Yamaha Helps Teacher Don Drowty Inspire Navajo Students Professor David Demko, PhD AgeVenture News Service Yamaha Corporation of America and the Many Farms Navajo Indian Reservation have joined together to make a dream come true for the children’s choir of Many Farms High School. The Many Farms Indian Reservation, located in the desert of Arizona, is home to approximately 5,000 Native Americans, and over 200,000 who live on the Navajo reservation, encompassing parts of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Life is hard. A 70-80 percent unemployment rate exists on the reservation and many of its occupants must travel up to 150 miles to look for employment. Yamaha has become an instrument of hope for many of the young people on the reservation. "With their endless support, Yamaha has been the backbone of music programs on the reservation. We are so appreciative of all their efforts on behalf of the children," states Don Drowty (photo above left), department of special education, and the only music teacher within the Navajo reservation. "You can only play football and baseball for so long, but you can play a piano or guitar for a lifetime." Drowty has been a youth volunteer for over 40 years, 32 of which he has spent teaching music. With the recent donation of new guitars and keyboards, the children will continue to enjoy learning how to play while providing musical accompaniment to the Navajo Nation High School choir. In the photo (right), Dowtry teaches a guitar class to Navajo High School students using instruments donated by Yamaha. The Many Farms children’s choir recently traveled over 720 miles on a school bus to Beverly Hills, CA, for the First Navajo Nation High School Cultural Exchange where high schools in Beverly Hills, Malibu and the San Fernando Valley hosted the Many Farms choir. "It has been one of the most rewarding and uplifting experiences for these children. The children’s eyes were wide with amazement at the sight of Beverly Hills coming from such a poverty-stricken environment", says Dowtry. "It is rewarding as a company to participate in programs that will in some small way enhance the spirit of music while providing a tool for learning to these children," notes Terry Lewis, senior vice president, Yamaha Corporation of America. The relationship between Many Farms and Yamaha began over 15 years ago through the American Music Project, a not-for-profit organization that offers assistance to school systems that are lacking funds for music education in the form of special programs. With over one-third of the nation’s music education programs in jeopardy of losing state funding, the American Music Project has assisted more than 70,000 schools across the nation, helping over 21 million children over the past 15 years.