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 鈥� and their parent company Viacom, and now, Paramount 鈥� continue their pivot away from music.
On Wednesday, the foundation, now known only as Save the Music Foundation, announced its intention to 鈥済o indie鈥� 鈥� rocker-speak for becoming an independent organization. The nonprofit will cut ties with Paramount and seek donations from various sources, including individual donors.
鈥淚t 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 鈥� we wanted to be the go-to for that.鈥�
鈥淕oing indie鈥� 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鈥橫arion Hulin, from Daniel McLaughlin Therrell High School in Atlanta, where he is president of the school鈥檚 record company, Panther Records, and is learning to use equipment provided by the foundation to make music.
鈥淗aving our own equipment, I think, allows us to be more passionate about our abilities 鈥� there鈥檚 not really anything that鈥檚 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淭he program is extremely valuable to students," Davis said. "It increases their attendance. They鈥檙e 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鈥檙e more committed to their education.鈥�
As much as Hulin enjoys DJing in the high school cafeteria, mixing R&B tracks like Lauryn Hill's 鈥淓x-Factor鈥� and Jill Scott's 鈥淕olden鈥� 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. 鈥淚t gives kids a chance to have an instrument at home," Hampton said. 鈥淚t 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淭he 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淢usic education is not just an art; it's a science," said Sykes. 鈥淲hile 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.鈥�
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Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press
