When Wayne State’s Music Department Chair, Dr. Linda Christensen isn’t coming up with new ways to use their school’s Disklavier pianos, she can be found teaching one of the most innovative class piano programs in the country in a state-of-the-art Yamaha Clavinova lab with computers and network connectivity at each station. In the 2013-14 school year, Christensen added a new twist to the class, inviting collaboration with counterparts at the University of Sao Paolo, Brazil.

This article originally appeared in The Wayne Stater. Reprinted by permission.

Hayley Ringle
Reporter-Phoenix Business Journal

The model number of a Disklavier is normally not printed anywhere on the instrument itself. In most cases, you can determine the model number by the physical characteristics of the instrument and by looking for the DKC number on the control unit.

In most cases, it is possible to upgrade an older Disklavier with modern features, including internal memory, USB for MIDI, USB flash drive support, internal tone generator, CD drive, remote access with an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, and even DisklavierRadio™ and DisklavierTV™ in most cases.

The upgrade is a new control unit called the DKC-850. In most cases, it replaces an existing control unit. In other cases, it functions as a piggyback control unit that connects to the old unit with MIDI cables.

The DKC-850 package comes with all the cables that you need and detailed instructions, including pictures for how to connect everything. Anyone can install the upgrade. A technician is not required.

As part of an ongoing effort to connect students and teachers worldwide, Yamaha has spent the last few years piloting a new feature of the Disklavier known as RemoteLesson. For about 5 years, this tool was limited to only a handful of teachers and performers as we experimented with best practices for successful online teaching. Now, several well-known Yamaha Artists have began experimenting with RemoteLesson to experience this technology, as well as to widen their reach to classical audiences and students worldwide. Why would a world-class pianists choose to teach a masterclass long distance? Turns out the reasons are as varied as the artists themselves.