Welcome to the second installment of MMI’s Emergency Relief Fund Artist Interview series! Today, MMI Works student intern Aa’liyah and Relief Fund recipient LaDarryl chat about LaDarryl’s song Thank You— a toast to the money and opportunities that have been lost to the pandemic, but that will return one day. Because “This time, like all […]

Over the past six months, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an outsized and devastating impact on artists and musicians. Memphis creatives—whether student artists or professionals—have lost income due to cancelled gigs, lessons, and more. So, back in April, Memphis Music Initiative established an Emergency Relief Fund to provide some short-term, immediate relief for the individual […]

New funding for Memphis Music Initiative and Stax Music Academy will support holistic music education programs during COVID-19  The Lewis Prize for Music — a creative arts philanthropy — announced today the recipients of its COVID-19 Community Response Fund. A total of $1.25 million will be awarded to 32 Creative Youth Development (CYD) organizations across […]

MMI is back in the news. This morning, our Executive Director Amber Hamilton appeared on Channel 24’s Local Memphis morning show via Skype. She spoke with anchor Kelsie Cairns about how COVID-19 is impacting Memphis artists, musicians, and young people, and how MMI is responding to the challenge. Click here to watch the full interview! […]

Thanks to a generous gift, Memphis Music Initiative (MMI) has established an Emergency Relief Fund to provide some short-term, immediate relief for individual musicians and young people who are part of our extensive network of programs. We recognize that creatives and the arts have been disproportionately negatively impacted by restrictions taken in response to the […]