Each year I attend the NAMM show, I feel like I learn so much. I am grateful that my company allows me to attend each year.
I had a cute little AirBnB rented out in Long Beach area. I was like 15 minutes from Seal Beach. My AirBnB hosts were great, they had a guide on local spots to try.
I drove to California early Wednesday morning and arrived to my airbnb by 4.
On my way to Anaheim, I stopped by Long Beach Woodwinds to have them quickly take a look at my Clarinet that has been having some issues. Brian was helpful and gave me a few pointers on what I could do to improve my playing. He suggested that next time I'm in town, I bring both clarinets in and they could see if they could make the nicer one play the way I want it. I definitely recommend them for all woodwind/brasswind repairs in the Long Beach area!
The first event I attended was the Women at NAMM event where I got to network with some amazing women entrepreneurs and see how SWIM (Smart Women In Music) has grown in the last year.
Thursday was the first day at NAMM, like always I walked around the convention center looking at the exhibits and booths. I started with all of the vendors we carry. This year the company did not attend the show, there were a couple of my colleagues there on other businesses. I got to hang out with them and get to know them better. I finished my mentorship with Becky from Pritchard Music in Maryland. She was an amazing mentor & I will continue communicating with her in the future with my career. She's been an inspiration to me as a music educator. I hope someday I can be like her. 
I attended several seminars and workshops for the sake of professional development. Some of my favorite ones were about social media and marketing. That night was the NAMM YP social gathering, I met some really cool young entrepreneurs and got to hang out with my NAMMily adn catch up. I made some new friends I've stayed in contact with and my favorite part of all of this is supporting their projects.
On Friday, Kevin Lyman (founder of Warped Tour) gave a presentation I got to attend and he talked about IKIGAI and some pointers in running a festival. I got to play with some guitar synths and even met Lars Frederiksen from Rancid! I learned so much about new products we would be carrying and even more about products we can order. It was definitely worthwhile. 
Saturday, I started the day with attending the Grand Rally for Music Education. Bobby McFerrin & Gimme5 performed and it was a very unifying performance. They got the audience to interact through call & response rhythms. It was very touching.
Every year, the Grand Rally for Music Education reminds me why I do what I do. In the ballroom, I am sitting with students, educators and advocates who believe in the power of music.
I ended the day by going to Downtown Disney and watching Suburban Legends perform. Suburban Legends are one of my favorite third-wave ska bands from Orange County.
Sunday was my last day in California. I went to Old Town Cafe at Seal Beach for breakfast. The service was splendid and the food was delicious. I had a waffle and hot chocolate. After spending most of the morning at the beach listening to the waves & music, I took a trip up to the Los Angeles observatory. Science is amazing. The observatory is basically a planetarium. There were exhibits on earth and outer space.
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