Music students visit industry exhibition with the help of a School of the Arts grant

A cohort of Boise State music students traveled to an industry exhibition in January to build connections that will support their future creative careers. The experiences they had will help them pursue their passions in the multi-billion dollar modern music industry.

Thanks to support from a School of the Arts grant, Professor Nicole Moluby brought a cohort of students and faculty to the 2026 National Association of Music Merchants (or NAMM) Show. This experience connected them with industry professionals, new technologies, career opportunities and trends on the cutting edge of the music industry.

"The whole event was like Disneyland for us," said Christine Nygard (BA, Music, 2027), who was part of the group attending NAMM.

After landing in Anaheim, California, the group experienced a whirlwind tour of the modern music industry over three jam-packed days. Nygard recalls one early morning breakfast at the show, sitting in chairs facing the main stage, "where someone is ripping it on the violin."

Every morning at breakfast, students sat shoulder-to-shoulder with music CEOs and other major figures in the industry. Later, as they spread out onto the convention floor, they had the opportunity to network and with musical legends.

Nygard recalled meeting five-time Grammy winner, bassist and producer Victor Wooten at the show. "He gave great advice," she said. "He talked about how, as a young artist, you just have to go for it. He told us to make it a priority to know everybody that you're working with."

Students took that advice to heart as they introduced themselves to contacts throughout the industry. But famous musicians and industry leaders weren't the only highlights of the trip. Attendees also got a first glimpse at the music technologies and trends that will shape the coming decade.

Nygard got to see a new synth instrument called the Orchid, a single-octave keyboard with a bevy of buttons and dials. "I could loop, I could change keys, I could create a chord, and I could do that off just one button," she said. "I could even loop my voice if I wanted to."

It's the perfect instrument for a musician experimenting with bedroom pop, an emerging genre that focuses on solo artists working with limited materials.

"A lot of my friends are doing [bedroom pop]," Nygard said. "It's pretty DIY. It's just using your computer, maybe a microphone, maybe a looper pedal. You don't have to have a band. It's just low-production recording."

Nygard and other students who attended NAMM are part of the first Bachelor of Arts in Music cohort in the School of the Arts. This new music BA degree prepares students for creative work outside the usual music degree pathways, which lead to careers in performance or education. It includes coursework in music production, audio engineering, talent management and other aspects of the business of music that aren't part of a traditional music education.

For Nygard, the possibilities are endless, but she's considering entertainment law. Her coursework in the music BA program and her experiences at NAMM will help her towards whatever career she chooses.

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