Buena Park, Calif. — Yamaha Corporation of America announced today that its newly created Yamaha Music & Wellness Institute (YMWI) has established a formal collaboration with the Windber Research Institute (WRI) to enhance quality of life through active music participation. YMWI, an organization dedicated to research and education, supports the notion that active music participation can ultimately become an effective, integral healthy lifestyle strategy for people throughout the world. WRI, a U.S. Department of Defense funded laboratory in Windber, Pa., is considered to be "perhaps the most integrated, high throughput, functional genomics and proteomics research facility in the world."

"YMWI is committed to build upon and extend key recreational music making insights to an unprecedented level," commented Terry Lewis, Executive Vice-President of Yamaha Corporation of America. "This exciting collaboration with WRI is certain to foster the development of scientific breakthroughs that will forever change our understanding of how playing a musical instrument impacts our health."

"The launch of YMWI represents one of the greatest milestones of my career," noted retired music industry executive, Karl T. Bruhn, who serves as Chairman of the YMWI Board. "Throughout the years, I've personally experienced and witnessed first hand the phenomenal impact of playing a musical instrument on many levels. Our unique collaboration with WRI is a giant step toward extending the benefits of music-making to those in need through high level research that is certain to impact healthcare decision-makers throughout the world."

According to Barry Bittman, MD, CEO/President of YMWI, "While exercise and nutritional strategies abound, few enjoyable stress-reduction choices exist. Recreational music making fills that extraordinary void. Our collective focus is to improve quality of life through enjoyable music making activities that integrate creative musical expression with evidence-based bio-psycho-social strategies. We welcome the opportunity to work closely with Nick Jacobs and the scientific team at WRI to build upon our latest published genomic stress-reduction research that is already receiving widespread attention and acceptance in healthcare and wellness arenas worldwide."

"WRI is committed to exploring life-threatening health challenges and developing innovative treatment strategies through high level genomic and proteomic research," noted F. Nicholas Jacobs, President of WRI. "On a personal level, considering my own roots in music, I've always been convinced that playing a musical instrument has a phenomenal effect on one's overall well-being. WRI welcomes the opportunity to work with Dr. Bittman and the newly-formed Yamaha Institute to scientifically test the impact of music making in individuals facing a host of serious healthcare challenges."

Dr. James Eckenrode, Chief Medical Officer for Windber, expressed enthusiasm for the new collaboration. "Together with our partners in preventive cardiology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, we appreciate the importance of music in an integrated, patient-centered stress reduction program encompassing mind, body and spirit, and the value of assessing its effectiveness at the molecular level."

The YMWI/WRI collaboration is an unprecedented first for both music and healthcare industries. "This unique opportunity creates an unparalleled synergy that holds great promise for advancing our understanding of the benefits of active music participation at the highest scientific level," said Bittman.

For more information, write Yamaha Music & Wellness Institute, 18201 Conneaut Lake Road, Meadville, PA 16335, telephone (814) 333-5061, or e-mail bbittman@mmchs.org. For more information on WRI, contact Lesa Skotnicki, Director Marketing & Public Relations, Windber Research Institute, 600 Somerset Avenue Windber, PA 15963, (814) 467-3463, Cell: 814 243 4400, l.skotnicki@wriwindber.org.