Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division Website Marches Into 2001

YAMAHA BAND & ORCHESTRAL DIVISION WEBSITE MARCHES INTO 2001

—Redesign of www.yamaha.com/band Includes New Online Community: Yamaha Educator Group (YEG)—

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (March 15, 2001)—Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, has redesigned its website from the ground up—making www.yamaha.com/band an even more valuable, easy-to-use resource for both new and old users of Yamaha's renowned band and orchestra products, as well as educators and members of the media.

Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division's new website has something for everyone—teachers, experienced musicians, and those just starting out.

A major feature of the new website is the Yamaha Educator Group (YEG), a new online community designed to enhance the teaching experience. In fact, educators will receive a gift just for signing up, and one of the first 1,000 registrants will win a Yamaha home theater system.

"Everything the Band & Orchestral Division has to offer is now right at your fingertips," says Michael Bennett, vice president and general manager, Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division. "You can find everything from special deals on new products to useful specs on an instrument you may have owned for years. There are direct links to our educational programs, a dealer locator, information on Yamaha affiliated artists, our latest product news, and more—all in an attractive, user-friendly site."

When longtime users visit the new site for the first time, they'll immediately notice the improvements. Along with the updated look, the new site offers powerful research features for selecting and obtaining instruments. In particular, the all-new Buyer's Guide provides a road map for beginning players, parents and teachers.

The YEG offers free registration for teachers, who will have remote anytime access to their own areas of the site. YEG members will receive up-to-date information on Yamaha products, events and services. The site features education tools, instrument art, screen savers and other downloadable artwork, as well as a file exchange area where teachers can upload and download musical samples and lesson materials.

The YEG discussion forum lets educators exchange ideas with each other and with Yamaha design engineers, and scheduled celebrity chats will include master Yamaha artists such as Allen Vizzutti, Bobby Shew, Doug Yeo and Eugene Rousseau. YEG members will also receive special invitations to events at conventions and festivals, such as Bands of America, Drum Corps International and the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic.

The new B&O site now offers a place for Yamaha owners to register their instruments and sign up for e-mail newsletters, bulletin boards to share perspectives with other musicians, an entertaining and informative look at how Yamaha creates its instruments, and a page of useful off-site links for band and orchestral music enthusiasts. In the coming months, more features will be added to the site, including scheduled master class chats and file exchange opportunities.

For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, 3445 East Paris Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49518; telephone (616) 940-4900; e-mail info@yamaha.com; or visit the web site at http://www.yamaha.com/band.

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