Our great partners at the Recording Academy came through as Neil Portnow, Recording Academy President, took to the stage of the 49th Annual Grammy Awards to ask the country to take a stand for music and arts education. We were proud to have worked together with the Academy and many other like-minded groups including the California Alliance for Arts Education, NAMM, the California PTA, The LA Music Center and many others to help make a difference.
Thank you Neil and everyone at the Recording Academy for being such great partners in our shared struggle to create a word where we have music for all!
What if the GRAMMYs had to give up the Best New Artist category because there weren't any? Well, as long as The Recording Academy has anything to say about it, that's not going to happen! Tonight, we've already met some of this year's remarkable Best New Artist nominees, and in a few minutes, we'll see a fresh new face experience her "ultimate" GRAMMY Moment provided by The Academy.
When I was just 6 years old, I watched Elvis on TV, and knew what I wanted to do with my life. And thanks to my parents and the dedicated music teachers at school, I realized my dream of a career in music. Now, we need to make sure that others have that same chance.
Let me show you exactly what I'm talking about. Meet Anne Lee, a very talented 15-year-old public school music student, and Christian Sands, a 17 year old who won a spot in our GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble.
Our GRAMMY Foundation programs like GRAMMY in the Schools and GRAMMY Camp teach and encourage thousands of kids who love music, and whose lives are better for it. This underscores the most fundamental point – every child deserves exposure to music and the arts in school!
There are some encouraging signs out there. Just this year, The Recording Academy and the music community rallied their forces here in California to reverse the trend of reduced funding. The result: more than 100 million dollars for music education with millions more for instruments in schools.
The time is now to contact your elected leaders. Tell them that music is just as essential to the next generation's development as any other subject. We'll make it easy for you – go to GRAMMY.com. We'll connect you directly to your representatives so your voice can be heard.
You're here – or out there – because music is an important part of your life. Together let us all ensure that music stays just as vital and alive for generations still to come.
