We enter the Holiday Season of 2009 with energy and optimism as

we look back at the accomplishments of the year and look forward to

growth in 2010. You’ll find lots of news and information in this issue

about Yamaha Music School students’ activities, new school openings,

teacher milestones, new courses, and articles directed toward teachers

and administrators on the subject of retention and advancement.

Congratulations to Valerie Narumi, a student at Harmony Music

World in Fullerton, CA. Valerie was honored by President Barack Obama with a Golden Volunteer

Award in recognition of her outstanding volunteer service. You can read about how Valerie earned

this prestigious award in this issue of Harmony.

Schools around the country are now graduating their first students from the New Junior

Music Course. This means many are preparing to implement the new Fundamental Skills Survey.

If you are among those planning to offer the new FSS in the coming months, be sure to read the

article in this issue to confirm the updates to contents, materials and preparation.

Be sure to see the article on page two about the Regional JOCs that were conducted this past

summer in three cities. Thirty students from 20 schools performed their original compositions to

enthusiastic audiences. Planning is well under way for next year’s JOC activities which will feature,

for the first time, on-line performances by selected students as well as the 2010 Yamaha

National JOC Concert in Boston in October. Many more local and regional prizes will be awarded

and students will be selected to be featured in an on-line JOC website as well as the National

Concert. The application deadline for those who would like to receive comments on their compo-

sitions is February 1, 2010.

We welcome three new schools into the YMES network this fall: Coldwater Music School

in Litchfield Park, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix); Serom Music, in West Windsor, New Jersey;

and The Piano Warehouse in San Marcos, California.

Friendly reminder to school administrators: the deadline to update at least one classroom of

YMES student instruments is January 31, 2010. Many schools are now in the process of ordering

the new keyboards. If you’d like information about the keyboards or how to order, please call the

Music Education office at 714-522-9206.

Finally, we welcome signs that the most severe economic recession in decades is coming to an

end. As economic growth resumes, we anticipate a new influx of students eager to learn music.

Just as important as new student enrollment are the retention and advancement of current stu-

dents. You’ll find two articles, one in Harmony and one in Teacher’s Toolbox, devoted to this very

important subject. Retention and advancement are of vital importance if our schools are to

remain vibrant into the future. We encourage you to explore new ways to keep your students

happily involved in lessons so that music will remain an integral part of their lives.

YMES Student Composer/PerformersTreat Audiences in Three Cities toLively JOC Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2010 JOC Call for Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . 3

School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Improving Student Retention:Strategies from the Field Pt. 1 . . . . . . . . 5

YMES Students Score First Placein California MTA Composer Contest . . . . 6

New Junior Extension Courseto Launch in 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

President Obama HonorsYMES Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Events Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

F A L L 2 0 0 9 • V O L U M E 18

Y a m a h a M u s i c E d u c a t i o n S y s t e m – C r e a t i n g M u s i c F o r T o m o r r o w

I n t e rme z zo

Mike Morrell, Music EducationDepartment Manager

22

YMES Student Composer/Perfor Audiences in Three Cities to Live This year, Yamaha received 163 composi-

tions from 15 music schools around

the country. In lieu of a national concert,

28 students were selected to perform in

three regional concerts held in Teaneck,

New Jersey; Tempe, Arizona; and La Mirada,

California. In addition, 20 students received

an Honorable Mention in recognition of their

compositions and performances.

Each concert included a demonstration

of improvisation. Valerie Narumi (West),

Christian Nguyen (South) and guest artist

and JOC alumna Laurie Kono-Merchant

(East) spontaneously expanded on a motif

provided by an audience member at their

respective locations. This popular segment

delightfully illustrated to the audiences one

aspect of the YMES curriculum and gave

insight into how students begin composing.

Following each concert, students were

awarded certificates of excellence in perform-

ance and composition, then everyone in

attendance was invited to a reception.

The Eastern Regional JOC, held on

Sunday, May 3 at Fairleigh Dickinson

University’s Wilson Hall, featured new

works by eight talented students from

Bergen YMS, Fredericksburg YMS, Heid

Music and Keyboard Music Works. In

addition to her improvisation, guest artist

Laurie Kono-Merchant played “Alborada del

Gracioso” from “Miroirs” by Maurice Ravel.

The Southern Regional JOC took

place on Sunday, June 14th at Arizona State

University’s brand new Katzin Hall. Host

school East Valley Yamaha Music School

undertook the task of organizing this

concert, which was attended by two full

houses (guests were admitted to dress

rehearsal as well as the actual concert itself).

Nine students performed, representing four

schools: A1 YMS, Irvine YMC, Jensen’s YMS

and East Valley YMS.

The Western Regional JOC was held

on Sunday, June 14th at Biola University’s

Crowell Hall Auditorium. Six host schools

coordinated and showcased 11 performers

Eastern Concert Performers (L to R, Top Photo)Calvin Lu (age 9), Bergen YMS; Maria Tjilos (11), Keyboard Music Works; Angela Lacuesta (12),Bergen YMS; Ben Brosche (15), Fredericksburg YMS; Paula Motsenbocker (13), Fredericksburg YMS;Sarah Kunstman (13), Heid Music; Isaac Quinones (10), Heid Music; Emily Tu (14), Bergen YMSThank You Teachers: Donna Dahm, John Girvin, Elin Havrilla, Felicia Ruffman, Christine Smith

Southern Concert Performers (L to R)Caroline Huang (age 9), A-1 YMS; Renata Vallecillo (9), East Valley YMS; Yuta Okamoto (12),Irvine YMC; David Ryan Fong (14), Jensen’s YMS; Gabrielle Dotson (13), East Valley YMS; Christian Nguyen (12), East Valley YMS; Timothy Bi (10), East Valley YMS; Karalyn Schubring(10), East Valley YMS; Gabriel Dotson (15), East Valley YMS Thank You Teachers: Su-Shing Chiu, Vanja Nikolovski Gjumar, Heidi Grimes, Lois Jensen, Stacy Wang, Tomoko Yonemaru

from Cerritos YMS, Harmony Music World,

Irvine YMC, Phoenix YMS, A-1 YMS, Encino

YMS and Torrance YMC.

CJ and Paula Quiñones, parents of Eastern

concert performer/composer Isaac Quinoñes,

were enthusiastic about not only the concert

but the entire experience, saying “We’ve

appreciated all the opportunities that Isaac

has been given through Yamaha. The JOC

Regional concert in New Jersey was no excep-

tion. The music again was delightful from

all of the students and we continue to be

amazed at what they can do. Isaac appreciat-

ed his co-performers and their quick ability

to make the story in his music come alive.

We’ve appreciated the folks that have accom-

panied him. They’ve been very encouraging

towards Isaac. That’s important to us!”

Paula discussed another huge benefit of

the JOC concerts, “Some of these students

have turned into Isaac’s best friends and we

look forward to meeting with them again.”

The mother of Western concert performer

Danica Silan, from Irvine YMC, enjoyed the

overall value of the event as well, “The JOC

Regional is an awesome way of not just high-

lighting the composing talents of young

artists but also showing the incredible per-

formances of young musicians. The Yamaha

concert itself not only boosts the confidence

of the performers, but it also serves as a great

tool to show more of the creative skills, free-

dom of expression through music and a way

of actively participating in spreading music

all across America.”

mers Treat ly JOC Performances

3

Western Concert Performers (L to R)Sarah Sukardi (12), Irvine YMC; Valerie Narumi (10), Harmony Music World; Phillip Matsuura(13), Irvine YMC; Kenta Taniguchi (14), Phoenix YMS; Jaclyn Chu (12), A-1 YMS; Jessica Kao(age 15), Cerritos YMS; James Knapp (14), Encino YMS; Danica Silan (10), Irvine YMC; Sharon Hurvitz (10), A-1 YMS; Megan Chang (7); Torrance YMC; Analise Levesque (7), Irvine YMC Thank You Teachers: Marianna Abramyan, Kathy Anzis, Su-Shing Chiu, Ana Contreras, Nancy Kho,Jun Kurasako, Carlton Liu, Satomi Otsubo, Motoko Suzuki, Stacy Wang

2010Junior Original Concert

Call For EntriesNew for 2010: All entries will be divided into

regions, roughly corresponding to school loca-

tion, and categories: “A” for those who have

never performed at a Regional or National

JOC or Jamboree, and “B” for those who have,

regardless of region. There will also be the

normal age divisions of 10 and under, and

11-15. Top prizes will be awarded according

to region, category and division. Outstanding

composer/performers will be invited to perform

at the 2010 National Junior Original

Concert to be held in Boston, MA in the

fall! Information packages and applications

have been mailed to all Yamaha School loca-

tions. For further information, please call

800-722-8856 or email wleong@yamaha.com.

By Myrna Crooks

YMES Administration Specialist

Location, Location, Location! Imagine a

music school smack-dab in the middle of a

community chock-full of arts and arts educa-

tion. You’re probably picturing something like

Serom Music in West Windsor, New Jersey.

Serom recently debuted with two JMC and

two YMC classes. Just a 10 minute drive from

Princeton University and less than six miles

from Westminster Choir College, it’s not sur-

prising that a high percentage of the demo-

graphic supports the arts. The music school

is located in a shopping center uniquely rich

in businesses focused on children; the center

includes a Tae Kwon Do school, a kid’s gym,

a day care center, an art school, a dance

school, a dental office, and now Serom Music.

Serom Music is owned and operated by

John Girvin and his wife Christina Suh. John

teaches while Christina handles administration

and assisting families.

For several years John has worked for

Yamaha as a grade examiner and a JOC spe-

cialist. “After 10 years of working with YMES

graduates (JOC and IJOC), I was inspired by

the fine work of so many Yamaha teachers,”

he said. “I also have over 10 years experience

with nursery school children aged 21⁄2 - 5 years

old.” John said his biggest inspiration is their

five-year-old daughter Seromi, for whom the

school is named. “Seromi means ‘always

new’ in Korean; Serom is simply a shorter

form of the word.” It goes without saying that

Seromi is a happy student in one of her dad’s

JMC classes!

John has advertised in both Chinese and

English newspapers and was fortunate to have

articles featuring Serom Music published in

both languages in local back-to-school publica-

tions. But the early success of Serom Music is

primarily due to John and Christina’s

personal touch. One day, Christina noticed

a family in the parking lot; she tracked them

down, introduced herself, and now that family

has two children enrolled in YMES programs!

Having “YMES” prominently displayed in the

window helps too; another parent walked

right in and enrolled immediately because

her sister-in-law is a YMES teacher in Taiwan.

Like many YMES schools, Serom enjoys

a rich blend of cultures. John and Christina

certainly nourish the diversity their community

offers. A class of JMC students decided it was

more fun to sing “Sayonara” in multiple lan-

guages, so they now sing the final good-byes

in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, French

and Spanish!

Congratulations to Serom Music on its

successful start!

4

School News!

Last March, Nickelodeon notified Jensen’s

YMS that loyal and

enthusiastic parents

of students had

nominated it for

the “Best Music

School in San

Antonio” award. News

spread and the votes poured in to the

Nickelodeon website. On August 17, 2009,

Jensen’s was announced the winner. Perhaps

you can drop a hint to a faithful parent who will

nominate your school! The website for this

national program, www.parentsconnect.com,

contains lots of parenting information as well.

Serom Music Opens its Doors Jensen’s YMSReceives Awardfrom Nickelodeon

John Girvin, co-ownerof Serom Music, is aYMES teacher andSpecialist known toYamaha Music Campattendees. At left, theNew Jersey school islocated in the middle of a community devot-ed to the arts, in ashopping center withmany child-centeredbusinesses.

5

By Jim Keenan, Director of YMS Boston

When music teachers and administra-

tors hear one of these phrases from

parents, we get an uneasy feeling. Instinct

and experience tell us these words are usually

early warning signs about a student or fami-

ly’s lack of understanding of our program,

low level of commitment, or inability to

“stick to it.” Although not much research

has been done to examine music student

retention, there are a few studies that sup-

port these initial warning signs.

Costra-Giomi (2005), in studying

students who were likely to drop out early

versus students who continued, found that

there were no differences in cognitive or

musical abilities, self-esteem, motor abilities

or demographics. The clearest indicators

were directly related to the lessons: students

who dropped out practiced less and achieved

less in the first six weeks (“no time to prac-

tice”). Pitts, Davidson and McPherson (2000)

found that likely dropouts started music

lessons for non-musical reasons (“we’re here

because of a friend”) and usually declared

early on that their participation was tempo-

rary (“we’ll try it out”). Although these

studies used feedback from the students,

as YMES educators working with a younger

population, we rely more upon the parent’s

statements, attitudes and beliefs. We can

easily translate the typical drop-out indica-

tors outlined in these studies into the things

we commonly hear from parents.

For teachers and administrators, we can

use these early red flags to our advantage

in shaping our approach to enrollment,

support, education and customer service.

The Importance of Retention We all know that improving student

retention can make a difference in the

bottom line. A dedication to continu-

ous improvement can have a powerful

impact. In fact, if you increase your

annual retention rate from 75% –80%,

it will increase the average student’s

“life expectancy”—how long they stay

as a student in your school—from four

to five years. In other words, a 6.7%

improvement increases the customer’s

time with you by 25% percent. Students

who remain longer also generate higher rev-

enues per customer due to add-on selling

(such as private lessons, instrument/book

sales, etc), they cost less to serve, and they

are strong program advocates driving future

business through word-of-mouth.

Over time, increased levels of student

and family dedication can translate into

better teacher compensation, improved

educational quality and results, new class-

room instruments or more exciting concerts

and community events.

It’s critical to view retention as a business

model for success. Many times, our only

focus is on enrolling new students. But

retaining students, while requiring an invest-

ment of time and capital, is cheaper than

recruiting. Schools with the best retention

make the shift from a ‘recruiting only’ mind-

set to a ‘recruiting and retention’ program.

Retention rates impact much more than

the bottom line. It’s difficult to work con-

stantly to attract new students, but it can be

disheartening to see the families you worked

so hard to recruit and teach leave. And while

it is a reality that, from time to time, students

may discontinue, it is our passionate goal to

retain 100%.

Finally, when we lose students, we also

lose some ability to fully realize our mission

to impact the future musical generation.

Start With a Strong Mindset

YMES schools with a long history of good

retention have a strong mindset and high

expectations. Jeannine Krause, from Heid

Yamaha Music School in Appleton, WI,

explains that, “Our general approach to

retention is that we just have an expectation

that our students will remain in our program

for its entirety. Up front, we stress that this is

a five year program (JMC/JXC—we take the

summers off) and the vast majority of our

students do remain for the five years. It is

in the teacher's best interest to have great

retention, and also the school's best interest.”

This approach sends the message about

the importance of long term commitment

and it is communicated over time in direct

and subtle ways. Beverly Griffith, owner

and teacher at Wheaton Yamaha Music

School in Wheaton, IL, writes, “We have

“We don’t have much timeto practice.”

“We’re here because my friendbrings her child to the class.”

“We’ll try it out and see if he likes it.”

Continued on page 6

Improving Student Retention:Strategies from the Field Part

One

Happy students and parents (here from YMS Boston) make retention easy and they are strong advocates for YMES programs.

6

YMES Students Score First Place in California MTAComposer ContestDivision 1: Chloe LiTeacher: Su-Shing Chiu (Irvine YMC)

Division 2: Caroline Huang Teacher: Stacy Wang (A-1 YMS)

Division 3: Danica SilanTeacher: Ana Contreras (Irvine YMC)

Division 4: Jessica ZhaoTeacher: Su-Shing Chiu (Irvine YMC)

Division 5: Matthew NguyenTeacher: Su-Shing Chiu (Irvine YMC)

Young Mozart Award: Phillip MatsuuraTeacher: Satomi Otsubo (Irvine YMC)

viewed student retention as a given for many

years; once students enrolled in our program

they were pretty much sold on its benefits

and rewards, and continued until the end of

the program, and then often stayed for con-

tinuing private piano lessons.”

Shape Expectations from the Beginning Students and parents don’t usually evaluate

the school and program based on its own

merits. They evaluate it relative to their

expectations. This means that we have to

put a high degree of attention and focus

on shaping the experience and expectations

from the very beginning. Everything from

demonstrating a professional image with a

high level of customer service in the first

communications (phone call, e-mail, web-

site) to a clear enrollment process and con-

tinuing support comes together to shape

expectation.

Kimiko Fujita, owner of the Irvine, Aliso

Viejo, and Torrance Yamaha Music Centers,

requires that all students attend a preview

lesson prior to enrolling; no one is allowed

to enroll and just come to the first class. The

preview lesson is necessary to the enrollment

process, providing an opportunity for parent

education. Significantly, this is also a chance

for families to decide not to enroll, saving

time and energy for more qualified families

during the first critical weeks. For families

who wish to skip this crucial first step,

Kimiko says, “If you are registering for the

class just to ‘try,’ then I wouldn’t recom-

mend it. This is a serious education program

that requires a long-term commitment.”

Have a SystemThese three schools pride themselves on

their clear policies and systems for parent

education. After the preview lesson, they:

1.Hold a meeting during the final 10-15 minutes of the first class.

2.Hold a second parent only in-classmeeting in the third month.

3.If challenges are discovered, theschool offers a “practice partner”option (Yamaha graduates travel to the home to assist with practicing).

4.Teachers may offer a 30 minute ‘catch up’ private lesson.

Be Innovative and ImaginativeMany experienced Yamaha administrators

and teachers may recall that, at one time,

Yamaha offered a four-lesson sample called

“Music Land.” Beverly Griffith provides an

updated version of this approach by offering

the first three lessons of Junior Music Course

(JMC) as a “sample” class. This is a prerequi-

site to JMC 1. Although this approach does

not replace the preview lesson, it does allow

families to experience the course before

enrolling for an entire semester.

Beverly adds, “It also helps us weed out

kids who aren’t ready to begin JMC and

identify children with special needs. Parents

pay for the three lessons, then (officially)

start JMC in lesson four. I’d say about 90%

of the kids stay for the class; they see the

DVD and all the great materials in the sam-

ple classes and are hooked. Parents are sold

after they see how the lessons work for their

children and how easy and successful it is.”

This is a win-win all around and has even

more impact during difficult economic times

when most families are very careful about

finances.

Maintain Communication Unlike a pre-school or elementary school

environment where parents have opportuni-

ties for daily interaction, after-school enrich-

ment programs usually see the families for

only one hour per week. It’s critical to main-

tain regular communications to build a sense

of community and belonging.

Many schools use a variety of communi-

cation tools to keep parents informed and

involved. At Heid YMS, which is part of a full

service dealer, the school sends out ‘e-blasts’

Improving Student RetentionContinued from page 5

Continued on page 7

77

RetentionContinued from page 6

(mass e-mails) to alert families about special

events and promotions. Wheaton’s Beverly

Griffith states, “The single most important

thing that I do is keep an open channel of

communication with the parents. This is

their school and we let them know that

we’re so glad that they are a part of our

Yamaha team.”

In part two of this series, we will diagram

and explore a Marketing and Retention Flow

Chart based on a typical academic year that

implements many of these ideas.

Costa-Giomi E. (2005). “‘I do not want to study piano!’Early predictors of student drop out behavior.” Bulletin ofthe Counsel for Research in Music Education, 57-64, 161-162.

Pitts, S., Davidson J., & McPherson, G. (2000). “Modelsof Success and Failure in Instrumental Learning: Casestudies of young players in the first 20 months of learning.”Bulletin of the Counsel for Research in Music Education, 51-69, 146.

Blattberg, R. C., Getz, G., & Thomas, J. S. (2006).Managing Customer Retention. Excerpted from CustomerEquity: Building and Managing Relationships as Valuable Assets.Harvard Business School Press, 2-3, 5-6.

Raisman, Neal A. (2008). The Power of Retention: MoreCustomer Service for Higher Education. The Administrator’sBookshelf, 65-66.

By Valerie Narumi, YMES Student,

Harmony Music World, California

Last October, I started thinking about how

I could help other kids around the world. I

asked my parents and we found the “Trick-

or-Treat for UNICEF” campaign where I could

raise funds and set up my own website.

With my parents’ help, I registered

as a youth volunteer and waited to

receive little orange boxes but they

never arrived because I think we were

too late. So, I began thinking about other

ways I could raise money for UNICEF.

I had attended charity recitals and asked

my parents and teachers about it. They said,

“Okay,” and we began to organize my first

community service project. I must say, it was

more difficult than I expected. First, we had

to decide on a date, time, and place. We saw

about six places before we decided on a recital

hall at Fullerton College near my home.

Next, I worked with my teachers —

Mr. Carlton Liu and Mr. Chun-Yi Wang—

on the program. We decided on an hour-

long program including major works cover-

ing the four musical periods, my original

compositions that I played at Yamaha Junior

Original Concerts, and improvisation for the

first time in front of a live audience. I spent

the next three months memorizing pieces

by Bach, Mozart, Liszt, Bartok, and Chopin

by practicing many hours every day.

My parents and I made fliers and

asked neighbors, friends, and busi-

nesses to help sponsor and volunteer at

the recital. We made a poster about UNICEF

and programs for the recital. We all worked

closely together as a team.

About 70 people, including two Yorba

Linda City Council members, attended the

charity recital. I exceeded my goal by raising

over $1,900 for UNICEF. I was very happy

to exceed my goal to help kids all over the

world survive and grow. I thanked everyone

for their generous donations and for taking

time out of their busy schedules to attend.

During National Volunteer Week held

on April 19-25, 2009, UNICEF sent me a

President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award

and a congratulatory letter signed by

President Obama! I was surprised to receive

this award and felt good that I could do

something to make a difference in the world

with my music. I’m looking forward to help-

ing others with my next charity recital.

The Yamaha Music Foundation has

developed an exciting new Junior

Extension Course (NJXC) that will debut in

the U.S. in the fall

of 2010. The

course is now

offered at U.S.

pilot locations:

Atlanta Music

Education Center,

YMS Boston, Heid Music, and Jensen’s YMS.

Already, teachers notice positive results:

“These books are so user friendly for the

young kids who are suddenly coming

without parents. They have felt great

success already,” says Lois Jensen.

“I’m excited about the extra

focus on composition. Before

the new course, some of

my students were interested in

composing. Now, all of the students want to

improvise and compose,” adds Tina Darden

in Atlanta.

All JMC4 students moving into the JXC

in fall 2010 will begin NJXC lessons. To pre-

pare teachers, YCA will conduct regional

NJXC Certification seminars for experienced

YMES teachers in the summer of 2010. Look

for an upcoming mailing announcing NJXC

seminar dates and locations.

New Junior Extension Course to Launch in ‘10

President Obama Honors YMES Student

8

Events Calendar

©2009 Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600 www.yamaha.comThe articles in this newsletter reflect the personal observations of the authors only and are not requirements of Yamaha Corporation of America.

December 24-25 Holiday – YCA offices closed

January 1, 2010 Application deadline for February Intro to YMESJanuary 11 Grade Exam January 11-16 Teacher Certification Seminar – Part A January 14-17 NAMM Show – Anaheim, CAJanuary 25 Grade Exam January 25-27 Teacher Certification Seminar – Part B

February 1 Application deadline for TCE (for April Intro to YMES)Application deadline for 2010 JOC entries

February 8 Holiday – YCA offices closedFebruary 15 Holiday – YCA offices closedFebruary TBA Intro to YMES

March 1 Application deadline for April Grade ExamApplication deadline for April Intro to YMES

April 1 Application deadline for TCE (for July Seminar Part A)April 2 Holiday – YCA offices closedApril 9 Grade ExamApril TBA Intro to YMES

May 1 Application deadline for July Teacher Certification SeminarsMay 31 Holiday – YCA offices closed

June 1 Application deadline for July Grade ExamsApplication deadline for August Advanced Courses SeminarApplication deadline for TCE (for August Intro to YMES)

July 12 Grade ExamJuly 12-17 Teacher Certification Seminar - Part AJuly 26 Grade ExamJuly 26-31 Teacher Certification Seminar - Part B

August 12-13 Advanced Courses Seminar