Yamaha-Backed DVD Nominated For National Award
Music & the Mind, a 2004 DVD presented by Yamaha in association with TouchStar Productions, has been named a finalist in the Psychiatry category of the 2005 "Freddie" International Health and Medical Media Awards given annually by the healthcare publishing company MediMedia.
The 110-minute video illuminates the life and works of the 19th-century classical composer Robert Schumann, whose creative musical expression served as a personal survival tool. Host Richard Kogan, M.D., who discusses Schumann's music and emotional life, brings a unique set of qualifications to the subject: he is both a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and a world-renowned concert pianist.
On the DVD, Kogan sits at a Yamaha grand piano and illustrates his points while demonstrating excerpts from Schumann's music. Later in the presentation he joins producer and director Barry Bittman, M.D. in a conversation about the complex relationship between the human mind and the music it produces. Drs. Kogan and Bittman cite Schumann's rationale for composing-not to make a living, but rather to live. The physicians continue to explore the value of recreational music making as an effective means of self-expression for individuals without prior music-making experience who are facing the greatest challenges of their lives.
"Yamaha is strongly committed to exploring and cementing the link between music and wellness, and bringing the resulting benefits to people around the world," says Yamaha Corporation of America senior vice president Terry Lewis. "We are fortunate to achieve this level of recognition from the music industry on a regular basis, but to receive it from a program dedicated to medical education and communication is a wonderful affirmation of our efforts."
Status as a "Freddie" finalist is only the latest in the accolades Music & the Mind has won. Upon its release, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma commented, "Through a unique combination of brilliant psychiatric insights and superb musicianship, my musical colleague Richard Kogan presents a rich multidimensional profile revealing some of the most intimate sources of Robert Schumann's enormous creativity, imagination and artistry." And Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., President of the Association of American Medical Colleges, commented, "This sympathetic and enlightening account of the byplay between the psychological and the musical provides us with an illuminating window on genius."
TouchStar Productions, Inc. was founded in 1995 by Dr. Bittman for the purpose of developing interactive educational materials for individuals and health professionals interested in applying key insights derived from psychoneuroimmunology research. The company's philosophy is based upon the premise that integrative whole person care within traditional medicine has the potential to positively reshape healthcare in the future. TouchStar supports credible approaches that address the individual needs of each person in mind, body and spirit. TouchStar is also the exclusive distributor for ECaP, Exceptional Cancer Patients. Its catalog of multimedia products, including Music & the Mind, can be purchased online at www.touchstarpro.com.
MediMedia, one of the world's leading providers of healthcare educational materials and services, presents the International Health and Medical Media Awards each year to the organizations that have created the best examples of presenting important information on health and medical science to the public and to the medical community. The competition attracts documentaries, series, shorts, videos, websites, DVDs and CD-ROMs from around the world.
The winning entry in the 2005 Psychiatry category, in which Music & the Mind was one of five finalists, was Fanlight Productions' A Change of Character, which depicted the efforts of a successful bank executive to regain his mental function after a series of strokes damaged his brain and transformed his personality into a passive, idle mode. For complete information on the Freddie Awards, visit www.thefreddies.com.
For more information on Yamaha, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
Music & the Mind, an engrossing DVD produced by Dr. Barry Bittman's Touchstar Productions with support from Yamaha, was recognized as an example of excellence in media devoted to psychiatry. |
On the DVD, Kogan sits at a Yamaha grand piano and illustrates his points while demonstrating excerpts from Schumann's music. Later in the presentation he joins producer and director Barry Bittman, M.D. in a conversation about the complex relationship between the human mind and the music it produces. Drs. Kogan and Bittman cite Schumann's rationale for composing-not to make a living, but rather to live. The physicians continue to explore the value of recreational music making as an effective means of self-expression for individuals without prior music-making experience who are facing the greatest challenges of their lives.
"Yamaha is strongly committed to exploring and cementing the link between music and wellness, and bringing the resulting benefits to people around the world," says Yamaha Corporation of America senior vice president Terry Lewis. "We are fortunate to achieve this level of recognition from the music industry on a regular basis, but to receive it from a program dedicated to medical education and communication is a wonderful affirmation of our efforts."
Status as a "Freddie" finalist is only the latest in the accolades Music & the Mind has won. Upon its release, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma commented, "Through a unique combination of brilliant psychiatric insights and superb musicianship, my musical colleague Richard Kogan presents a rich multidimensional profile revealing some of the most intimate sources of Robert Schumann's enormous creativity, imagination and artistry." And Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., President of the Association of American Medical Colleges, commented, "This sympathetic and enlightening account of the byplay between the psychological and the musical provides us with an illuminating window on genius."
TouchStar Productions, Inc. was founded in 1995 by Dr. Bittman for the purpose of developing interactive educational materials for individuals and health professionals interested in applying key insights derived from psychoneuroimmunology research. The company's philosophy is based upon the premise that integrative whole person care within traditional medicine has the potential to positively reshape healthcare in the future. TouchStar supports credible approaches that address the individual needs of each person in mind, body and spirit. TouchStar is also the exclusive distributor for ECaP, Exceptional Cancer Patients. Its catalog of multimedia products, including Music & the Mind, can be purchased online at www.touchstarpro.com.
MediMedia, one of the world's leading providers of healthcare educational materials and services, presents the International Health and Medical Media Awards each year to the organizations that have created the best examples of presenting important information on health and medical science to the public and to the medical community. The competition attracts documentaries, series, shorts, videos, websites, DVDs and CD-ROMs from around the world.
The winning entry in the 2005 Psychiatry category, in which Music & the Mind was one of five finalists, was Fanlight Productions' A Change of Character, which depicted the efforts of a successful bank executive to regain his mental function after a series of strokes damaged his brain and transformed his personality into a passive, idle mode. For complete information on the Freddie Awards, visit www.thefreddies.com.
For more information on Yamaha, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
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