MY TURN I BY MYRNA SISLEN Honoring Milestone Winners
T he strength of NAMM has always been its traditions. The Mile- stone/Believe in Music Awards are a prime example of traditions that date back to NAMM’s first gathering 125 years ago, when Civil War veteran William Taylor of Hart’s Piano House in New Orleans was presented with a merit award. This year, the two NAMM show award ceremonies were combined and took place mid- afternoon on Jan. 23 in a ballroom at the Hilton Anaheim. A total of 65 businesses were recognized for celebrating 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 years in busi- ness. Eight individuals, includ- ing Music Inc.’s president Frank Alkyer, were awarded Believe in Music Awards, which honor indi- viduals who have contributed to the growth and development of our industry and who have played important roles in advancing NAMM’s key initiatives. When asked how they managed to stay in business, the 50-year and 25-year recipients answered very similarly. Below are a few of my favorite nuggets of advice: A LEGACY OF SHARING SUCCESS Beacock Music, based in Vancouver, Washington, is celebrating 50 years in business in 2026 and has influ- enced so many store owners as the gold standard for how to run a mu- sic store. Most importantly, they’ve always been ready to share their ideas, knowledge and even their music-lesson handbook with any other businesses that reached out to them. My own business, Middle C Music, benefited greatly from Beacock’s generously shared ideas.
Beacock Music was founded in 1976 by Dale and Sue Beacock, two music teachers. As Sue recalled to me, when they started the store it was because they noticed there was no place to go for music lessons, so they started teaching in their home. Their children, Gayle and Russ, started working in the store as teenagers, left to go to col- lege and pursue other careers, but soon returned to Beacock Music where they, along with Sue, continue to run the business today. With three total locations today, I asked Gayle and Sue the secret to staying in business and staying successful for 50 years. They both had the same answer. Gayle said Sue put up a sign that’s
been in place for 50 years: “Retail is detail.” All the little things, especially cleanliness, such as vacuuming the store and cleaning the bathrooms every day. To showcase just how brilliant they are, before the NAMM awards ceremony took place, Gayle and Russ gave a session in the Idea Center, titled “50 of Our Best Ideas for Surviving 50 years in Business.” First, of course, was “retail is detail.” Then Russ went on to discuss the importance of participating in the industry. “Watch, learn, steal ideas from others in our industry that can improve your busi- ness,” he said.
NAMM CEO John Mlynczak with Beacock Music’s Sue, Gayle and Russ Beacock.
Gayle’s next shared idea was, “meet with your staff,” where she added: “If you have a showroom, make it exception- al. Why be normal? Why be ordinary.” In my 20 years owning Middle C Music, I have to admit I copied everything I could from visiting Beacock Music, as well as watching Gayle’s numerous teach- ing sessions. No one shares merchandis- ing ideas better than Gayle Beacock. “We wanted to be welcoming,” Sue
“In my 20 years owning Middle C Music, I have to admit I copied everything I could from visiting Beacock Music.”
shared. “We wanted to be courteous to our customers and be problem solvers for our customers. If we don’t have what they need, we will find someone who does, and help them solve their problem.” It’s also worth mentioning another 50-year Milestone Award recipient was The National Association of Professional Band Instru- ment Repair Technicians (NAPBIRT). “The organization’s goal is to make band and orchestra instruments play their very best for music education, for professionals, for anybody making music,” said Scott Mandeville, president of the organization. MI
Myrna Sislen is the former owner of Middle C Music in Washington, D.C.
MAY 2026 I MUSIC INC. I 23
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