® The Recording Academy 3030 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404 www.grammy.com
***MEDIA ALERT FOR THURSDAY, FEB. 9, 2017***
ALOE BLACC AND KING TO PERFORM WITH GRAMMY CAMP® — JAZZ SESSION STUDENTS AT GRAMMY IN THE SCHOOLS® LIVE!
Eighth Annual GRAMMY Foundation® Event Is Presented By Ford Motor Company Fund
WHO: Attendees include members of GRAMMY Camp® — Jazz Session along with special guest performers, past GRAMMY® nominee Aloe Blacc and current GRAMMY nominees KING; Pamela Alexander, director, community development, Ford Motor Company Fund; and Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy® and the GRAMMY Foundation®, and James G. Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. The recipient of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation's fourth annual Music Educator Award™ will also be in attendance.
More than 400 students from the greater Los Angeles area — including 375 from the Los Angeles Unified School District — will join in this special celebration. Prior to the concert, the students will have participated in the GRAMMY Foundation's GRAMMY Career Day program at their school with the support of LAUSD's Beyond The Bell Branch. GRAMMY Career Day is a one-day event that brings music industry professionals together with high school students to make them aware of careers that are available in music and present a behind-the-scenes look into the industry. These students are also given a careers-in-music lesson taught by their music teachers and developed by the USC Thornton School of Music.
WHAT: Eighth annual GRAMMY In The Schools® Live! — A Celebration Of Music & Education, presented by Ford Motor Company Fund.
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017 4:30 p.m. Media check-in 5:30–6:15 p.m. Sound bites with artists, students, and sponsors 6:30 p.m. Doors open to public 7:30 p.m. Show begins 7:45 p.m. GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session (Choir, Combo & Band) Performance 8:45 p.m. Aloe Blacc and KING performance
WHERE: The Novo 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite A335 Los Angeles, CA 90015
*VIP Balcony seats (premium seating) are $45.00 per person, standard Balcony seats are $25.00 per person, and Standing Room Only tickets are $25.00 per person; concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale at www.axs.com.*
WHY: GRAMMY in the Schools programs (GRAMMY Camp, GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session and GRAMMY Signature Schools) are for U.S. high school students and schools. They are part of the GRAMMY Foundation, which receives support from Ford Motor Company Fund as part of Ford’s commitment to music education. The 2017 GRAMMY Camp application deadline is March 31, 2017. Financial assistance is available to qualified applicants. The deadline for the 2017 GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session and GRAMMY Signature Schools programs is Oct. 22, 2017. Applications are available at www.grammyintheschools.com. -more- 2017 GRAMMY In The Schools Live! Page 2
GRAMMY Camp offers selected high school students an interactive nonresidential summer music experience. Focusing on all aspects of commercial music, this unique opportunity provides instruction by industry professionals in an immersive creative environment with cutting-edge technology in professional facilities. The program offers seven music career tracks: Audio Engineering; Concert Promotion/Production; Electronic Music Production; Marketing & Management; Music Journalism; Songwriting and a Performance Track for Bass, Drums, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal, and Winds & Strings. All tracks culminate in media projects, recordings and/or showcase performances. Funds help support scholarships to program participants.
High school singers and instrumentalists can audition for the GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session. Selectees will travel to the host city for the annual GRAMMY Awards, and students will participate in high-profile GRAMMY Week performances and recording sessions and will attend the GRAMMY telecast.
The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public, and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. A joint partnership and presentation of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation, this special award will be presented at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony. The deadline to nominate a teacher for the fourth annual award is March 15, 2017.
About Aloe Blacc Aloe Blacc is a singer/songwriter who crossed over from the indie scene in 2010 with his hit single "I Need A Dollar." He subsequently released his major label debut album, Lift Your Spirit, on XIX Recordings/Interscope Records where it debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and received a GRAMMY nomination for Best R&B Album. The release followed Blacc's collaboration as vocalist and co-writer on well-known DJ/producer Avicii's 2013 track "Wake Me Up," a song that hit the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Hot Dance Club Songs and Dance/Electronic Songs charts, as well as topping charts in more than 100 countries. Blacc's single "The Man" topped the charts and sold more than 3 million copies. Blacc spent the summer of 2014 on a U.S. tour with Bruno Mars in support of Lift Your Spirit and he made his acting debut in the James Brown biopic, Get On Up. In early 2016, Blacc released "Let The Games Begin," a song he wrote and produced for the film Race, a Focus Features biopic about Olympic hero Jesse Owens. Also at that time, he teamed with GRAMMY- winning artist/producer Zedd to co-write and record the smash single "Candyman," which was used by M&M's to commemorate their 75th anniversary. Blacc is now writing and recording for his next album release.
About KING Twins Paris and Amber Strother and musical sister Anita Bias are KING. Their recent 2016 GRAMMY nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album marks a historical breakthrough, with their debut album, We Are King, being the only self- produced and self-released project in the category. Released on their own label, KING Creative, We Are King debuted at No, 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums and in the Top 10 on Billboard's Independent Albums and R&B Albums chart. The release also made numerous 2016 mid-year and year-end lists, including Rolling Stone, Time, NPR, Pitchfork, Noisey, Stereogum, Billboard, Spin, and Complex, among others.
KING introduced themselves when they independently released their three-song EP, The Story, in 2011. The EP heralded much acclaim when word spread virally by such artists and tastemakers as Questlove, Erykah Badu, Gilles Peterson, Nile Rodgers, Janelle Monáe, Solange, and Prince, who was an enthusiastic early supporter and the trio's long-time mentor. In addition to touring and recording in the US and several countries abroad, KING have been highlighted by a wide array of collaborations, including co-writing on Robert Glasper's 2012 GRAMMY-winning album, Black Radio, which featured KING's collaboration "Move Love." In 2016 KING contributed to five tracks on Corinne Bailey Rae's critically acclaimed release, The Heart Speaks in Whispers, including co-producing and performing on her single (and televised "Conan" performance of) "Green Aphrodisiac," and they also contributed to the NAACP Image Award- nominated Miles Davis tribute album, Everything's Beautiful, with their original composition "Song For Selim." KING will tour in 2017, with dates to be announced. -more-
2017 GRAMMY In The Schools Live! Page 3
The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1988 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation, and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with its founder, The Recording Academy, to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. In recognition of the significant role of teachers in shaping their students' musical experiences, The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation partnered to present their first Music Educator AwardTM in 2014. Open to current U.S. music teachers in kindergarten through college, the fourth annual Music Educator Award will be given out during GRAMMY Week 2017 and nominations are being accepted for the 2018 cycle. For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.grammyfoundation.org. For breaking news and exclusive content, please "like" GRAMMY in the Schools® on Facebook, follow the GRAMMY Foundation on Twitter (@GRAMMYFdn) and join us on Instagram (@GRAMMYFdn).
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community and global partners to advance driving safety, education, and community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 65 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving Skills for Life is free, interactive, hands-on safety training focused on skill development and driving techniques, while addressing inexperience, distractions, and impaired driving. Innovation in education is encouraged through Ford Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Next Generation Learning, and other inspiring programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer Corps enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to work on local projects that strengthen their communities and improve people’s lives in more than 40 countries around the world. For more information, visit Community.ford.com.
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MEDIA R.S.V.P. MANDATORY: Christina Cassidy/GRAMMY Foundation/310.581.8670/[email protected] Holly Taylor/Rogers and Cowan/310.854.8115/[email protected]
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If you are interested in covering this event, you MUST request credentials no later than Tuesday, Feb. 7. Credentials will be picked up at media check-in on the day of the event. MEDIA MUST BE CREDENTIALED. All satellite truck/van parking must be coordinated no later than Tuesday, Feb. 7.
Media Contacts: Christina Cassidy/GRAMMY Foundation/310.581.8670/[email protected] Holly Taylor/Rogers and Cowan/310.854.8115/[email protected]
For Ford Motor Company Fund: Kristy Khachigian/703.342.6118/[email protected]