The 2026–2027 NASMD Board of Directors. From left: Dietze Music’s Tim Pratt, Willis Music’s Stewart Blatt, Ernie Williamson Music’s Amanda Ru- eter, Saied Music’s Kim Koch, Tarpley Music and NASMD President John Tarpley, Paige’s Music’s Jeremy McQueary, Royalton Music’s Lauren Amanfoh and Dunkley Music’s Rich Colbert.
Kim Koch, incoming vice president of NASMD, left, and John Tarpley, right, incoming president, send NASMD President Cris Behrens home with a few mementos of his tenure.
Flute legend Néstor Torres plays during a live taping of his NAMM Oral History interview conducted by NAMM’s Dan Del Fiorentino during the convention’s closing session.
The NASMD Sandy Feldstein Memorial Big Band performs during the evening cocktail hour. NASMD 2026:
When the National Association of School Music Dealers rolled into the JW Marriott Turnberry in Miami in March, attendees dug deep into the rapid change that’s affecting school music, business and the world at large. — By Frank Alkyer AI, CYBERATTACKS & BOCCE, OH MY! Class is in session during one of more than 30 professional development sessions offered during the convention.
W ith more than 30 sessions offered during the three-day conference, sessions and panel discussions broke down everything from cutting-edge topics like the increasing role of AI in business today to the tried-and-true cornerstones of school music retail — recruiting, repairs, collections, company culture and more. Dr. Matthew Arau, associate professor of music education and associate director of bands at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, discussed strategies to remain “upbeat” in trying times during the opening session as outlined in his book “Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness, and Leadership in Music Education and Beyond.” Gayle Beacock, vice president of Beacock Music, led a session on stress-free
ways to manage rental collections. Pat Phelan, founder and CEO of Leap, discussed navigating business money management. But two sessions on AI, two more on business accounting and another on battling cyber attacks offered even more of the kind of next-level thinking for which NASMD has come to be known. With a record attendance of 447, NASMD continued to be a draw for the school music retailing community. Next year’s convention will be held March 31–April 3 at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Villas, in San Antonio, Texas. On the following pages, Music Inc. highlights three key sessions as well as a little bit of the fun for which NASMD is known! MI
40 I MUSIC INC. I JUNE 2026
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