Yamaha News Release
Yamaha Corporation
July 30, 2025
Yamaha and JICA Collaborate to Promote Music Education in the Philippines
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and JICA Partner to Promote Music Education in the Philippines through the 'EDU-Port Nippon' Initiative
Yamaha Corporation (hereafter, "Yamaha") announced that its initiative to support primary music education in the Republic of the Philippines (hereafter, "the Philippines") has been selected by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for the "FY2025 'EDU-Port Nippon' Overseas Development of Japanese-style Education" support project. Furthermore, to improve the quality of primary education in the Philippines, Yamaha signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on July 25, 2025.
Since 2015, Yamaha has been developing the "School Project" in emerging countries, aiming to foster a peaceful society where children worldwide can lead fulfilling lives through music. In this project, Yamaha collaborates with government education agencies in various countries to support curriculum development, train instructors, and provide musical instruments and educational materials, thereby promoting music and instrumental education in public schools. To date, Yamaha has provided opportunities for approximately 4.25 million children in 10 countries—Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Colombia, the Philippines, and Mexico—to enjoy music and learn to play instruments (as of June 2025).
In the Philippines, as part of a collaboration between Hamamatsu City and Davao City, Yamaha has been piloting music education using recorders for approximately 720 students in three public elementary schools in Davao City since December 2024. While the new national curriculum is being phased in from the same year, the revision prioritizes academic improvement in science and mathematics, leading to the integration and reduction of music education in the 1st to 3rd grades of elementary school. Consequently, there are concerns that the curriculum's original aim of fostering comprehensive, 21st-century human capabilities necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world may be compromised due to a lack of focus on holistic development. Therefore, this project aims to contribute to the acquisition of "21st-century skills" by introducing Japanese-style music education, including the use of musical instruments.
About the FY2025 'EDU-Port Nippon' Overseas Development of Japanese-style Education Initiative
The "School Project" in the Philippines has been selected for the 'EDU-Port Nippon' initiative. This initiative is a project that promotes Japanese education overseas through public-private collaboration, involving government ministries, JICA, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), local governments, educational institutions, private companies, and non-profit organizations (NPOs). This selection marks the seventh country for this public call for projects, following Vietnam (2016, 2018), Egypt (2020, 2022), Brazil (2022), India (2022, 2024), Colombia (2023), and Kenya (2024). Yamaha will continue to advance music education support for primary schools while verifying and sharing outcomes and challenges with MEXT.
About the MOU with JICA
Through this collaboration with JICA, Yamaha and JICA will leverage their respective expertise to promote co-creation and foster the development of non-cognitive skills through music education using instruments in the Philippines, thereby improving the quality of education.
Signing Date: July 25, 2025
Anticipated Activities:
- Observation tours of music education in Japan and ASEAN countries by the Philippine Ministry of Education.
- Observation tours of the "School Project" in Davao City by the Philippine Ministry of Education.
- Measurement of the effects of music education using instruments in the Philippines.
Left: Tomoyuki Hayakawa, Director-General, Southeast Asia and Pacific Department, JICA
Right: Kenji Sakai, General Manager, Musical Instruments Division, Yamaha Corporation
Yamaha has a history of working with JICA to address development challenges in developing countries. Past collaborations include the "Project for the Preparation of Sustainable Forest Management of FSC Certified Forests" in Tanzania (December 2016 - December 2019), the "Project for the Commercialization of Japanese Instrumental Music Education in Primary Education in Egypt" (June 2021 - December 2022), and the participation of Yamaha employees in the JICA Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program (First dispatch in 2012). Through this MOU, Yamaha aims to contribute to solving various social issues and realize a sustainable society through co-creation.
About the "School Project"
This initiative contributes to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Target 4: Quality Education, Target 10: Reduced Inequalities, Target 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and Target 17: Partnerships for the Goals. The project aims to foster children's non-cognitive skills through music education and to develop business models for promoting music education that aligns with the educational contexts of each country.
Reference
FY2025 'EDU-Port Nippon' Overseas Development of Japanese-style Education Initiative Selected Projects:
https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20250704-mxt_kokusai-000043271_3.pdf
