Casio and Berklee City Music Announce Continued Partnership

Companies will Develop a Piano Course with Assistant Professor Leonardo Blanco for the Berklee PULSE® Music Method

News provided by

Jun 13, 2017, 09:00 ET

DOVER, N.J., June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc., a leading electronic musical instrument provider, today is excited to announce its continued partnership with Berklee City Music^® to provide budding pianists and teachers with instruments and instruction that leads to their continued musical development. Together, Casio and Berklee City Music will collaborate on a series of instructional videos for the Berklee PULSE^® Music Method, a unique and innovative online music education portal that enables students to study, jam, and practice using interactive modules and an ever-expanding collection of popular music. The course will be available beginning in August 2017.

"We are so grateful for Casio's generosity and dedication toward Berklee City Music," said Dr. Lee Whitmore, Vice President, Office of Education Outreach and Social Entrepreneurship at Berklee College of Music. "Through this ever-expanding relationship, Casio has provided musical and educational resources that have benefited hundreds of teachers and students throughout North America, and we can't wait to launch the next phase of this partnership on Berklee PULSE this fall."

The theme of the online course will be "Practice techniques, preparing for performance, using technology to improve your practice," led by Berklee PULSE piano assistant professor Leonardo Blanco. It will consist of five instructional videos that utilize Casio's CELVIANO Grand Hybrid digital pianos. In addition, each video will also include an accompanying classroom activity. Teachers will be able to access a comprehensive and engaging lesson plan in multiple parts that can be mapped over a one hour class leveraging the video and activity content, as well as assessments based on the lesson outcomes.

Casio's CELVIANO Grand Hybrid digital pianos recreate the piano experience through the convergence of acoustic and digital technologies. Casio's exclusive and innovative technology reproduces the subtle nuances of the world's finest grand pianos. The Natural Grand Hammer Action Keyboard technology includes full-length piano keys that use the same materials and processes as in C. Bechstein grand pianos and conveys delicate finger nuances more accurately, and enables dynamic touch, allowing pianists to play in a completely natural way. Also featured in all models within Casio's Grand Hybrid portfolio is the AiR Grand Sound Source, which faithfully recreates the same sound and reverberation like that of a grand piano, and a Grand Acoustic System that generates a space of three-dimensional sound and represents the sound of a grand piano as it emanates from above and below the soundboard.

"Practice makes perfect, and having access to programs that foster the proper techniques and technology are crucial to ensure that musicians make the most of their practice time," said Stephen Schmidt, Vice President of Casio's Electronic Musical Instrument Division. "At Casio, we're very excited to collaborate with Berklee PULSE to deliver a course that we think pianists of any level will benefit from."

To learn more about Casio's Grand Hybrid digital pianos and full portfolio of electronic musical instruments, please visit www.CasioMusicGear.com. To learn more about Berklee PULSE, please visit pulse.berklee.edu.

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 Berklee City Music^®Berklee City Music^® is a non-profit organization that leverages the power of contemporary music to empower youth from underserved communities to develop musically, academically, socially, and emotionally. Founded over 20 years ago by Berklee College of Music, the organization provides access to 1.4 million students annually through a variety of programs, partners and initiatives including City Music Network, City Music Boston, Amp Up NYC, and public school partners, all of whom have access to the innovative PULSE® online music method. By using culturally relevant music as a vehicle for holistic youth development, Berklee City Music helps young people flourish as students, musicians, and—perhaps most importantly—confident and well-rounded individuals ready to shape the world.

SOURCE Casio America, Inc.