“Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”

Do you remember? Back in the late 1960s, singer and songwriter Sandy Denny wrote the song "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" Both she and Judy Collins released versions of the tune to wide acclaim making it a classic component of the folk-rock repertoire. Well, that is the song that came to mind when I realized that our last news letter came out over a year and a half ago! We had just finished the renovation, were navigating our way out of the pandemic, and had just hosted the inimitable Emmylou Harris at our annual gala fundraiser. “Time it was and what a time it was,” is another lyric that pops into my mind (Simon and Garfunkel).

The months between then and now have been filled with activity, change, and growth. We have witnessed a steady increase in walk-in visitors, an energetic return of school tours, and the continuation of our adult amateur band and orchestra programs. Further, thanks to generous donors, grant funding, and a new partnership with Belly Up Entertainment, we have brought back our live performance series-albeit somewhat pared down. And of course, our special exhibitions are back with an exciting one scheduled to open this April. Not only have we reinstated such longstanding activities, but we have also introduced a few new programmatic elements to our mix including quarterly Community Music Days.

Behind-the-scenes there have been some shifts the most significant of which is a closer align ment at the staff level between the Museum and the NAMM Foundation, the 501(c)3 nonprofit branch of NAMM. The Museum, a signature program of the Foundation, will benefit from this closer relationship in that it can reach a broader national audience through its communications, and also bring important information about music making and music education to all of you. Further on in this newsletter I will share the work of the Foundation in some detail. Additionally, we have experienced some staffing shifts. We recently welcomed two new Museum Educators, Andrew and Chuck (see page 6), and sadly, we have just said farewell to our curator, Dr. Jonathan Piper. We will miss him terribly, but he certainly leaves behind a lasting legacy. A key contributor to our complete museum renovation, he researched and wrote the new storyline, designed the dis plays, selected the artifacts, and basically poured his heart and soul into the project. He also curat ed a number of groundbreaking special exhibitions and masterfully trained our volunteers. We wish him the very best in his future. We are grateful to welcome Elizabeth Dale as our new Manager of Collections and Exhibitions and look forward to introducing her in more depth in the coming months.

As you can see, we have navigated much change. Moving through calm waters, deep waters, choppy waters, and even through some seemingly all-consuming wa ters, made us all stronger. I am very grateful that we all kept our eyes fixed on the same point on the horizon, stayed the course, and reached this new shore together. Thank you for your support and for your belief in the power of music to make our lives the best they can be.

carolyn grant, executive director