Polycom and Manhattan School of Music Present Virtual Jazz Concert

Polycom and Manhattan School of Music Present Virtual Jazz Concert

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    PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2005--

    Distance Learning Technology Brings High Quality Sound and Video
    to Music Education, Expanding the Global Reach of the Musical Arts

    Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLCM), the world's leading provider of unified collaborative communications solutions, has specifically tailored its VSX 8000 group video conferencing system with custom features to meet the music application needs of the Manhattan School of Music, a preeminent international conservatory of music. In appreciation to Polycom, the school announced that the student jazz ensemble will be giving a concert via video conference to the executive board members at the Polycom headquarters in Pleasanton, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m. EST. The press on both coasts is invited to attend the virtual concert to experience the TV-like video and near-CD sound quality in this most demanding of virtual collaboration applications.
    Manhattan School of Music was the first conservatory in the country to incorporate videoconferencing into its music performance education curriculum, beginning in 1996. Polycom's technology enables the school to export and import music education to master classes at institutions of higher education including the Cleveland Institute of Music and the New World Symphony in Florida. Jazz clinics, workshops and music enrichment classes for K-12 students are also given across the country to schools from Alabama to Wisconsin. Additionally, on a daily basis, the school imports information from national and international institutions.
    "We want to give this concert to showcase the cutting edge, high-quality audio and visual capabilities that Polycom technology provides to virtual music instruction," said Marta Istomin, president of the Manhattan School of Music. "Their unique capabilities in delivering -- by video conference -- the same high fidelity sound and acoustical experience of the performers enables us to extend our distance learning program and educational outreach of world-class music programming."
    Wednesday's concert will be led by world-renowned composer, arranger and soloist Cecil Bridgewater, a Manhattan School of Music jazz faculty member and Grammy nominated trumpet player. The student ensemble will be playing an arrangement of jazz tunes including "Straight, No Chaser" by Thelonious Monk and "In a Sentimental Mood" by Duke Ellington.
    "We are delighted to partner with the Manhattan School of Music. By collaborating with the school, we are able to customize a system that allows them to teach music performance education at a high level, connecting teachers and students in remote locations," said Bob Hagerty, president of Polycom, Inc. "This technology allows the school to explore and use more creative audio and video techniques never before imaginable in music education."
    The VSX 8000 is specifically designed for more students and larger rooms and offers Siren(TM) 14 audio and StereoSurround(TM) for unprecedented sound quality and clarity that uniquely recreates for recipients the spatial sound that results from a participant's location in the classroom at the far end. It can allocate 96 kbps of sound quality, including full-duplex stereo echo cancellation. The 1U rack amount configuration of the VSX 8000 is ideal for integrated environments, such as universities and corporate training sessions that require state-of-the-art interactive distance learning video conferencing.

    About Manhattan School of Music

    Manhattan School of Music is a preeminent international conservatory of music granting bachelor of music, master of music, and doctor of musical arts degrees. Founded in 1918, the School is dedicated to the personal, artistic, and intellectual development of each of its students who range in age from the pre-college through the postgraduate level. In addition to approximately 800 students in the College Division, who come from some 40 countries, the School serves about 450 New York-area students ages 5-18, in the Preparatory Division, almost 2,000 New York City schoolchildren through its arts-in-education program, and approximately 1,700 college and K-12 students worldwide through its distance learning program. The School trains students in performance and composition and provides a broad-based education in music theory, history, and humanities.

    About Polycom

    Polycom, Inc. is the world's technology leader of high-quality, easy-to-use video, voice, data and web conferencing and collaboration solutions. The Polycom Office(TM) reflects the Company's continued commitment to make distance communications as natural and interactive as attending in person, being there by providing best-in-class conferencing solutions that are interoperable, integrated and intuitive to the user. The Polycom Office is based on industry standards and supported by an open architecture that promotes interoperability in multi-vendor environments and complements leading network infrastructure platforms. For additional information, call 1-800-POLYCOM (765-9266) or 408-526-9000, or visit the Polycom Web site at www.polycom.com.

    Polycom and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks and VSX, Siren 14 and Polycom StereoSurround are trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. (C)2005, Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved.

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CONTACT: VisiTech PR Melody Callaway, 303-752-3552 ext. 223 Melody@visitechpr.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: EDUCATION MUSIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKING PRODUCT PHOTO PHOTOWIRE SOURCE: Polycom, Inc. PHOTO: 39039

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