Garritan, MakeMusic, Steinberg and Yamaha Form Music Education Software and Hardware Technology Alliance
Announced at Winter NAMM 2008, the Music Education Software and Hardware (MESH) initiative brings together hardware, software, sound content and curriculum to provide compelling and complete turn-key solutions for today's music educators, who are often faced with an array of products that can be difficult to navigate and integrate. In addition to aggregating four major components of music education technology into a seamless bundle, the alliance will also provide training to teachers based in the U. S., enabling them to fully utilize the power of computer music technology solutions.
Garritan is the undisputed leader in sound libraries for the educational market. Garritan Personal Orchestra is used in schools worldwide and a special set of Garritan instruments are integrated into MakeMusic's Finale® notation software.
"MESH is truly greater than the sum of its parts," said Gary Garritan, President of Garritan. "We will not only provide recommended systems tailored to individual educators' needs, but also work in the future to advance integration between our products, making it easier than ever for teachers to take advantage of music technology."
MakeMusic, Inc. is a world leader in software and systems for music educators and musicians. Their products include Finale®, the world's best-selling family of music notation software, and SmartMusic®, the acclaimed learning software for band, orchestra and choir.
"MakeMusic is committed to transforming and enhancing the experience of making, teaching and learning music," said Ron Raup, co-Chief Executive Officer, MakeMusic. "As such, we believe the MESH Technology Alliance represents a perfect fit for both our products and our mission."
Owned by Yamaha, Steinberg music production software has always placed strong emphasis on education within its Sequel, Cubase and Wavelab line of products. With the release of its new music curriculum (the Steinberg Classroom Resource Pack), Steinberg will help lead the way in using digital audio workstation technology to develop traditional musical skills.
Yamaha, the world's largest musical instrument manufacturer, features a wide range of products targeted to the educational market. With the release of the KX Series MIDI controllers and the POCKETRAK portable recorder at Winter NAMM 2008, Yamaha provides all the essential hardware components to deliver MESH's complete end-to-end solutions for the educational market—from audio interface to keyboards to studio monitors.
"Because Yamaha Corporation of America distributes both Yamaha and Steinberg products in the U.S., we can provide a large part of these music technology solutions," said Terry Lewis, Executive Vice President, Yamaha Corporation of America. "But when best-in-class companies like Garritan and MakeMusic join with us to form a team, the possibilities are astounding."
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, Music Production, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail
infostation@yamaha.com.