New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Casio America, Inc., a leading electronic musical instrument provider, is proud to announce that it has made a donation of 60 electronic musical instruments to The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. The newly donated instruments, which include CELVIANO, Lighted Key, Privia and Workstation keyboards and pianos, will be given to more than a dozen schools in six Title I-funded school districts across the nation, including Los Angeles, CA; Compton, CA; Pasadena, CA; Brownsville, TX; Miami-Dade, FL; and Duval, FL, for students to use both inside and outside of the classroom.
"Casio not only makes a great product but has a BIG heart! This donation of keyboards will be so appreciated by schools that could never afford to purchase them for their students," said Felice Mancini, President and CEO of The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. "What a great partner and asset for music education in our schools - we thank you."
Established in 1996, The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation helps to keep music alive in schools by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs, giving youth the many benefits of music education. Casio's donation will be distributed to schools in an effort to replace aging/broken instruments, eliminate the sharing of instruments, and to allow for more students to participate in the music program.
In addition to this most multi-district donation, Casio keyboards were also recently donated to Johnson Central High School, the alma mater of Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation worked with
Chris Stapleton to provide much-needed band instruments to the school during a visit to his home town of Paintsville, Kentucky.
"Music education is a major area of importance for Casio because it helps inspire creativity and foster academic development at a young age," said Stephen Schmidt, Vice President of Casio's Electronic Musical Instruments Division. "It is an honor to partner with The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation - an organization that is making it possible for students all over the country to discover their inner musician - and provide our feature-rich, quality instruments to schools that are looking to further students' music education."
It has long been acknowledged that piano instruction sets the stage for further musical learning and development. Casio keyboards and pianos offer an excellent value and a durable solution for instruction that stand up to the heavy use these instruments endure. Casio's electronic musical instruments offer a comprehensive feature set geared to enrich the learning experience. Several keyboard models are equipped with Casio's Step-up Lesson System, which enables beginners to learn 152 built-in songs phase-by-phase at their own individual pace. With the LCD display, students can learn both music notation and correct hand positioning, while Casio's innovative lesson system evaluates performance so users can track their progress. With the lighted key keyboards, students can practice with the help of the lighted 61-Key Piano
Style Touch-Response keyboard making learning both fun and entertaining.
To learn more about Casio's full portfolio of electronic musical instruments, 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, digital cameras, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to fulfill its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com.
About The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation
The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation donates musical instruments to under-funded schools in an effort to give youngsters the many benefits of music education, help them to be better students and inspire creativity and expression through playing music. The organization was inspired by the 1995 motion picture Mr. Holland's Opus and founded by Michael Kamen, who composed the music for the movie and countless others. In the last 20 years, over 20,000 instruments have been donated to over 1,360 schools across the country. More information can be found at www.mhopus.org.
