Members of the National Association of German Musical Instruments Manufacturers adopt a pronounced quality-conscious attitude to their work backed by whole centuries of experience. Sterling craftsmanship combined with creativity and flexibility - typical features distinguishing small to medium-sized business - are additional assets for achieving success on today's market. With the aim of promoting their interests along more efficient lines, Germany's musical instrument makers united in 1962 to form a nation-wide association.

Joint collaboration enables enterprises to assist in steering the revolutionary reforms evolving in the fields of economy and technology and to respond to new challenges. This is vital in an environment that tends to grow more and more complex each day necessitating efficient control of a flood of information in order to concentrate on in-plant essentials, namely the development and manufacture of products capable of being marketed successfully.

The united voice of the Association representing the interests of its members at political and official level as well as in society rings out with essentially greater power and resonance, whereas individual assertions mostly go by ignored.

Principal objectives of the BDMH:

• Promotion of members' common interests through advice and support in commercial, technical and all other relevant issues.

• Cultivating exchange of experience between members and other associations in the realms of music worldwide.

• Representing the interests of German manufacturers of musical instruments and accessories vis-à-vis German and other European as well as supranational and overseas public authorities, associations and other institutions.

• Drafting of expert opinions and furnishing of information to public authorities in the sectors of musical instrument manufacture and the appurtenant field of accessories.

• The scope of functions discharged by the BDMH can be extended in alignment with given requirements.

Functions and Activities:

• Promoting export activity, among other things by organizing joint-venture exhibits at music expos staged abroad.

• Compiling market data.

• Technical research and development projects.

• Promoting instrumental music making. Worthy of special mention in this context is the project focusing on Music and Intelligence. Research so far carried out clearly testifies to the positive effects of instrumental music making exercised on general standards of education among children and young people, especially in developing mathematical abilities, as well as on improving the general well-being of individuals in all age groups. Other studies center on aspects involving senior members of society.

The following institutions have been set up for implementing the Association's objectives:

• Instrumental Music Making Promotion Group founded in 1966 with the aim of promoting instrumental music making among young people and further musical education among the public at large. In particular, this proceeds as follows:
  - sponsoring of courses or seminars held to provide further training facilities for music educators;
  - rendering support to the staging of music festivals;
  - promoting pilot projects focused on placing preschool musical education on a broader basis;
  - adopting all other measures designed to advance the cultivation of music and to further active music making in all walks of society;

• The Musical Instrument Research Society founded in 1966. The aims of this body are to support scientific research in the sectors of acoustics and technology involving musical instruments and its practical application.

• The German Musical Instrument Manufacturers Promotion Society. The object of this corporation is to resort to all measures designed to promote common interests shared by musical instrument manufacturers, in particular:
  - promotion and support of musical education and practice;
  - improvement of the economic situation in the Music Industry through joint PR activities;
  - imparting great intensity to training younger generations.
  - German Music Educators Academy founded in 1986. The Academy pursues the aim of promoting and implementing projects, models and other ventures in the fields of learning and teacher training. It develops innovative concepts for joint music learning schemes and classroom musical activity. These concepts are put into practice in the form of advanced training courses for educators targeted at providing elementary musical education to all members of society - children, young people and adults - through active music making.

Fields of activity:

Research in the areas of

• musical talent;

• Methods and systematic instruction applied to learning music;

• motivating music students to practice;

• effects of the environment on the musical education of children and others;

• development of methods and systematic instruction models adapted to cultural and educational policy.

Projects:

• School class music making activities involving string instruments.

• School class music making activities involving brass instruments.

• School class music making activities involving percussion instruments.

• School class music making activities involving instruments of the recorder family.

Cooperative ventures:

• German Music Council (DMR)

• Bavarian Music Council (BMR)

• Saxon Music Council (SMR)

• German Music Schools Association (VDM)

• German Music Retailers Association (GDM)

• German Piano Manufacturers Association (FDK)

• Confederation of European Music Industries (CAFIM)

• National Association of Music Merchants, USA (NAMM).

BUNDESVERBAND DER DEUTSCHEN MUSIKINSTRUMENTEN-HERSTELLER e.V. (BDMH)
(National Association of German Musical Instruments Manufacturers)
Brunnenstr. 31
65191 Wiesbaden
Germany

Phone: +49 611 9545886
Fax: +49 611 9545885
E-mail: info@musikinstrumente.org
Internet: www.musikinstrumente.org