Chicago's Merit School of Music Turns to Yamaha
CHICAGO, Ill. (November 23, 2005) — For over a quarter of a century, Chicago’s Merit School of Music has successfully motivated and inspired more than 45,000 inner-city young people with comprehensive training in a nurturing atmosphere. Each week, the school instructs 6,500 children – often from rough neighborhoods – to play instruments and sing, offering them an opportunity for creative self-expression, as well as to see a brighter future.
Last year, when the faculty decided to upgrade its fleet of pianos and keyboard instruments, their research process coincided with a fortuitous trip for Devvora Papatheodorou, the school’s Director of the Private Lesson Program, Continuing Education and Keyboard Maintenance. Attending a Yamaha Summer Technology Seminar in Indianapolis, Indiana, she had her first experience with the Yamaha Clavinova digital piano, and immediately “became a convert.”
“I felt very comfortable with the instrument,” Papatheodorou says, recalling that she was impressed not only with the instrument, but with its value as a teaching tool. Meeting the composer/educator and Yamaha Consultant Susan Ogilvy, a pioneer in the field of digital music, left a big impression on her as well. “It made me aware of the different educational possibilities of the instrument. I felt that there was significant value to making ensemble experience easily accessible to students, something that a lot of pianists don’t have the opportunity to experience until much later in life.”
Therefore, upon her return, she decided that the Clavinova would best address the school’s wide range of private and group piano lessons. Papatheodorou remembers “a great experience” with Chicago-area Yamaha retailer Karnes Music. “They were very helpful and accommodating and they offer great service. That was a big plus.”
“Technologically, the Clavinova is very advanced,” continues Papatheodorou, who uses some of the instrument’s recording functions for her more advanced students. “One of the best attributes is its instrument voices. Kids really enjoy the percussion aspect, as well as the score and preset functions.”
Papatheodorou’s students are making their feelings about the instrument clear and for many, their actions are speaking louder than words. “This is the first time I’ve seen students show up 45 minutes early for class – they get there before me!”
Merit has subsequently amassed an impressive collection of Yamaha keyboard instruments, including 17 Clavinova CVP 305s, for student use; two CVP-307s, for teachers; 12 Clavinova CLP 120s for theory classes; 30 U1 upright practice pianos; and one C7 concert grand piano, used for both practice and performance.
According to Papatheodorou, the CVP Clavinovas, used with an LC2 Music Lab, enable her to use her lesson time more effectively. “It works with the whole class. You can listen to individual students without other students hearing and it minimizes the noise aspect, which is fabulous.”
The Yamaha LC2 lab is a system that offers instructors control over keyboard classes and is expandable to as many as 48 students. Using a system of headphones/mics, it has the ability to create separate practice rooms for group piano students, making it ideal for private practice or one-on-one instruction with a teacher. With the touch of a button, the virtual “practice room walls” can be instantly removed for group study, teacher-only broadcasts, or “all-together-now” ensemble performances. Instructors even have a powerful mute button that can disable the students’ instruments when it’s time to pay attention.
“Used in conjunction with keyboards, the LC2 music lab offers educators an intuitive, flexible way to teach a group of students all at once, one-on-one or split into smaller groups all without ever leaving their own instrument,” says Mike Bates, Director of Yamaha’s Institutional and Commercial Services (ICS) Department. “These innovative digital products, as well as our finely crafted acoustic instruments, help teachers make the best use of their time and staff resources.”
Papatheodorou enjoys how the system allows her to customize her teaching and concentrate on specific problem areas, as well as to group kids with similar parts. “The kids do so well, and the parents love it,” she raves. “We have been very happy with the instruments. Before choosing Yamaha, we did an in-school survey and most teachers felt that Yamaha was the most dependable – that’s still true.”
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Institutional and Commercial Services, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
Devvora Papatheodorou teaches using Clavinova digital pianos and an LC2 lab, which offers teachers the ability to create separate "practice rooms" for group piano students, making it ideal for private practice or one-on-one instruction with a teacher. |
“I felt very comfortable with the instrument,” Papatheodorou says, recalling that she was impressed not only with the instrument, but with its value as a teaching tool. Meeting the composer/educator and Yamaha Consultant Susan Ogilvy, a pioneer in the field of digital music, left a big impression on her as well. “It made me aware of the different educational possibilities of the instrument. I felt that there was significant value to making ensemble experience easily accessible to students, something that a lot of pianists don’t have the opportunity to experience until much later in life.”
Therefore, upon her return, she decided that the Clavinova would best address the school’s wide range of private and group piano lessons. Papatheodorou remembers “a great experience” with Chicago-area Yamaha retailer Karnes Music. “They were very helpful and accommodating and they offer great service. That was a big plus.”
“Technologically, the Clavinova is very advanced,” continues Papatheodorou, who uses some of the instrument’s recording functions for her more advanced students. “One of the best attributes is its instrument voices. Kids really enjoy the percussion aspect, as well as the score and preset functions.”
Devvora Papatheodorou, Director of the Private Lesson Program, Continuing Education and Keyboard Maintenance at the Merit School of Music, teaches Zach Powers in a Clavinova Lab class. |
Merit has subsequently amassed an impressive collection of Yamaha keyboard instruments, including 17 Clavinova CVP 305s, for student use; two CVP-307s, for teachers; 12 Clavinova CLP 120s for theory classes; 30 U1 upright practice pianos; and one C7 concert grand piano, used for both practice and performance.
According to Papatheodorou, the CVP Clavinovas, used with an LC2 Music Lab, enable her to use her lesson time more effectively. “It works with the whole class. You can listen to individual students without other students hearing and it minimizes the noise aspect, which is fabulous.”
The Yamaha LC2 lab is a system that offers instructors control over keyboard classes and is expandable to as many as 48 students. Using a system of headphones/mics, it has the ability to create separate practice rooms for group piano students, making it ideal for private practice or one-on-one instruction with a teacher. With the touch of a button, the virtual “practice room walls” can be instantly removed for group study, teacher-only broadcasts, or “all-together-now” ensemble performances. Instructors even have a powerful mute button that can disable the students’ instruments when it’s time to pay attention.
“Used in conjunction with keyboards, the LC2 music lab offers educators an intuitive, flexible way to teach a group of students all at once, one-on-one or split into smaller groups all without ever leaving their own instrument,” says Mike Bates, Director of Yamaha’s Institutional and Commercial Services (ICS) Department. “These innovative digital products, as well as our finely crafted acoustic instruments, help teachers make the best use of their time and staff resources.”
Papatheodorou enjoys how the system allows her to customize her teaching and concentrate on specific problem areas, as well as to group kids with similar parts. “The kids do so well, and the parents love it,” she raves. “We have been very happy with the instruments. Before choosing Yamaha, we did an in-school survey and most teachers felt that Yamaha was the most dependable – that’s still true.”
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Institutional and Commercial Services, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
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