New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "From an educational standpoint, this is a phenomenal music resource and will enhance Cairn's group piano program both at the undergraduate level and for the Cairn Community Arts Academy group classes," said
Benjamin Harding, chair of
Music at Cairn University.
Cairn University's School of
Music has recently installed a digital lab made up of nine Yamaha Clavinova CVP-705 digital pianos. Yamaha also set up Apple® iPad interfaces that give instructors wireless control of the classroom via the exclusive Yamaha LC4 Controller App, which is a first in music lab technology.
Thanks to a generous donor, the new keyboard lab was in place and instructors were trained before classes began this fall. "We now have one of the finest labs in the country," says
Benjamin Harding, chair of
Music at Cairn University. "From an educational standpoint, this is a phenomenal music resource and will enhance Cairn's group piano program both at the undergraduate level and for the Cairn Community Arts Academy group classes. Plus, this technology is really fun for students and will allow them to become proficient more quickly. When the fun factor goes up, the engagement level goes up, and the learning level goes up. It is spectacular to be a part of this!"
Students are able to work on their skills individually - using their headphones - as well as collaborate with each other and perform in duets or groups. This latest version of Yamaha Clavinova technology offers thousands of instrument voices and hundreds of accompaniment patterns from around the world, giving Cairn students unprecedented access to creative tools for songwriting and composition, as well as exciting new approaches to piano education. With the Wi-Fi kit for example, teachers can easily move around the classroom to provide hands-on instruction, and can control the lab with an iPad, make notes on student performance and attendance and access their own iPad music library for classroom broadcast.
Harding, who had helped build the University of Maryland music program, looked at a number of products before selecting one. "I was impressed with where Yamaha was going and its R & D investment," he explains. "I couldn't find anything that would propel our students better than with Yamaha technology."
As the music school's curriculum moves away from the traditional direction of 19th century sacred music, it is transforming into a 21st century program that takes the best advantage of the latest technology. "It is exciting to be a part of a growing program and to have the technology that lets our students participate in the future of the arts—right now," Harding says. "We can help families with beginning students in ways we have never been able to do before. For example, in group classes, we will be able to meet students at whatever level they have achieved so far. We are also able to have a community program for students with special needs. They come in and have a blast with these instruments. Ultimately, this sharing of the arts and technology makes me very optimistic about the future of music."
For more information about Cairn University's School of Music, please visit https://cairn.edu/academics/music/
