Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.
As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.
The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.
Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.
June 29, 2022
IM -On June 23, the Patrick M. Varriale Memorial Music Scholarship was presented to 5th-grade graduate Makrine Mgeladze. The young pianist attends Morris H. Weiss Elementary School, P.S. 215, Brooklyn, New York, the same elementary school that former AFM Electronic Media Services Division (EMSD) Director Varriale graduated from many years earlier.
The $500 scholarship for outstanding performance in music was organized by the Walt Disney Studios Music Team to recognize Varriale’s 48-year career as an advocate for musicians and his work as AFM EMSD director. Disney Studios Music Team members and other colleagues who worked with Varriale over his long career made donations in his honor.
The certificate reads, in part, “Our beloved friend passed away on May 13, 2022. He would have been proud of your musical prowess!”
“With the passing of Pat, an era of the AFM also has passed. The lineage of legacy leaders of the AFM culminated with Pat’s service to the industry and AFM members. We are deeply indebted and grateful to him for the character and integrity that he manifested,” says Robert Johnson, SVP Labor Relations, Walt Disney Studios.