Casio Supports Music Education With Keyboard Donations To Notes For Notes®

XW-G1 Synthesizers and Privia PX-5S Pianos Provide Perfect Learning Opportunity for Budding Musicians

News provided by

Feb 17, 2015, 09:00 ET

DOVER, N.J., Feb. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc., a leading electronic musical instrument provider, is proud to announce it will be donating digital pianos and synthesizers to six new Notes for Notes^® Recording Studios at Boys & Girls Clubs and after-school facilities across the country. The donated instruments will be used by the Notes for Notes team to help give youth the opportunity to explore, create and record music for free particularly in geographic areas of the highest need that are also removing arts from the curriculum.

"Music can be a very powerful outlet for today's youth to express themselves in a positive way and it can also be a great tool for developing an individual's self-esteem," said Stephen Schmidt, Vice President of Casio's Electronic Musical Instrument Division. "We are proud to support such a worthy cause like Notes for Notes and we're excited to bring our electronic musical instruments to the new recording studios, enabling the aspiring musicians of tomorrow to fine-tune their skills."

Notes for Notes is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that designs, equips and staffs after-school recording studios inside Boys & Girls Clubs and after-school facilities offering youth the opportunity to explore, create, and record music, free of charge. At the core of the organization is a focus on putting youth on positive paths with music as the first step.

"Exploring sound through amazing instruments such as the PX-5S and XW-G1 can unlock the musical potential some youth never imagined they had," says Philip Gilley, CEO/Co-Founder of Notes for Notes. "Taking what was only imagined and sharing it with the world is true empowerment and we are so thankful to Casio for helping us create those opportunities every day."

This year, Notes for Notes will open six-plus new recording studios in cities including San Francisco, Ventura, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Detroit and Austin – which has been made possible due to the generous support of the Country Music Association Foundation and Notes for Notes' partners. In support of this growing music education program, Casio donated brand new musical instruments including seven Privia Pro PX-5S digital pianos and seven XW-G1 Groove Synthesizers to be used in the new studios.

The Privia Pro PX-5S is a genuine stage piano, advanced MIDI controller and performance instrument packed with functions that set it apart from other digital pianos. Equipped with Casio's proprietary sound source, "AiR" (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator), the PX-5S delivers acoustic piano sounds with unmatched realism and detail. The power of AiR is also applied to an all new set of authentic vintage electric piano sounds and clavinets that is paired by a powerful new effects engine giving the PX-5S an arsenal of both acoustic and electric piano sounds. Casio's PX-5S even provides the ability to record a 44.1kHz.wav file directly to a USB thumb drive so that rehearsals, performances and moments of inspiration can be easily captured and shared.

Casio's XW-G1 Groove Synthesizer is specifically designed for budding DJs to build and mix their performance with ease. The XW-G1 features an interactive step sequencer and a sample looper for digitally capturing performance patterns and external instruments. With everything from pulsing dance grooves to animated synth textures and arpeggios, the Step Sequencer in the XW-G1 is the first of its kind. The XW-G1 also includes nine built-in tracks for drums, basses, synths and chordal parts, four controller tracks for adding panning, filter changes and other animation to existing parts and eight patterns that make up each sequence.

The PX-5S piano (MSRP: $1,299) and XW-G1 synthesizer (MSRP: $799.99) are currently available at select music dealers nationwide. For additional information regarding Casio's 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 Notes for Notes
Notes for Notes® is a non-profit organization which builds, equips, and staffs after-school recording studios (inside Boys & Girls Clubs and after-school facilities) packed with guitars, drums, keys/synths, DJ gear, digital music stations and full recording studios offering youth completely FREE access to explore, create, and record music. Notes for Notes has 2 studios in Boys & Girls Clubs in Santa Barbara, CA; 2 in Nashville, TN; 2 in Los Angeles, CA; and coming soon to Brooklyn, NY; San Francisco and Ventura, CA; Detroit, MI; Austin, TX; and Atlanta, GA. Beyond creating music the organization also educates about the multitude of careers around the industry and the positive paths the music can be the catalyst to.Learn more at notesfornotes.org