Casio And NAMM’S Museum of Making Music Spotlight Music Education During ‘Music in Our Schools Month’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CASIO AND NAMM’S MUSEUM OF MAKING MUSIC SPOTLIGHT MUSIC EDUCATION DURING ‘MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH’
20 Casio Workstation WK-6500 Digital Keyboards shared with San Marcos Unified School District in California Help Students Foster a Love for Music

DOVER, NJ, March 28, 2017 - This March, Casio America, Inc. celebrated ‘Music in Our Schools Month’, which was created by The National Association for Music Education, with a special loan of electronic musical instruments to the San Marcos Unified School District in San Marcos, California through a partnership with NAMM’s Museum of Making Music. As an electronic musical instrument manufacturer for more than thirty-five years, Casio is committed to providing educators and students across the nation with the digital pianos and keyboards they need to take their love of music to the next level. The instruments, which included 20 Casio Workstation WK-6500 digital keyboards, are now part of the Museum’s education collection and will be used in classroom music programs throughout the district’s 19 schools.

“As a leader in the electronic musical instrument industry, it is Casio’s mission to support music education and deliver tools to help foster the growth of young musicians," said Stephen Schmidt, Vice President of Casio’s Electronic Musical Instruments Division. “Music in Our Schools Month is a great time for students to embrace music, and it is our hope that with the right tools, they will realize their true passion for music now and in the coming years."

Casio’s WK-6500 portable keyboard is especially suited for education as it features a 76-Key Piano Style Touch Response Keyboard, a five-track recorder, audio inputs for an MP3 player, and a class compliant USB port for MIDI. The WK-6500 is designed with a large, backlit LCD display and is equipped with a 17-track sequencer and editing tools for creating new sounds and music composition. It also offers more than 200 different styles of music from around the world, 670 instrument tones 100 DSP effects and a registration mode for live performance.

"With the help of Casio and NAMM’s Museum of Making Music we were able to get our new K-5 music classes off the ground," said Matthew Armstrong, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, San Marcos Unified School District. “Each classroom now has Casio keyboards which allow our teachers to provide accompaniment as well as basic keyboard lessons to the 7,000 plus students that come through our elementary music classrooms each week."

To learn more about Casio’s portfolio of electronic musical instruments and education initiatives, please visit www.CasioMusicGear.com.

About Casio America, Inc.
Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of “creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casio.com.

About The Museum of Making Music
Opened to the public in March 2000 by NAMM, the Museum of Making Music (MoMM) is located on the first floor of NAMM’s global headquarters in Carlsbad, California. The Museum was developed to celebrate the vibrancy of the music products industry and to showcase the deep impact music that music and musical instruments and products have on us as individuals and as a society. MoMM preserves our musical heritage (1900 to today) and provides opportunities for cultural enrichment through special exhibitions, innovative concerts and educational programs for a wide range of audiences.

MoMM’s core message is that the world of making music is an inviting and remarkable ecosystem. Whether it’s making the instrument, making the sale or making the music, the experience of music is a precious element of daily living and should be available to everyone, regardless of age, income level or ethnic background. For details on the Museum’s concerts, exhibits, workshops and outreach programs, please visit http://www.museumofmakingmusic.com