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05.23.23

Notes from the Classroom: Roger Rowe at Central High School

At MMI we are fortunate to work with some of the best musicians around through our In-Schools program. Our Fellows are amazing artists and educators who are passionate about supporting the next gen...

05.11.23

Showing Out: Oakhaven High Battle of the Bands

Memphis is music. We’re known for our soul, hip hop, and blues, but we also have a rich marching band tradition; Memphis is home to the oldest high school band in the region. Despite this leg...

04.27.23

Summer 2023 Community Youth Arts Programs

Arts organizations across Shelby County are gearing up for summer programming. For Memphis youth looking to create and connect this summer, there's no shortage of arts engagement opportunities...

04.18.23

Memphis Music Initiative Wins ABFE Institutional Award for Philanthropic Leadership at James A. Joseph Lecture and Awards Ceremony 

Press release, April 18, 2023 -- Memphis Music Initiative (MMI), a leading creative youth development organization that invests in Black and brown youth through music and the arts, is honored to an...

03.22.23

Call & Response at One

I'm going to tell it like it is. I hope you can take it like it is. —El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz/Malcolm X One year ago today, MMI launched Call & Response: The Sound of a Black Arts Revol...

02.27.23

At Our 3rd Annual HBCU Music Auditions, Students Came to Play

Last Saturday, MMI hosted our third annual Virtual HBCU Music Auditions. Over the course of the day, 18 high school students in band and choral programs across Memphis auditioned for representative...

01.18.23

MMI Works Alumni Program Pitch Fest 2022

Each summer, the MMI Works team has the privilege of getting to know the next generation of Memphis creatives, journeying with them as they grow as artists and young professionals. For many of our...

12.15.22

Play It Back: 2022 in Review

2022 has been a huge year for MMI, and we couldn’t have done it without your support! Just a few of our highlights, in reverse order, include: December: We held the MMI Works inaug...

12.13.22

MMI Wins 2022 Lewis Prize Accelerator Award!

MMI is incredibly honored—and excited—to announce that we have received the The Lewis Prize for Music Accelerator Award! We are one of three organizations selected from a competitive po...

10.26.22

Black Rest Matters: The 2022 GMCB Retreat Pt. 3

In August, the MMI Grantmaking and Capacity Building (GMCB) team hosted its first-ever Leadership Respite Retreat for grantee partners in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at Big Elk L...

10.25.22

Black Rest Matters: The 2022 GMCB Retreat Pt. 2

In August, the MMI Grantmaking and Capacity Building (GMCB) team hosted its first-ever Leadership Respite Retreat for grantee partners in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at Big Elk L...

10.18.22

Black Rest Matters: The 2022 Grantmaking and Capacity Buidling Retreat Pt. 1

In August, the MMI Grantmaking and Capacity Building (GMCB) team hosted its first-ever Leadership Respite Retreat for grantee partners in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at Big Elk L...

09.20.22

The 2022 MMI Works Music Videos are here!

Last summer, the MMI Works summer intern cohort became music video producers, kicking off what is sure to be an MMI Works tradition. If you haven't seen last year's videos ye...

09.14.22

The 2022-2023 MMI Fellows Advisory Council

Meet the 2022-2023 MMI In-Schools Fellows Advisory Council! This year's council members are David Bassa, Mersadie Wells, Randy Ballard (Council Chair), and Marcus King. The Advisory Council pro...

08.23.22

Celebrating Black August Memphis Style

Here at MMI, August is Black August.  If you’re not familiar with the tradition, Black August is a celebration of Black activism and resistance in the U.S. It’s a time to acknowle...

08.11.22

Introducing Our 2022 INE Partners: Young Actors Guild

Young Actors Guild's (YAG) mission is "bringing the arts back to the community." And that's what they've been doing since Chrysti Chandler founded the organization m...

08.02.22

Introducing Our 2022 INE Partners: Perfecting Gifts, Inc.

At MMI, we are fortunate to partner with local arts organizations who are committed to supporting and serving Memphis’ young creatives. One such organization is Perfecting Gifts, Inc. (PGI), ...

07.27.22

Capacity Building 3.0: Introducing MMI’s 2022 INE Partners

Memphis is home to so many amazing local and grassroots arts organizations, each equipped with unique perspectives, gifts, and challenges. Through MMI’s Grantmaking and Capacity Building (GMC...

06.07.22

The Beat of the Future: The Hershey Company X Memphis Music Initiative Celebrate Black Music Month

Black music is comforting, innovative, majestic, powerful, and it is super influential. Look at fashion, language, dance; every strata of our culture is permeated with Black music. If you have a p...

05.09.22

Summer 2022 Community Youth Music Programs

Arts organizations across Shelby County are gearing up for summer programming. For Memphis youth looking to create and connect this summer, there's no shortage of arts engagement opportuni...