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 The 2010 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California offered music educators a unique opportunity to participate in the music industry convention featuring hundreds of instrument, accessory, and software manufacturers, publishers, dealers, and artists. For the first time ever, NAMM, in conjunction with School Band & Orchestra magazine, invited educators to walk the exhibit halls in search of the most useful products for use in the classroom and with student musicians. Teachers and school administrators in attendance filled out specially designed ballots indicating their top choices in 13 different categories. On Sunday, January 17th, a panel of five educators, along with SBO publisher Rick Kessel, presented the winners of the 2010 Best Tools for Schools at the NAMM Idea Center.
"We are very pleased with the response from both educators and exhibitors in our presentation of the 2010 Best Tools for Schools at the NAMM Show," says SBO's Rick Kessel. "We look forward to building on this event as a way of further integrating educators' needs into the music industry at large."
In addition to Kessel, the panelists who presented the 2010 Best Tools for Schools were: Karen Childress-Evans, director of the Performing Arts Department, San Diego (Calif.) Unified School District; Daniel Almanza, director of bands, Rosemead (Calif.) High School; Brian Gallagher, band director at Norco (Calif.) High School; Brian Cole, orchestra director, Moorhead (Minn.) Public Schools; and Dr. John Kuzmich, Jr., author, educator, clinician, and SBO Technology columnist.
Best Tool for Beginners
Alfred's Sound Innovations Method Book (Alfred Publishing)
Best Tool for Intermediate
For Dummies Series CD-ROMs (Guitar and Piano editions – eMedia)
50 Guitar Licks You Must Know DVD series from Guitar Lab (available in five genres – eMedia)
Best Tool for Jazz Improv
Definitive Piano Improvisation Course (yokewong.net)
Best Tool for Music Theory
Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory Vol 1-3 (Alfred Publishing)
Best Innovative Tool
BodyBeat Compact Pulsing Metronome (Peterson Electro-Musical Products)
Best Notation Program
Noteflight (Noteflight)
Best Recording Technology
SoundSoap Pro (BIAS)
Best Web Tool
YouTube in Music Education by Tom Rudolph and James Frankel (Hal Leonard)
Best Time Saver/Assessment Tool
SmartMusic Gradebook (MakeMusic)
Best Eco Friendly Tool:
Wheatware bio-compostable drum sticks, guitar picks, and shakers (www.wheatware.com)
Coolest Game:
Muzundrum: the Game of Musicians (Muzundrum)
Best Gadget
Jammit app for iPhone (OEM Inc.)
Best Rewards & Incentives
AIM Musical Gifts
Honorable Mention
Rhythm Ring (www.rhythmring.com)
Guitar Hands Cleansing Lotion (True Moisture)
Sound Disk Beanies w/ internal headphones (Aerial7)
Mixcraft 4, Spin It Again (Acoustica)iZotope RX | 
