The International Music Products Association. Yes, we know that’s not what the letters spell. Originally it was the National Association of Music Merchandisers. Besides being the establishment for music product manufacturers and retailers, NAMM also uses its efforts to increase the public’s awareness of the benefits of music education and training. The highlights of the NAMM year are its two conventions [Summer Session in Nashville, TN, and Winter Session in the LA area (Anaheim, CA in recent years)]. The conventions, along with the AES convention in the Fall, are typically where the music product manufacturers unveil and show off their innovative new equipment – or oftentimes when we get to see the first glimpse of an exciting and much-talked-about new music or audio product.