What Is the Grammy Foundation?

We are an organization that works to make a difference in people’s lives through music.

And by “people,” we mostly mean young people.

And by “difference,” we mean change for the better.

And by “music,” we mean…well you know what we mean.

Basically, we unleash the power of music that is in all of us.

What Do We Do?

We create opportunities for high school students to work with music professionals to get real-world experience and advice about how to have a career in music. And that includes any kind of music career – audio engineer, concert promoter, electronic music producer, manager, musician, music journalist, singer, songwriter – any music career.

We also shine the spotlight on schools,students, and teachers who are doing really cool things with music. In fact, we just created the GRAMMY Music Educator Award to honor the role of music teachers.

Get Involved

Are you a student? A parent? A teacher? Do you love music? Click here to find out if there’s something you can do to get involved.

Our Supporters

With special thanks to the following donors who make our programs possible:

In partnership with:
ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund
Best Buy
Converse
Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation
Ford Motor Company Fund
Hot Topic Foundation
The Recording Academy
USC Thornton School of Music

With support from:
AEG
Avid
BET
CenterStaging
Coca-Cola
EMI (Capitol Recording Studios)
Guitar Center Hollywood
JBL
Line 6
Mackie
Maurer Family Foundation
M-Audio
Roland
Shure

2012 GRAMMY Camp scholarship donors:
The ASCAP Foundation
Audio Technica
BET
CenterStaging
The Chicago Chapter of The Recording Academy
Converse
Electronic Arts
Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation
The Florida Chapter of The Recording Academy
KCRW
Dave Koz
Kroesche Music Group
Nick Gross
Debra Lee
The Nashville Chapter of The Recording Academy
Rusty Rueff
Tonya Sharpe
Universal Music Group
The Washington D.C. Chapter of The Recording Academy

Who Are We?

Andrea Adelman - Coordinator

Andrea Adelman always had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Then she took her first animal sciences class, spent a week with smelly dirty cows and decided to instead take a different career path. Now she spends her days raising money for charity in a much cleaner environment.

Daniel Albarran - Accounting Coordinator

Although Daniel's background is highly classified, we can tell you that he joined the GRAMMY Foundation in 2011. Daniel works in the business affairs department where the accounting magic and other numbers related wizardry happens. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with Victoria's Secret models, giving Mr. Hefner dating advice, and petting puppies.

Hannah Berryman - New Media Communications Assistant

Born and raised in Music City, it’s no surprise Hannah grew up going to guitar factories and concert venues around Nashville. She traded her cowboy boots for flip flops when she giddied on up to Malibu for college. Hannah keeps the masses informed on the latest happenings at the GRAMMY Foundation. She’s thankful for bacon, diet coke, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Christina Cassidy - Communications Director

Christina Cassidy opted out of a promising career in politics because the clothes were way too boring. Realizing that entertainment PR provided a way to combine red carpet events, designer clothes and long work days, she jumped at the chance to promote the mission and programs of the GRAMMY Foundation.

Kelly Darr - Director, Programs and Events

Kelly Darr's tryst with stardom was singing in the school choir and performing dance for live audiences by the tender age of 13. But her greatest success, for which she received critical acclaim from family and friends, was performing one woman shows in her back yard theatre, using a hairbrush as a make-shift microphone. When a chance encounter with a motorcycle racer posed a distraction which led to a life of boyish things and ‘grime,’ her path was chosen and stardom took a back seat. Today, she gets dirty behind the scenes, putting artists, programs, and events front and center to make the Foundation a happening place…and still sings in the shower.

Ryan Donahue - Accounts Payable Senior Coordinator

Ryan Donahue’s distinguished path to the Business Affairs Department began at an early age when he became the youngest person ever to win the Monopoly World Championship. He used his prize money (paid out in pink, yellow, green and blue bills of course) to travel the world, leaving behind a legend that continues to grow. While most people now know him as the inspiration behind The Most Interesting Man in the World, he currently likes to spend his winters in the mountains and summers at the beach.

Loren Fishbein - Senior Coordinator

Loren Fishbein has a degree in music and an encyclopedic knowledge of monster movies. Widely known as popcorn connoisseur and collector of Star Wars bobble heads Loren spends his free time taking care of his super human son Jackson, karaoke-ing Metallica, and getting WILDDDD!!!!! Loren spends his time at the GRAMMY Foundation schmoozing people up for large sums of money…but hey…at least it’s for a good cause.

Carol Flores - Senior Accountant

Carol Flores loves to play the drums...eehhmm...on Rockband. When she is not living out her dreams of being a Rockstar, she is rockin' to the beat of her adding machine and Excel in the art of spread sheets.

Scott Goldman – Vice President

Scott Goldman dreamed of a life in football. Along around 7th grade he figured out football hurt. That’s when he took up the guitar (because girls liked guitar players too!) and followed a path toward working in the music world. He now raises money to support the programs of the GRAMMY Foundation.

Marisela Huerta - Project Coordinator, Events

After spending her 20’s sneaking into VIP Lines and suites, Marisela is now the proud coordinator of Auctions and Celebrity VIP Experiences, in which she sells artist memorabilia for far too much money. She acts as a concierge to the wealthy, connecting them to their favorite artists giving her an all-access pass behind the scenes and to the front of the line all while legitimately raising money for both the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares.
Favorite hangout: Backstage
Hobbies: Acquiring celebrity autographs and turning them for profit
Never leaves home without a ____ : Sharpie
Favorite Website: eBay
Motto: “You sign it, I’ll sell it!” (but not really “you” because you’re not famous….yet.)

Dorit Kalev - Director, Events

Dorit Kalev knew she’d work in music and though she gave up on her violin lessons (after 7 years) and guitar lessons (after 7 weeks), she never gave up on her music career dream. Now she works on fundraising and events for the GRAMMY Foundation and definitely promises not to give up on those!

Joseph Langford - Project Manager

As a baby, Joe was a breakdancer…now he breaks stuff when he dances. You can catch Joe employing all the skills he learned as a former baby break-dancer, Karate-Kid-watchin’, & tuba-toter as a member of GRAMMY Foundation education team. He works throughout the year to help students discover their individual passion within the music industry & “breaks” open the path.

La Shon Malone - Executive Assistant

La Shon Malone began slapping the bass at the early age of 4. By age of 5 ¼, she taught herself how to play the fiddle by watching reruns of the Beverly Hillbillies. After years of touring with bands like Banjo This, Accordian to Who?, and The Fiddle Layeewhoos, she left the road for more stability. She now holds the record for “Most Scheduled Meetings in 2010.”

Kristen Madsen - Senior Vice President

Means business.

Julie Mutnansky - Administrative Assistant

Julie Mutnansky emerged from the cowboy town of Tucson, Arizona to the Hollywood lights of Los Angeles a mere 8 months ago. Her passion for marimba playing was cut off being a student fresh out of college in need of 10,000 bucks just to pay for the instrument. She then joined a task force comprised of 3 other rockstars (a trombonist, guitarist, and tuba player) to help educate the world of programs that could change a high school students’ talent in music forever.

David Sears - Executive Education Director

David went to college to be an electrical engineer which he planned to take up as a career after retiring from professional baseball. However, the one franchise that showed any interest in him had future Hall of Famers already playing the positions he played. So…. he decided he’d better work on his musical skills. OHH, that electrical engineering thing? He also figured that one should probably be really good in math if you expect to be successful in that field. He could count to 12 so music was perfect for him.

He always told his students that if they became successful they should come back and hire him to play with them. A few did but Ozomatli didn’t. Hey guys, where’s my gig? I guess most of them were too busy getting work themselves with Alicia Keys, John Legend, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Sting, Green Day, Duke Ellington Orchestra and more.

David has worked with a wide variety of artists from Danny Kaye to Andy Griffith to the Temptations. He’s even been paid (by a few) to sing but when his wife heard his voice, she banned him from ever singing in front of an audience he’s not related to.

Dana Tomarken – Vice President, Events

You can’t miss me – ‘cause I’m the grandmother that constantly has her hand out. Dana began her work experience with the Academy in 1993 and she heads up the events team for the GRAMMY Foundation.

Judy Wong - Director/Controller

Resident number junkie and long time advocate for bottomless cups of coffee and extra large font. Judy knew her career path had been determined when her high school year book teacher cold-called her and asked if she would take a job helping to manage budgets for a regional occupational program for the LAUSD. This after having decided to boycott school for half that semester (and of course without my parent’s knowledge). It wasn’t so fun there for a bit...

Wynnie Wynn - Senior Manager

A champion Gardner and the proud mother of a rising Broadway star. Wynn began her career as a pre-school teacher who went from singing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” to “I Want Candy” at last year’s MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert. Today Wynnie raises money for the GRAMMY Foundation as part of its event management team.