YAMAHA HELPS KIDS DISCOVER THE POWER OF PERCUSSION

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (September 20, 2002)—Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division Sounds of Summer camps provide summertime fun when school is out, days are long, and kids can concentrate on the things they love most, in this case, music. Let's face it, kids like to make noise. The camps provide a fun, challenging, and action-packed event where kids learn from some of the best in the business. Hundreds of kids at approximately 30 camps across the US are challenged to improve their percussion abilities.

Students at Yamaha Sounds of Summer Camp

"The Sounds of Summer 2002 program worked better than ever this year, providing world class instruction to percussionists all over the country," says Sounds of Summer national administrator John Wittmann. "We had nine new camps and students from New Jersey to California worked hard in order to return to their school programs with a higher level of expertise and excitement about being a percussionist. Yamaha is more committed than ever to the art of drumming and the success of music education."

The addition of Dennis DeLucia to the Yamaha team as a percussion consultant and clinician has greatly improved the Sounds of Summer program. The camp programs, exclusive to Yamaha, are running strong and have grown consistently since their inception in 1986. This year, a new percussion manual entitled "Marching Percussion Essentials" was introduced. The outdoor camps offer students the chance to hone their skills and have fun in the sun. They are sponsored locally by music dealers and this year, over 1700 students attended. The Sounds of Summer program gives a music dealer the chance to stand out in their community as a supporter of music education and the arts and provides quality time between the dealer and camp students by building long-term relationships, while helping kids "jump-start" the school year.

"We hold our camp late in the summer, just before most school programs start, and a lot of teachers appreciate that," says Nick Rail, owner of Nick Rail Music in Santa Barbara, Agoura Hills and Santa Clarita, CA. "Our posture toward any clinic we do is one of community service. Our bottom line is giving back to the community, giving the kids a good experience."

Participants in the camp enjoy hands-on instruction based on the combined expertise of Yamaha's affiliated artists and teachers, such as James Campbell, Dennis DeLucia, Jeff Moore, Bret Kuhn, and Tom Aungst. Through rehearsals, exercises and etudes, the camp experience combines learning and fun for campers with different ability levels. The experience is a wonderful way to boost confidence and skills as a percussion artist.

For more information on Yamaha Sounds of Summer Percussion Camps, contact Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, 3445 East Paris Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49518; call (616) 940-4900; send e-mail to infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com/band.