Yamaha Takes Center Stage at Disneyland's Home of the Future, Magic Music Days and Health & Fitness Expo
Source: Yamaha Corporation of America
Sep 20, 2008 - 12:32:52 PM
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Disklavier®, Silent Series®, and BODiBEAT® Add More Musical
Excitement to the "Happiest Place on Earth"
BUENA PARK, Calif.—Yamaha Corporation of America and the Disneyland Resort® have
enjoyed a mutually beneficial partnership for the past 18 years. In 2005, Yamaha
became the official supplier of musical instruments for the Disneyland® Resort.
Yamaha Disklaviers, grand pianos, upright pianos, drum kits and sound
reproduction and recording equipment are now placed in numerous locations
throughout the Happiest Place on Earth, including the sumptuous Grand
Californian Hotel and the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel.
The relationship between the Walt Disney Company, the largest employer of
professional musicians in the world, and Yamaha, the world's largest
manufacturer of musical instruments, has thrived and grown in many ways over the
past several years. "We're located just down the street from Disneyland," says
David Bergstrom, Director of Corporate Business Development for Yamaha
Corporation of America. He coordinates the efforts of a team of Yamaha managers
and staff representatives who work to satisfy the diverse needs of the
Disneyland Resort.
"It's a really interesting relationship with multiple
and unique levels of intersection. In addition to being the official supplier of
musical instruments for Disneyland, we are now pleased to be able to deepen this
partnership by sponsoring the All-America College Band during Disney Magic Music
Days and by being an integral part of the "House of the Future" Innoventions
Exhibit. And now, for the second year, our new BODiBEAT MP3 player is helping us
to create a vital Yamaha presence during one of Disneyland's most exciting
family events, the Disneyland Half Marathon. We're very pleased by all of these
opportunities for Disneyland visitors to experience and interact with Yamaha
instruments and products. It's definitely an exciting time for everyone
involved."
Vacationers, visitors and guests at events held at the
Disneyland Resort have long experienced a rich musical experience whether
attending weddings, corporate gatherings, concerts or the countless musical
events that are integral to the Disney offerings.
Each year, about two
million people flock to Disneyland's Innoventions Dream Home in Tomorrowland. In
June, after a year of renovations, the futuristic home — which is both a show
and a hands-on product showcase — re-opened with several Yamaha instruments,
including a Yamaha Disklavier and Silent Series instruments, as focal points of
the experience. Yamaha instruments are featured in an engaging interactive
display at the outset of the exhibit which allows youngsters and their parents
to play Yamaha instruments — an electronic drum kit, Clavinova digital piano and
EZ AG guitar — individually and in ensemble prior to entering the Home of the
Future. Once inside, the Yamaha Disklavier astounds visitors with its sound
system as well as its capabilities as a concert instrument and as a virtual
music teacher.
"Visitors can use the Disklavier's TouchScreen to hear
fantastic live performances and full arrangements of everyone's favorite Disney
music, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, see synchronized video
playback or take interactive music lessons. It's a real showstopper. Everyone's
having a really great time and parents are there, videotaping, while their kids
are having a one-of-a-kind musical experience," adds Bergstrom.
In
addition to its instrument and sound recording product placements, Yamaha
sponsors the internationally acclaimed Disney Magic Music Days, a unique
educational experience designed for students of the arts. Each year, over
130,000 talented high school students visit and perform at the parks.
Instrumental, vocal and dance ensembles showcase their talents in a professional
setting, study with professionals in their respective fields, and have a great
deal of fun, as well.
During Magic Music Days, Yamaha presents the
All-America College Band, comprised of students selected during highly
competitive auditions held throughout the country. The summer internship program
offers 25 promising young instrumentalists the opportunity to work for nine
weeks under the direction of Ron McCurdy, director of the jazz program at the
University of Southern California.
"Students perform five shows a day
and earn a salary," says Bergstrom. "Many of the 'Magic Music Days' graduates
are now professional musicians or heads of music departments at prestigious
schools. Ron went through the program himself in the 1970s, so he's a
particularly inspiring role model and mentor for aspiring musicians."
On
August 31, Yamaha was once again an integral part of the Disneyland
Half-Marathon, one of Disney's premier family destination events. Runners
traverse 13.6 miles of trails from the Anaheim Convention Center to Disney's
California Adventure® Park to the Disneyland® Park then on to the streets of
Anaheim, the Santa Ana Trail overlooking the Santa Ana River, past Angel Stadium
and finally back to Disney's California Adventure® Park for an exciting finish
at the Happiest Race on Earth.
In conjunction with the marathon, the
Health & Fitness Expo held at Disneyland Hotel Convention Center on August
29 - 30, focused on health and fitness, and served as a perfect venue to reveal
Yamaha's revolutionary BODiBEAT MP3 player. BODiBEAT is a portable music player
that automatically selects and plays the right music to stay in synch with the
steps of a runner or walker and to keep pace with any workout. It's the ultimate
motivator because it intelligently selects and plays music to keep pace with
footsteps. "BODiBEAT has been in product development for the past year, and we
just started shipping it August 1," notes Bergstrom. "Its unveiling at the
Disney Half Marathon was one of its first public appearances and I'm pleased to
say it really generated a great deal of excitement and interest."
The
strong relationship between Yamaha and Disneyland exemplifies the infinite
possibilities created when leaders who share a full spectrum of interests —
entertainment, music, education, a commitment to quality, state-of-the-art
technology and good old fashioned family values — work together to create a
finely attuned corporate collaboration.
For more information, write
Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone
(714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
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