IMG: via Wikimedia Create Commons
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences is an organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other recording professionals dedicated to the supporting music and its creators. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, or the Recording Academy, is currently led by president Neil Portnow.
“The Recording Academy is the premier organization for honoring acievements in the recording arts, and supporting the music community,” reads the Grammy 365 website. The Academy supports a variety of programs and initiatives, including the GRAMMY U program and MusiCares.
GRAMMY U, short for the Grammy University Network, is an organization created by the Recording Academy to help college students pursuing a career in the music industry become established through networking, interactive educational experiences, performance opportunities, and more.
The Grammy Foundation also offers scholarships, grants, and more, to students. NPR reports that, this week, 32 high school students from around the country will get the chance to perform at several Grammy-related events—with some big names present.
“Oh my god,” said Henry Solomon, who is a saxophonist from Michigan. “We’re playing for Bruno Mars, or Carrie Underwood or Jack Black. You’re just like, wow!” This opportunity will no doubt be a huge opportunity for all the students invited, as they learn how to perform and come to understand more aspects of being a professional musician.
The MusiCares Foundation, also supported by the Recording Academy, is a nonprofit on a mission to “provide a safety net of critical assistance for musicians in times of need,” whether it’s a financial, medical, or personal emergency.
This is an incredibly important mission, as Recording Academy President Neil Portnow points out, “You know, most musicians are not like the stars… Most of them don’t have health insurance or steady jobs. They go one gig to the next. That’s the more basics, to the more sever and tragic, which is substance abuse addiction and recovery. So we are the major entity in the music industry that offers assistance and counseling.”