Eric Martin, CEO of Music for All: Part 1

Marketing Music Education with Kathleen Heuer

In this episode of the Marketing Music Education podcast, I sat down with Eric Martin of Music for All. He’s one of my favorite people to talk to, and we covered a lot: enough for two episodes! Listen to the second episode here.

In this first installment, we talk about his experience as an African-American band student in a recently desegregated school, his love of the marching arts, his background as an aviation lawyer and how he got into event production. We also discuss the importance of music education and the power of music—and live events—in our society, and why Sarah Palin is a role model of his. We also touch on burnout and its effects not just on music educators, but on nonprofit staffers like those at Music for All and like the parent volunteers that power music programs like yours.

About Eric Martin

Eric Martin is president and CEO of Music for All, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to create, provide and expand positively life-changing experiences through music for all. MFA promotes and advocates for music and arts education, and creates and produces music and music education events and programs serving 60,000 youth and 250,000 spectators annually throughout the nation.

Eric has more than 20 years of experience in special event planning and operations, in addition to 17 years of legal practice and 21 years of corporate executive management experience. Before coming to Music for All, he was the founder and sole proprietor of ELM Productions, Inc., a special events production company producing parades and festival programs and events, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Parade in Atlanta.

Links and Resources mentioned by Eric Martin

International Festivals & Events Association and the Pinnacle Awards

Drum Corps International

Scott McCormick of the Association of Music Parents

South Carolina church shooting

Music for All’s Strategic Plan

Music for All’s music education advocacy efforts

NAfME’s Music Education Policy Roundtable

Scott Lang’s Be Part of the Music

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