In November of 2012 Contemporary Music Center’s Menzie Pittman was featured on the cover of Music Inc. Magazine. The cover headline reads, “The King of Rock Camp.” At CMC we know that is a big title to live up to, but it is a reflection of how the music industry rates the quality of our program. Once you receive that level of praise, it becomes the water mark to hit every year. We truly believe the customers should expect no less.
In 2013 Contemporary Music Center opened its award -winning listening room @4410. This won CMC the cover of Haymarket Lifestyle Magazine. The article reflects on the wonderful opportunity teens have to express their music and to perform in a professional setting with a state of the art sound system, pro lighting and pro backline stage set-up. In @4410 CMC has hosted Nashville artists, Grammy award winners, and high school open mic nights where the proceeds benefit the local high schools programs.
2016 was the year of years for Contemporary Music Center. CMC won NAMM’s Dealer of the Year Award, the highest award any music store can receive. That evening CMC won three awards. First, we took the “Best Promotion” award for our work with Battlefield High School’s literary magazine 15000. Then we received the “Music Makes a Difference” award for the positive impact of @4410 on teens. Our third award was “Dealer of the Year” for outstanding service and overall quality.
Since the inception of NAMM’s Top 100 Dealer Award, Contemporary Music Center is one of only two music dealers in the country to have consecutively won this award and also to be selected as “Dealer of the Year.”
In 2017 MMR (Musical Merchandise Review) bestowed Contemporary Music Center the honor of its June cover. They recognized Contemporary Music Center for their contemporary model and music university format, a unique and complete approach to music education and leadership in the music education field.
From the article in MMR: ” ‘The design of the store is to impact you from the second you walk in. Whether it’s in Chantilly or Haymarket, I really try to use the impact of music history to stir your soul – that’s our job,’ Pittman says. ‘Our job is to provide you with information, whether that’s on an instrument, or how to play the instrument, or doing it in front of people, our job is to give you that experience. We take that mantra pretty seriously.’ ”
CMC’s own Menzie Pittman has been a free- lance writer for the column “Small Business Matters” for MMR since 2016
“The 2017 NAMM Fly-In marks my 10th year going to Capitol Hill and advocating for NAMM for music education. In that time frame, NAMM has been instrumental in helping craft language for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and this year NAMM’s task for Congressional leaders is to get ESSA fully funded.
We were met with encouragement from lawmakers, as most are on board with the knowledge that music education does have power; they know the benefits it provides all students who have the opportunity through schools to gain exposure to music. This year we were joined by J. Dash, aka Jameyel Johnson, the young rapper. His fresh enthusiasm was infectious and inspired more than 90 NAMM members to become even more passionate about getting the message to Capitol Hill.
For those NAMM members how contemplate attending the NAMM Fly-In, know this: You learn very quickly that this yearly event is unequivocally good for the soul.”
-Menzie Pittman, Contemporary Music Center, Virginia