Who We Are...
We are a “service” organization for accordionists!
Give back to your community: Join the National Accordion Association!
Your National Accordion Association (NAA) is dedicated to “Giving Back to the Community it Serves.”
You too can be proud of giving back to the accordion community by supporting the NAA with your membership and paying the low cost of $15.00 per year.
No other organization offers as many services for the accordion world while keeping the membership fees down to $15.00 a year.
Click “Membership” to join this growing “service” association.
Current Goal: Improve communications as the “Accordion Network!”
It is our current goal to become an “Accordion Network” by converting the National Accordion Association web site into a user-friendly way for interested accordionists, members, and the general public to communicate with each other and to support local and national activities. The “Accordion Network” feature is in addition to the original web site purpose of serving the membership of the Association.
Other Associations: The “backbone” of the accordion world!
Local and regional accordion associations are the backbone of the National Accordion Association. We strongly recommend that individual accordionists contact a local organization and become involved in promoting the accordion in their area. Ideally, an accordionist will become a member of three groups: The NAA (of course), a local association, and one of the major associations dedicated to sponsoring competitions, promoting teaching excellence, and/or commissioning new accordion works. A growing directory of accordion associations is listed under “Associations.”
Mission Statement
The National Accordion Association, Incorporated, exists to support accordionists and to encourage an appreciation of the accordion by the general public. The Association seeks to motivate accordionists in building their musical skills, knowledge, and abilities to perform both solo and with other musical instruments. Opportunities are provided for accordionists to collaborate with each other and to learn through numerous events held in various locations throughout the year.
Vision Statement
It is the vision of the National Accordion Association to:
- Appropriately recognize deserving accordionists concerning recordings, developing training material, public awareness, community services, best-written news articles, public radio and television coverage, and accordion-related innovations.
- Enhance the National Accordion Convention to include a National Awards Ceremony and to expand workshops and training.
History
The National Accordion Association (NAA), formerly known as Texas Accordion Association, was founded in 1986 by several accordion enthusiasts living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Many of the original members were participating in the Trick Accordion Band (1928 - 2005). The Association soon expanded nationwide. Since “teamwork” has become an excellent way of promoting accordions, the NAA has become the “Accordion Network” for sharing information among other accordion organizations.
Many of the founding members of the National Accordion Association (NAA) were also members of the famous "Trick Accordion Band." The Trick accordion band holds the world record as the "world's longest continually operating accordion band (1924 -2005)." After 80 years of continuous operations, the Trick band disbursed in the Summer of 2005. According to a web-based research project conducted in 2010, Trick accordion band’s world title will not be challenged for the next 22 years. Several accordion bands that were formed in the mid-to-late 1950s are still operating on a continuous schedule and are contenders for the second place title.
The NAA recognizes and encourages the use of all types of accordions, such as the piano keyboard, diatonic, chromatic, free bass, concertina and bandoneon.
Convention
The National Accordion Association (NAA) conducts an annual convention, normally in the month of March. To accommodate our growing and changing membership, NAA customizes each annual convention to meet the needs of the conventioneers. Prior to finalizing a convention, a “call for presenters” is sent to the “accordion world” to determine the current educational needs. A national committee then analyzes the results of the poll, and the speakers for the year are determined at that time.
Until further notice, the annual convention will be held in the greater Dallas area. This area was selected because of our rich history of successful conventions and its close proximity to the DFW airport, one of the national hubs. Instead of moving the National Accordion Convention to various locations, NAA officials will be encouraging and developing various regional events in other parts of the USA. If and when the time is appropriate, the NAA may hold its annual convention in other national locations and/or other times of the year.
Regional Activity
Since it is often not possible for everyone to attend conventions that require travel, the NAA will be encouraging readers to attend special emphasis, regional, and local accordion activities. Continue to monitor this web site to locate accordion related activity in your area.
Member Communications - Newsletters
Currently the NAA publishes information as needed. Due to time, cost, etc., regular newsletter mailings are becoming a thing of the past.
NAA officials will be encouraging local associations to determine the best way for local members to stay in contact with each other.
Accordions associations will be encouraged to forward newsletters to be posted on the web.
Association Publications
Special Association events and publications include the:
- 1994 Who's Who in the World of Accordions
- 1996 National Accordion Sales Catalog