Organizations to partner on programming and music education opportunities that improve the lives of children

CLEVELAND, MISS. (December 3, 2019) — GRAMMY Museum^® Mississippi and the I’ll Fly Away Foundation—two organizations that seek to improve the lives of children through music—have announced a partnership to bring programming and music education opportunities to the Delta and beyond. Their inaugural co-presented event, Holiday Hall of Fame: Discovering Music & Literature, will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 10, and will provide students in grades 3 through 8 with an in-depth look at holiday music from the GRAMMY^® Hall of Fame as they harness their own songwriting skills by revamping a holiday classic.

“We’ve been so inspired by the dedicated team at the I’ll Fly Away Foundation and their commitment to improving the lives of children through music,” said Emily Havens, Executive Director for GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. “We are thrilled to partner with I’ll Fly Away to bring music education opportunities to young people here in Mississippi and beyond. Their commitment to help children unleash their creative abilities through songwriting is one that we uphold here at the Museum as well.”

“The positive impact GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is having on the Delta is inspiring,” said Betsy Brumley, Chairwoman and CEO of the I’ll Fly Away Foundation. “We are honored to partner with the GRAMMY Museum to use songwriting as a gateway to unlock children’s creative potential. We share their dedication of using music education to cultivate creativity within the young people to truly demonstrate the power of music.”

For more information, and to purchase tickets to Holiday Hall of Fame: Discovering Music & Literature, visit GRAMMYMuseumMS.org.

The I’ll Fly Away Foundation gets its name from the 1932 song written by Albert E. Brumley, grandfather of Betsy Brumley. Before he passed away in 1977, Albert Brumley had plans to start a music-themed foundation. More than three decades later, his granddaughter Betsy, along with her husband Kevin, fulfilled her grandfather’s last dream and in 2011 founded the I’ll Fly Away Foundation. Similar to the mission of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, the I’ll Fly Away Foundation uses music to engage children and improve their lives. Through songwriting, their programs unlock children’s creative potential and help inspire their dreams as the foundation teaches them to believe in themselves and in the power of their creativity. This partnership between GRAMMY Museum Mississippi and the I’ll Fly Away Foundation will provide both organizations with the opportunity to impact a wider audience of youth.

In addition to the Dec. 10 program, the Mississippi Museum and I’ll Fly Away Foundation will plan to present additional programs in school districts throughout Arkansas in the spring of 2020, and during the Mississippi Museum’s summer camps in 2021. Additional events and partnerships will be announced in the coming months. To stay up to date on announcements regarding specially planned programming in conjunction with the Mississippi Museum’s partnership with the I’ll Fly Away Foundation, subscribe to the Museum’s newsletter at grammymuseumms.org/newsletter.

ABOUT I’LL FLY AWAY FOUNDATION

I’ll Fly Away Foundation—whose mission is “improving children’s lives through music”—was established in 2011 by Albert E. Brumley’s granddaughter Betsy Brumley and her husband Kevin Bernier. She started the foundation in part to carry out her grandfather’s dream of helping others through songwriting and music. The organization’s You Can Fly songwriting program partners classrooms with professional songwriters, who help children write a song about a subject they’re currently studying. The schools implementing the program have seen an overall increase of 18 percent in science scores, 8 percent in literary scores and 4 percent in math scores. To learn more, visit illflyawayfoundation.org.

About GRAMMY Museum Mississippi

Developed by the Cleveland Music Foundation—a nonprofit organization founded in 2011—the 28,000-square-foot GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is housed near the campus of Delta State University, home of the Delta Music Institute’s Entertainment Industry Studies program, which features the most unique audio recording facilities in the South. Affiliated with the Recording Academy™, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is dedicated to exploring the past, present, and future of music, and the cultural context from which it emerges, while casting a focused spotlight on the deep musical roots of Mississippi. The Museum features a dynamic combination of public events, educational programming, engaging multimedia presentations, and interactive permanent and traveling exhibits, including a Mississippi-centric area that introduces visitors to the impact of Mississippi’s songwriters, producers, and musicians on the traditional and modern music landscape.

For more information, visit grammymuseumms.org, “like” GRAMMY Museum Mississippi on Facebook, and follow @grammymuseumms on Twitter and Instagram.

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contact

Chace Holland

Director of Programming and Business Operations

662. 662.441.0100