APME 2025 Recap
I’ve spent this past week on the road on behalf of MusicFirst - first in the Houston metro area, and then I headed to Memphis for one of my favorite conferences of the year - APME. I was joined my SO many good friends and colleagues, including the one and only Jody Underwood, Lee Whitmore, and of course, Barbara Freedman. My favorite part of the conference are the student performances - and there were TONS this year. It’s always so encouraging to hear just how good these students bands are. The future of music education is in very good hands. There were tons of sessions to choose from, and I had the honor of presenting two of them: Empowering Music Education with MusicFirst & Soundtrap, and Reaching More Students with Modern Band.
One of the most incredible experiences of the conference for me was experiencing the Dolby Atmos Immersive Sound System from Adam Audio. Oh. My. God. They started out the demo saying that once we’ve heard music this way, we wouldn’t be the same. They were right. The system has 13 speakers - two sub woofers, a center speaker, left and right stereo speakers in the front, 2 side speakers, 2 rear speakers, and 4 speakers suspended in each top corner of the room. We heard some songs played from Apple Music that have been remixed for Dolby Atmos and the sound swirls all around you. Truly amazing. Not only is a wonderful musical experience, it is a tremendous educational tool and opportunity. I HIGHLY recommend seeing whether is a system near you to try out for yourself. It WILL change you. I can’t wait to buy an Adam Audio system for myself!
Memphis is a special town, steeped in the history of early Rock n Roll. I had some time to explore one of the best musical destinations, including Graceland, Stax Museum, and the Sun Studios. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it. Standing in the very studio where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin’ Wolf, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison recorded some of their greatest hits is a magical feeling. If you’ve never been to an APME Conference, I couldn’t recommend it more. I hope to see you next year!