YOUNG MUSICIANS SHINE AT WINTER NAMM JOC CONCERTS

BUENA PARK, MI (February 11, 2003)—Young musicians from the Yamaha Junior Original Concert (JOC) program offered live performances of their own original compositions in a pair of concerts at Winter NAMM 2003. Emceed by Mike Garson and David Benoit, the JOC performers were 14-year-old Jason Barney, 13-year-old Jennifer Lin, and 9-year-old Renee Smith.

L. to R. Miki Yoshimori, GM Yamaha Music Ed.; JOC Performers Jennifer Lin, Renee Smith & Jason Barney

The concerts took place Friday, January 17 and Saturday, January 18 in the Yamaha piano exhibition area. The Friday recital was hosted by composer, performer and David Bowie keyboard master Mike Garson, while Saturday’s show was hosted by jazz piano great David Benoit.

“To have these talented children perform with such high-caliber musicians as Mike Garson and David Benoit was certainly a high point of the NAMM show,” says Miki Yoshimori, general manager, Yamaha Music Education Systems.

Yamaha Music Education System (YMES) is a global network of music schools located in more than 40 countries. YMES enables children all over the world to study under the same Yamaha method, using the same textbooks and following the same curriculum, ultimately promoting a new international musical generation. The philosophy of the Yamaha Music School is not only to teach children how to play instruments, but to show them how to study music and express themselves through musical composition. More than one million YMES students worldwide are eligible to participate in the Yamaha Junior Original Concert program, which gives young musicians a chance to perform their own original compositions in a concert setting. In 2002, JOC celebrated its 30th anniversary.

For more information about the Yamaha Music Education System, please write Yamaha Corporation of America, Music Education Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; call (800) 722-8856; send e-mail to infostation@yamaha.com.