Bruno Mars to Co-Chair the Grammy Museum’s Music Education Campaign

Bruno Mars is helping raise money for music education…

The Grammy Museum has announced a campaign for music education, featuring the 37-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer/songwriter, with the goal of raising $3 million to $5 million for their educational programs.

Bruno Mars, Ricky Regal, Lacoste

The funds raised over the 18-month campaign will provide free admission to the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles for everybody up to age 18 and for all college students with ID and expanded access to their music education programs across the country.

In addition to Mars, the campaign is co-chaired by Billie EilishDua LipaShawn Mendes and Rosalía.

Michael Sticka, president and CEO of The Grammy Museum, says the museum’s goal is to raise “anywhere from $3 million to $5 million – and this money goes directly to the education programs. As of [October 7] we’re at about 25% of the top end of that goal, so there’s quite a bit of momentum here.”

That money has come from foundations. The museum is now starting to reach out to labels, publishers, artists, promoters and more for additional funding. “We’ve started some of the conversations with the industry,” Sticka says.

How’s that going? “No one has said no yet,” he replies.

Has anyone in the industry said “You make a lot of money from the Grammy telecast and from the MusiCares person of the year gala. Why don’t you fund your programs yourself?”

“We always hear that,” Sticka acknowledges. “I think there’s a general confusion out there of how everything is structured. The Grammy Museum Foundation is separate from the Recording Academy, so we don’t make any money off of the telecast. We’re separate from MusiCares, so we don’t see any of the money that comes in from person of the year. That goes to their important mission. We’re all part of the same family, but we are a separate entity.

“We do receive funding from the Recording Academy. They provide a healthy percentage of our operating budget, then we go out and we raise money. This money [that we raise] doesn’t go to salaries or overhead because the Academy helps subsidize that. This money goes directly to the education programs.

“Our goal with this campaign is very simple, to do our best to democratize music education by expanding our reach into underserved communities where access to our museum and educational programs could make a huge impact, and ultimately foster the next generation of music’s creators and leaders,” Sticka said in a statement.

Francisca Valenzuela to Take Part in the Grammy Museum’s Mentorship Monday Program

Francisca Valenzuela will be your guide…

The 33-year-old Chilean American singer, poet and multi-instrumentalist will take part in the Grammy Museum’s new Mentorship Monday program in partnership with Grammy U and former First Lady Michelle Obama‘s Reach Higher initiative.

Francisca Valenzuela

Every Monday beginning next week through August 31, top-tier music industry professionals like Valenzuela will mentor college students and recent graduates via digital conferencing. 

In addition to Valenzuela, mentors include artists Sam FischerTikyra “TK” JacksonLedisi, three-time Grammy winners Little Big TownMelanie Pfirrman and Sasha Sloan, as well as Recording Academy members. 

The sessions will give students an opportunity to connect with established music industry professionals and creatives, and will serve as a valuable tool for information, advice and exploration within a wide variety of music careers and topics as they pursue their own careers.

“The Grammy Museum’s new Mentorship Monday program exemplifies the Museum’s mission to uphold music’s value in our lives through education and collaboration between professionals and aspiring creatives,” said Michael Sticka, president of the Grammy Museum. “I’d like to thank Reach Higher and Grammy U for helping make this program a reality.”

“Reach Higher is excited to partner with the Grammy Museum to bring mentorship to students this summer.” said Eric Waldo, Executive Director of Reach Higher. “Music helps us hear each other more fully and to share ourselves with one another authentically. Now more than ever is a wonderful time for professionals and artists to harness the unifying and uplifting power of music to support students as they explore and pursue educational and career opportunities in all facets of the recording industry,”

While the sessions are currently invitation-only, a selection will be released in the future as part of Reach Higher’s Beating the Odds Summit, and a selection of public-facing mentorship sessions will be available via Instagram Live.

 Valenzuela released her latest album, La Fortaleza, in January.The album consists of 14 tracks, including the singles “Tómame,” “Héroe” and “Flotando.”