Dr. Bittman is going even further. He is looking at the entire human genome in conjunction with the Department of Defense and the Walter Reed Medical Center. “We’re going to uncover the actual roadmap of heart disease as it is affected by stress reduction and stress reversal,” he said. “This could form the basis for the future of the music products industry.”
Dr. Bittman added that research isn’t everything for RMM. It needs to be defined in simpler terms. What exactly is RMM? “What we’re proposing is the new definition for recreational music making is any form of music making that is for pure enjoyment. This broadens the criteria. It enables people to become part of what could be as successful a campaign as ‘Got Milk?’ Recreational music making can become an element of lifestyle like nutrition and exercise. It’s our charge to change the perspective [of RMM] worldwide.”
Debra and Matt Perez, owners of The Piano Gallery and Valley Keyboards in Texas have championed the RMM cause at their stores. “We always heard from adults who wanted to learn how to play instruments,” said Debra Perez. “So there was always a demand. So we started by teaching group piano. Out of college, that’s all I knew how to teach at the time. I began to listen to the people, take their suggestions, and the program has really grown. I made a poster that said, ‘Make your dream come true. Learn to play piano.’ After that poster came out, people kept coming [into the store]. We go after anyone from 18 years old to 75 or 80. We have intergenerational classes.
“We’ve been thinking about it a lot and came up with three critical factors that need to be in place,” she added. “We have figured out how to make a profitable business out of our RMM piano program. To us, profitable means a lot of happy students. They tell us it’s a life-changing experience for them. Our teachers are happy and are making good money. Our salespeople are happy because we figured out how to bridge the gap between sales and education. We’re showing and proving to [customers] that they can and should have music in their lives. And they are purchasing instruments.”
“We try to inspire new people with a compelling mission,” said Matt Perez. “Many people who don’t play the piano think it’s too hard or they can’t find a teacher. So our message is: ‘Music is for everyone. Recreational music making is for everyone from 4 to 94 [years old]. You can play. We guarantee it.’”
Among those in attendance other than those already named were Yamaha’s Terry Lewis, “The Piano Guy” Scott Houston, owner of Skyline Music and Music & Sound Retailer columnist Dan Vedda, and Tom Schmitt, owner of Schmitt Music.
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