Launch, early expansion Save the Music was formally launched during the April 1997 broadcast of
VH1 Honors, an annual awards show. Performers including
Stevie Wonder and
James Taylor encouraged viewers to donate their used musical instruments to local school systems, and the importance of music education for children was addressed by
Celine Dion,
Sheryl Crow,
Alice Cooper,
Emmylou Harris, and then-president
Bill Clinton, among others.
VH1 Honors raised $150,000 for Save the Music. In 1998,
Divas Live, a VH1 show created specifically to benefit Save the Music, premiered with
Mariah Carey, Dion,
Gloria Estefan,
Aretha Franklin,
Carole King, and
Shania Twain, drawing what was then VH1's largest audience. Music education programs in Los Angeles and New York were in place by late 1997, and following the first
Divas Live, Save the Music expanded to Las Vegas, Detroit, and New Orleans. In 2001, Save the Music expanded to communities in 43 cities. A program in partnership with the ASCAP Foundation, the Diane Warren Association, and Warner Records also provided sheet music, band arrangements, folios, and method books to STM beneficiary schools. In 2002, an STM campaign to rebuild music education programs in 65 schools in the Milwaukee area won the Golden Beacon Award from the National Governer's Association. In 2007, with $40 million in new instruments donated to restored music programs in 1500 elementary and middle schools in 100 cities, STM celebrated its 10th anniversary with a fundraiser that honored Bill and
Hillary Clinton. Among others,
Mariah Carey,
Bon Jovi,
John Mayer, and an orchestra composed of students who received STM grants performed at the event, which raised more than $2 million for the foundation.
Advocacy, J Dilla Music Tech Grant, Hometown 2 Hometown In addition to related advocacy initiatives, STM has addressed elected officials and policymakers on Capitol Hill and lobbied for congressional bills such as the
Every Student Succeeds Act. Tools for grassroots advocacy are available to the public on the Save The Music website. The
J Dilla Music Tech Grant, a program for public high school students focused on electronic music, was developed in partnership with Arizona State University and
Pharrell Williams' creative collective. Piloted in
Philadelphia,
Miami,
Brooklyn, and
Newark high schools in 2018 and officially launched in 2019, the grant funds recording and production training, instruments, audio equipment, and computer hardware and software for public high schools. Save The Music supports recipients for 10 years. In 2019 STM launched
Hometown 2 Hometown, an annual Nashville-based awards ceremony and fundraising event that honors musicians and others in the country music community for their contributions to music education. Funds raised through
Hometown 2 Hometown are used to develop music technology programs in Nashville and the hometowns of honorees including
Leslie Fram,
Mickey Guyton,
Trisha Yearwood,
Maren Morris, and
Brittney Spencer. Save the Music's 20th anniversary event in 2017 featured
Queen Latifah,
DJ Khaled, and
Steve Aoki. In 2023, STM marked its 25th anniversary with
LA Music Saves, a concert and fundraiser in
Los Angeles that honored
LL Cool J, Cindy Mabe, Becky G, and
Adam Blackstone. Money raised at the event supported the restoration of music education programs in Los Angeles and funded new music programs for 50 Los Angeles-area schools. == Artist involvement ==