Museum of Making Music Welcomes Expertise and Guidance of Three New Board Members

NAMM Foundation's Museum of Making Music recently added Rick Young, Peter Sides and Harry Fleishman to its Advisory Board.

Members of the Advisory Board are affiliated with the music products industry and bring diverse perspectives, experience and expertise to the board. Each advisory board member serves a three-year term in which they serve as advocates for the Museum, provide direction and consultation to Museum exhibitions and programs, and advise the Museum in long-term vision and strategic planning. The involvement of board members is especially important this year, as the Museum embarks on updating its strategic plan.

New member Rick Young is senior vice president at Yamaha Corporation of America. His 35 years of experience in all aspects of the music products industry give him a broad perspective and make him a great resource for the Museum staff. He is currently chairman of the Music Achievement Council and has also served on the board of directors of NAMM and a number of music related boards.

Peter Sides is the president of Robert M. Sides Family Music Centers, a four-store, full-line retail operation serving North Central Pennsylvania and Southern New York since 1937. He is a third-generation co-owner of the family business, and thus brings an innate sense of the importance of history and legacy to the board.

Harry Fleishman has been designing and building custom guitars for more than 40 years. He teaches lutherie, designs guitars and basses, and has lectured internationally on guitar design, amplification, acoustics and multi-scale fretboards. His extensive research and experiments in design and acoustics has influenced many builders, worldwide. Fleishman brings a deep understanding of the creativity of instruments and the process of music making to the board.

"The Museum is very fortunate to work with such an illustrious and experienced group of people and is appreciative of the time and effort these members devote to the Museum of Making Music," said Carolyn Grant, executive director at the Museum of Making Music.

These new members join current board members Dennis Houlihan (Roland Corporation U.S.), John Hall (Rickenbacker International Corporation), Debbie Zildjian (Zildjian), Greg Billings (Steinway Piano Gallery), Greg Deering (Deering Banjos), Joe Lamond (NAMM President/CEO), Mark Goff (Paige's Music) and Antoinette Follett. Follett, president of publishing, marketing and communications firm Bentley-Hall, Inc., was recently elected chairperson of the board and will serve a one-year term.