty of parking at the Lewisville Corners Shopping Center. "We polled all of our regular customers just by their zip codes and we found that 75 percent of them were west of Silas Creek," says Drew.
Marlo Plastics and owners Art and Becky Livingston are bouncing back from damage to their factory in New Jersey this fall as a result of Hurricane Irene. A 60-foot section of their roof collapsed, and at least a foot of water collected in their second floor. Track their "Chronicle of Recovery" at www.marloplastics.com.
Gail Warnaar of Spratt Music Publishers & Double Reed Shop in Barnet, VT, weathered the recent severe flooding in the state of Vermont. Besides her music industry enterprises, Gail is also the proprietor of a beautiful bed and breakfast, The Old Homestead, which survived nearly 20 hours of pouring rain without incident.
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Dale Beacock, longtime musician and co-founder of Beacock Music, died from injuries sustained in a cycling accident on an Oregon coastal highway on August 4th. He was 81 years old. He grew up in a musical family and after joining the U.S. Navy and attending the Navy School of Music, earned his Master of Music degree at the University of Portland and became a school band director. He and his former wife Susan Beacock later opened Beacock Music in Vancouver, WA, owned and operated today by his children Russ Beacock and Gayle Beacock. He was also the director of the New Horizons concert and stage bands, which rehearsed weekly. A standing room only audience of 850 attended his memorial service held at Clark College's Gaiser Hall. Listen to and view Dale's NAMM Oral History interview at 