about this. Am I going to say the right thing?’ But when it comes down to it, it’s all about showing up and sharing the message that music is important. That’s most important, and sharing that message is really easy. A large majority of people you talk to will say, ‘Oh, I used to play in my school band,’ or ‘Cool, I play guitar.’ They already have fond memories and feelings about music participation. What NAMM members need to do is latch onto that to make sure school music programs stay and stay funded.” The Chairman’s Show Highlights When it comes to this month’s 2026 NAMM show, White said he’s particularly enthusiastic about several new enhancements, including the expanded “education days” on the Tues- day and Wednesday before exhibits open. “[NAMM’s director of membership] Zach Phillips and his team have done a great job assembling the education side of the con- ference,” White said. “The Tuesday and Wednesday offerings before the show starts are longer, paid sessions — running, in some cases, a half-day or full-day, so they really dig deeper into the subject matter. Those were so popular last year that they’ve added additional sessions this year. I’m sure they’ll sell out, so pro tip: reserve your spot early.” White said NAMM has also launched a new NAMM show interactive app that will enhance the experience for attendees looking to plan out their week. “One new feature lets attendees ‘favorite’ some of the events, sessions and meetings they want to attend and those fall onto their schedule so they don’t double-book themselves,” he said. “I highly encourage people to absolutely download that app and start planning ahead, so you’re not running from Hall A to Hall D and back and forth. Line up your days for success.” The School Music Market Pulse After some 70 years in the B&O market, few retailers have a better view of school music trends than White House of Music. White’s take? The pandemic’s impact on the B&O market is in the rearview mirror, which he said is largely thanks to educators who went the extra mile to bring kids back into the band room. “A lot of teachers double-recruited stu- dents to come back, because some of them missed out on the first opportunity. But a lot of our schools made it happen and got more kids involved,” White explained. “I think the B&O market has a strong oppor- tunity to grow. Unfortunately, a lot of that
is determined by what government policy is in place. But I don’t think any of us are going to lay down and play dead on that subject. We’ll advocate. And I think there’s definitely going to be growth for us. The market will be stabilizing for a while, which is just fine with me. I like the predictability of school music, but I also like the challenge of figuring out how to add more value for those music educators out there and one way we do that is by forming connections at our state MEA [Music Educators As- sociation] conference.” That COVID bounce back has translated to an increase in school music rentals for White House of Music. As such, one of the retailer’s recent focuses has been bolstering its repair department. “Our focus has always been on the school music market and staying in that lane,” White said. “We want to provide the best quality for those students and then also offer the best quality repairs.” But keeping up with repair demand, which White said shows no signs of slowing down, has required some creative thinking. With a few veteran technicians on the team who boast 48 and 52 years of experience respectively, and who could retire at any point, White said recent succession plan- ning was critical. “I really felt that we needed to have the next generation of techs learn from them,” White explained. “But we also needed to have the next generation ready to serve because instrument repairs aren’t going to slow down.” Enter White House of Music’s homegrown apprenticeship program. Born out of neces- sity, the initiative has converted existing staff members into skilled repair techs. The com- pany employs around 22 technicians across its three stores, with main shops at the Waukesha location and at its rental warehouse. White’s approach to recruitment has been organic: tapping summer crew members who have returned year after year. “We just started asking a couple questions like, ‘Did you ever think about repairs?’” White said. “Sure enough, one of the gals is all in on string repairs now, and one of our managers, strangely enough, shared that, he was good in his current role for the next decade or so, but beyond that, was probably going to want to look for something else. I found out he enjoyed woodworking and asked him ‘Would you like to learn how to fix orchestral instruments?’ He said he’d love to and has been doing that ever since.” The training itself is practical and need- based. Veteran techs lay out a curriculum
that focuses on whatever instruments are piling up in the shop. It’s a way to balance immediate business needs while giving ap- prentices enough repetitions to truly master their craft, ensuring that White House of Music’s repair bench stays clear. “We look around and say, ‘What’s our greatest need right now? Oh, it’s clarinets,’” White said. “We’re going to train you to do clarinets, and after 500 or so in a year, you’re going to be really good on clarinets and then we’ll move you on to something else.” Forming Connections With a focus on creating stronger industry connections while serving as NAMM chair- man, White plans to take a lot of lessons he’s learned as the leader of White House of Music. “In our last five-year plan, we really honed in on what we call our core values, and there’s eight of them. You could probably define those core values if you looked at our Google reviews, because the customers are saying exactly what we’re trying to do: be professional, focused on the customer, do the right thing, be positive, helpful, playful and fun,” White explained. “We’re a team that’s always improving and made up of music advocates. So, to see nearly 3,000 reviews now echoing what we’re trying to do, we feel like we’re onto something.” White said it doesn’t take long for new staffers to join the collaborative, connection- making atmosphere that is White House of Music. “New employees are surrounded by man- agers and leaders who live it every day,” he said. “Our current chief of staff, Gerry Jung, has played a large role in that. He wrote a book called ‘A Practical Guide to Leadership and Small Business,’ so that’s kind of our playbook when we work with managers, so they understand it’s about the customer being first. Like Stephen Covey said, ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood.’ And we look for that charac- teristic first-and-foremost when hiring. It doesn’t really matter to me which instru- ment they play as long as they’re the type of individual that gains some energy from helping others.” Covey’s words align closely with the legacy White hopes to leave as NAMM chair: one defined by listening to members. “I want to leave a legacy that helps mem- bers’ understanding that NAMM’s here for them,” White said. “We’re listening, and we’re going to help all of them navigate to a place where we create more music makers.” MI
JANUARY 2026 I MUSIC INC. I 39
Powered by FlippingBook