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 […]

MMIxTape Live: Songs for the Future of Memphis Music is fast approaching! This morning, our Director of Grantmaking and Capacity Building, Rychetta Watkins, spent a few minutes chatting with Channel 3’s Live at 9 news team about Thursday’s event. She also shared insights about some of the pressing challenges Memphis’ arts community has faced in […]

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 […]

The following open letter was written in response to the recent deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others. It has been signed by leaders in the Memphis nonprofit community, with the aim of highlighting systemic oppression and amplifying the demands heard on streets across the nation.   Click here to view as […]

In America, race underscores nearly every social, economic, and legislative policy we have in place. And while recent events have resulted in increased (white) awareness of racial injustices, for the Black community, these events have only highlighted the experiences and aggressions, both micro and macro, faced on a daily basis. Data from The Groundwater Approach […]

“Each year at Memphis Music Initiative, we have the honor of working with over 4,000 young people across Memphis, with a focus on improving black and brown students’ equitable access to high quality music engagement. In 2019, we continued to grow as a direct service provider, and as a funder, and as advocates for our […]

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 […]

The past few weeks have been a roller coaster—and that’s putting it mildly. As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread across the country, we’ve all had to re-evaluate even the most basic aspects of our daily lives, from grocery shopping and visiting family members to, yes, hand washing. These are certainly turbulent times. But […]

On Friday, the Memphis Business Journal published an article on how COVID-19 is impacting local arts and community organizations. The piece featured insights from our very own Director of Grantmaking and Capacity Building, Rychetta Watkins, as well as Tonya Dyson, Executive Director at Memphis Slim House, and Sabrina Norwood of the Young Actors Guild. The […]

Last week, Memphis Music Initiative took our show on the road. Our mission? To advocate for the arts and show our state legislators just how big an impact it has on our community. But we weren’t alone. Memphis was well-represented by local arts and community organizations, including: AngelStreet, Blues Foundation, Memphis Slim House, New Ballet […]