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In the back row, from left, are Kyle Smith, Pete Yore, David Williams, Dillon Daniels, Cody Sikes and Gracie Rogers. Seated, from left, are Andrew Pletch, Jason Hartley and Benjamin Rogers.
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Nine Students Awarded Scholarships for National Music Show

November 13, 2017

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MACOMB, IL – Nine Western Illinois University music business students have received prestigious $600 scholarships, totaling $5,400, for travel to a national music products show.
 
WIU Assistant Professor of Music Courtney Blankenship said she is thrilled to have a record nine students, consisting of music business majors and minors, receive the National Association of Music Merchants President's Innovation Award from NAMM/College Music Society to attend the NAMM Show in January. Nearly 90,000 people, including 2,500 college students and faculty, attend the show at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

In addition, Blankenship was awarded a $1,000 grant for student enrichment from the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association.
 
Blankenship has been taking students to the national show for the last nine years, and the event has been a highlight for WIU music students for 25 years. She was appointed by Mary Luehrsen, director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for NAMM, to serve as co-chair of the program committee to plan Generation Next events.
 
"Over the last nine years, I've seen students have life-changing experiences as they see firsthand the impact of the music products industry, music education and the health benefits of music-making in general," Blankenship said. "We have never had so many students receive the award at once; it's evidence of the strength of our students and our program.

The recipients are Kyle Smith, a junior computer science major, music business minor from Chicago; Pete Yore, a junior music business major from Tinley Park, IL; David Williams, a senior music business major from Frankfort, IL; Dillon Daniels, a senior music business major from Amboy, IL; Cody Sikes, a sophomore music business major from Macomb; Gracie Rogers, a sophomore communication major, music business minor from Savanna, IL; Andrew Pletch, a senior business management major, music business minor, of Arlington Heights, IL; Jason Hartley, a senior music major from Milan, IL, and Benjamin Rogers, a senior music education major and music business minor from Savannah, IL.  

"I'm extremely excited to attend the NAMM Show and so thankful to receive this scholarship," said Rogers. "This is such an incredible opportunity and January can't come soon enough."
 
As a component of the annual NAMM Show, Generation Next is an educational program for college, conservatory and university music students and faculty. The programming includes access to the 2018 NAMM Show floor, with more than 1,700 music products exhibitors and 6,000 global product brands.
 
Generation Next also provides educational sessions presented by experts across the music and music business industries and other music-related programming, including concerts on The Grand Plaza, educational sessions at the Idea Center, TEC Tracks, the Ukulele Circle and the All-industry Drum Circle, as well as tours aboard the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, a state-of-the-art mobile recording studio.

For more information about WIU's Music Business program, visit wiu.edu/musicbusiness.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing