Yamaha Brings Wellness Into Music Stores With "The Clavinova Connection"

BUENA PARK, CA (January 30, 2004) For millions of people who might not otherwise have tried music making, news about the stress relief and wellness benefits it can offer has provided a reason to come through the door. Now, a new program that Yamaha is making available for dealers to use in their communities using the Clavinova digital piano, an ingenious overlay mat to simplify the control panel, and a scientifically designed program of music and wellness exercises gives them a reason to stay.

The Clavinova is already one of the most user-friendly instruments available, but this clever mat fits over the piano's control panel and simplifies things even more, so that complete novices can begin making music right away as part of the Clavinova Connection music and wellness program.

"The Clavinova Connection," a music making and wellness program which was introduced at Winter NAMM 2004 in Anaheim, CA, combines all the benefits of group and individual instruction with Yamaha's century of piano and educational expertise, and unlocks the vast wellness benefits of piano playing for adults of any age or skill level.

Members of a session group use Yamaha Clavinovas, all of which are linked to another Clavinova used by the group facilitator. In a technological breakthrough, the facilitator can activate Clavinova's new SmartLIGHTS technology and transmit lighted notes from the facilitator unit directly to each student unit in the classroom.

"It's fitting that a breakthrough like this should hinge on Yamaha's guide lamp technology," says Jim Levesque, Electronic Keyboard marketing manager, Piano Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "For years, these lights have been central to the Clavinova's value in individual instruction, and now we've applied that value to group teaching in a way that was not possible before."

Participants in the Clavinova Connection use digital pianos like this one, linked directly to a group facilitator's piano, to "follow the lights" and learn music the way they learned their native languages.

To make the program even more attractive to musical novices, Yamaha has also developed the "Welcome Mat," a plastic template that goes over the Clavinova's control panel and reveals only the buttons first-timers will need to participate in the program. The Welcome Mat simplifies musical terms for example, "Tempo" was changed to "Speed" and is represented as "Slower" and "Faster" and it is color-coded in order to visually link groups of control buttons with the corresponding Songs, Sounds, Styles and Settings areas on the color LCD display.

The Clavinova Connection is more than a technological enhancement. It's a weekly 60-minute music and wellness program designed from the ground up by Yamaha, with input from physicians, musicians, music therapists and music educators, including renowned experts like industry guru Karl Bruhn, prominent psychoneuroimmunologist Dr. Barry Bittman and software innovator Craig Knudsen. According to Levesque, The Clavinova Connection introduces people to music in much the same way that they learn their native languages by just doing it, before any formal instruction in reading or writing it. "By bringing this program into the retail operation, dealers are going to transform their stores into a community music and wellness center, and bring in a lot of people who might never have considered music before," Levesque says.

Levesque adds that test programs in Florida, Iowa and California met with enthusiastic reactions. Participants not only reported having fun and feeling better; several have bought Clavinovas, too.

Each Clavinova Connection session includes multiple components including a wellness exercise, a keyboard drum circle, an opportunity to improvise, and a "StarLIGHTS" Song of the Day. Unlike other music making programs, it places experience before instruction, and lets first-timers feel what it's like to actually play the piano. Local educators or salespeople selected by the participating retailers serve as the program facilitators, with training from Yamaha.

For more information on The Clavinova Connection and Yamaha Clavinova digital pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.