The Association of Music Parents (AMP)

Mission
About
Testimonials
Board of Directors
AMPassadors
History

Mission

AMP, The National ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC PARENTS mission is to build a grassroots national movement that brings together ALL STAKEHOLDERS of Music Education to defend the interests of our students and ensure that music and the arts remain an integral discipline within the core education system in America.
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About

This grassroots movement is designed to mobilize every parent of school aged students, along with grandparents and concerned citizens throughout country, to unite and, in concert with great teachers and the music industry, “turn up the volume and be heard” in order to produce meaningful results on both the local and national level.

AMP aims to show and confirm for parents what a remarkable advantage their children have as a result of music learning and music making, which embraces both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.

As the education reform movement races into high gear, we can no longer simply hope that music and the arts will be included in the discussion. We must educate the parents of our young people, and then present these facts to our local school boards and administrations. Then, en masse, band together to educate our legislators to the importance creativity, innovation and humanity that the arts play in the development of our young people.

• In a recent survey of 1,500 CEOs by IBM's Institute for Business Value, creativity was named the single most important attribute for success in leading a large corporation in the future.

Knowledge Center: AMP strives to provide parents with excellent resources to support their children’s musical endeavors, whether it is tools to create or better the parent organizations with which they are involved or general information to assist their individual needs. Beginning band parents will be led through the process of their child beginning to play an instrument and becoming part of a band.

AMP will link Music Manufacturers and Retailers with Music Parents in a comprehensive organization to promote music and the arts.
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Testimonials

"Finally, there is a national forum dedicated exclusively to music parents and the vital role they play in the artistic lives of their sons and daughters. The National Association of Music Parents is destined to unify parents and provide valuable resources, benefits and services for the common good of music programs in schools across the nation. Founded by professionals who have devoted their lives to the belief that music is an essential component of education AMP is clearly a concept whose time has come."  Richard Floyd, Texas State Director of Music; Music Director – Austin Symphonic Band

"We have always known one of the most important components in our school music programs is the often taken-for-granted PARENT SUPPORT ORGANIZATION. This "silent majority" of caring-sharing people persistently and faithfully contribute their seemingly unlimited efforts-and-energies to guarantee a comprehensive curriculum embracing the arts. The National Association of Music Parents represents a long-overdue initiative that offers a forum-of-exchange gathering the collective energies of all those who are keenly aware of the immeasurable value of music learning and music making. To this end, let us pledge our support to this vitally important endeavor, by doing so we are insuring tomorrow's future by stimulating the creative-expressive mind of our students of today."  Tim Lautzenheiser, Vice President of Education, Conn-Selmer, Inc.

"There should be no doubt in any educator's mind, that the most important voice in determining the future role of education in our society will be that of our students' parents. The fact that AMP is working to bring together performing arts parents from all parts of our country should be an encouragement to all of us who teach music. I am so pleased to see this ground breaking group taking shape. Music education will be better off because of AMP!"  Richard Saucedo,  Chairman, William H. Duke Center for the Performing Arts at Carmel High School, IN;  Composer, Hal Leonard Corporation

"The philosophy behind the National Association for Music Parents is sound, and I am glad to see Scott McCormick embarking on yet another major enterprise that promises to make a significant contribution to music and music education. Through his visionary leadership, I am confident this new and vitally important initiative will prove to be a very successful one. AMP has my enthusiastic support!" Mark Camphouse, Composer/Conductor, Professor of Music - George Mason University

"It's evident that parents are the linchpin to student success. It's also evident that in the current environment where music and art programs are under such stress, parents are looking for help – both to increase student performance and to insure their students have a program in which to participate. AMP will be one of the solutions on which parents will rely for information and techniques to foster student improvement and find resources to hold schools accountable for the responsibility of teaching the whole child."  Michael Skinner, President, Dansr Inc.
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Board of Directors

L. Scott McCormick - Founder
For 26 years, from 1984-2010, Scott served as the CEO and President of Bands of America and Music For All, Inc., and is a recognized executive leader credited with transforming a nonprofit association into a multimillion-dollar organization through cutting-edge educational opportunities, social media marketing tools, and key alliances—creating exponential growth in addition to a global presence. With a reputation for innovation and quality programming, his influence on the music industry has been described as lasting and pivotal—creating new experiences for over 1.25 million students and teachers within diverse educational communities, while garnering crucial industry support and building a culture around the organization's mission.

As a change agent and advocate of the arts in education, Scott's effect was felt most keenly in the expansion of Bands of America into uncharted areas that included the development of The National Concert Band Festival, The Honor Band of America, including international tours to Japan and Europe with performances at WASBE and the World Music Festival, the Bands of America Honor Band in the Tournament of Roses® Parade, national honor ensembles for orchestra and jazz ensemble and subsequent instrumental music programs. As a result, the association was quickly positioned at the heart of music education within diverse school settings—becoming the provider of choice throughout the U.S.

Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser
Tim Lautzenheiser is known in the music education world as teacher, clinician, author, composer, conductor, consultant, motivational speaker, and, above all, a trusted friend to anyone interested in working with young people in developing a desire for excellence. Tim taught ten years directing the following bands: Northern Michigan University, the University of Missouri and New Mexico State University. His books, produced by G.I.A. Publications, The art of Successful Teaching, The Joy of Inspired Teaching, and Everyday Wisdom are bestsellers in the educational world. Tim is also co-author of Hal Leonard's popular band method, Essential Elements. Dr. Lautzenheiser serves as the Vice President of Education for the Conn-Selmer Company.

Dr. Dan Bolin
Dr. Dan Bolin is currently Chair of the School of Music, the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University, Indianapolis, IN. Prior to his appointment at Butler, he was an administrator in the Metropolitan School District of Perry Township, Indiana. His duties included the positions of assistant principal at Southport High School, director of secondary education, personnel director, assistant superintendent and interim superintendent.

During his career in music education Dr. Bolin served as band director at Wood High School and Manual High School in the Indianapolis Public School system. He also developed outstanding bands at Lebanon (Indiana) High School and Southport High School.

Additional activities include service as the executive secretary of the Indiana Music Festival Association where he was responsible for administering all state level music contests in Indiana. He has served as a member of the Indiana Music Educators Association board and was secretary of the committee that founded the Indiana State School Music Association. Additionally, he has served as vice president of the board of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, chairman of the Board of Young Audiences of Indiana, and has been a member of the board of the Perry Township Educational Foundation. In 1981 he founded the Great Lake Music Camp which served middle school and high school musicians throughout the Midwest for 23 years. 

Terry Motsenbocker, CPA
Terry Motsenbocker is currently the President of the Center Grove Trojan Band Boosters. He has 2 children in the Center Grove schools both enrolled in the percussion program.

Terry graduated from Ball State University in 1989 with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting. He worked at Blue & Co. CPA's for five years and then joined Countrymark Co-op for six years. He is now the Chief Financial Officer for RCI North America, the largest timeshare exchange company in the world. He has been a CPA since 1992.

Terry and his wife Janna were are both passionate supporters of the music program as an integral component of a complete and well rounded education. Terry's finance expertise combined with being a parent currently engaged in high school and middle school music programs will be a valuable addition to the AMP board.
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AMPassadors

Sometimes in life you come across someone special: someone who "gets it." These ten people definitely get it! These people are familiar with who we are and what we do. They blog for us and contribute to the conversations on our website and our social media channels. In short, they're just as passionate about music education as we are. Please welcome them to the team!

If you are someone or know someone who might be a good fit for our team of AMPassadors, let us know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you'd like to submit a guest post to our blog, email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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History

Development of AMP, The National Association of Music Parents, Inc. began in late 2010, with due diligence occurring in January and February of 2011. Final Incorporation papers were filed with the State of Indiana, and on May 1, 2011 the new organization was launched.

Led by Scott McCormick, the former President and CEO of both Music for All and Bands of America, AMP was formed in response to the increasing need for a national parental voice in support of music and the arts as an integral discipline within the education system in America. In addition, AMP addresses the very real need to inform parents of the benefits that music participation has for their children.

• I am now a parent of a middle school aged music student. After 30 years of being on the other side of the equation, I now understand more fully, on a personal level, why we need to rally the troops and speak as one voice. If we do not, we are on the verge of losing the entire music and arts curriculum in our schools. - L. Scott McCormick

Because of the rapid changing landscape in education reform, the need for a parent music group has risen exponentially. Over time, there have been a number of organizations and groups who have attempted to form national parent coalitions and/or groups unsuccessfully. A primary reason that no entity has attempted to focus on a national music parent association is the reality that it offers a formidable challenge requiring a comprehensive understanding of and familiarity with the many publics involved coupled with a vision for the kinds of network required to bring all forces together for a common good.

AMP’s CEO has a 30+ year successful career track record and has the unique opportunity to immerse himself in the creation of a dynamic organization poised to address this compelling need. The abundant relationships he has built over three decades, his understanding of the breadth of the entire music industry and his close associations with all levels of music education uniquely qualify him to meet this challenge. His success will be fueled by his passion for youth and his deep personal believe that music should be an integral component of education for all students in our nation.
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