With a launch party that included Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, the VH1 Save the Music Foundation never had any problem getting attention in the late '90s.
But a lot has changed since the music education nonprofit's early years, with the glitzy, star-studded cable TV specials slowly giving way to a decidedly more grassroots focus on establishing and sustaining music programs in elementary and secondary schools nationwide. To expand its work, the foundation needs to broaden its donor base, especially as MTV and VH1 — and their parent company Viacom, and now, Paramount — continue their pivot away from music.
On Wednesday, the foundation, now known only as Save the Music Foundation, announced its intention to “go indie” — rocker-speak for becoming an independent organization. The nonprofit will cut ties with Paramount and seek donations from various sources, including individual donors.
“It was pretty clear, from a Save the Music perspective, that it would be helpful for us to be viewed as a music industry initiative as opposed to a corporate social responsibility initiative for just one player in the industry," said Henry Donahue, the foundation's executive director. "The way MusiCares is for health care in the industry, we wanted to be that same kind of national, first-call organization for music education. So any artist, label, streaming service, talent agency, festival, concert promoter who thought about engaging the community around music education — we wanted to be the go-to for that.”
“Going indie” has been a long process for the foundation, one that has already been supported by billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott with a $2 million grant in 2021. It has launched a $10 million endowment fund, with $4 million already secured.
But the shift will allow Save the Music to focus more on students like 17-year-old Ja’Marion Hulin, from Daniel McLaughlin Therrell High School in Atlanta, where he is president of the school’s record company, Panther Records, and is learning to use equipment provided by the foundation to make music.
“Having our own equipment, I think, allows us to be more passionate about our abilities — there’s not really anything that’s holding us back," Hulin said. "All kids might not have the same music tastes. Some might be more into pop or rap or alternative rock. So having that equipment allows us to fluctuate doing sounds.”
Samuel Davis, who teaches music at Therrell High, said that without support from Save the Music's J Dilla Music Technology Grant, the students would have had to share equipment and software in the class. The grant, which the school has received for the past four years, also supports teachers in creating a strong music technology program to help aspiring producers.
“The program is extremely valuable to students," Davis said. "It increases their attendance. They’re more willing to come to school. They feel more connected to the school. They have more connections with their peers and students and staff. It just builds onto our whole child education program where they feel like they belong and they’re more committed to their education.”
As much as Hulin enjoys DJing in the high school cafeteria, mixing R&B tracks like Lauryn Hill's “Ex-Factor” and Jill Scott's “Golden” together to create a vibe for other students, his dream is to create music for videogame soundtracks, maybe bringing neo-soul to the Persona series.
Lonnie Hampton, a teacher at P.S. 20 in Brooklyn, New York, carries the torch for the more traditional programs of Save the Music. He has received funding from the foundation off and on since 2006, allowing him to purchase saxophones, clarinets, trumpets, and two bass guitars for students at his elementary school.
The additional instruments meant that students could each have their own instrument, rather than sharing with other students each week. “It gives kids a chance to have an instrument at home," Hampton said. “It gives them a chance to play and to see that hard work matters. When they see the joy of practicing and practicing and practicing and practicing, which I preach every day, and then they get it, it just nurtures your life.”
John Sykes, who founded the VH1 Save the Music Foundation in 1997 as an executive with MTV, said he was thrilled at how the current leadership of the nonprofit had taken the organization to a new level.
“The way music wires the brain allows a young child not only to become the next Bruce Springsteen or Jay-Z, but also a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a public service worker," he said. "Any position benefits from music education.”
Sykes, now chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said he looks forward to supporting Save the Music and its new structure. Though he hopes that music education funding will be safe from any potential government cuts, Sykes says Rock Hall inductees may offer their own backing where needed.
“Music education is not just an art; it's a science," said Sykes. “While it is a wonderful way to express your creativity, it is actually teaching you math. In the early days with VH1, we actually went to right-wing conservative governors who, when they saw the power and impact of music education on test scores, they jumped on board because they understood that this was really a cornerstone of the learning process.”
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