The Save the Music Foundation has announced the launch of the J Dilla Music Tech Grant, a program that will fund electronic music creation, recording, and production training for public high school students. Named after the late iconic producer, the grant aims to foster music education with nontraditional instruments and production methods. Grant schools receive an equipment package with books, instruments, audio gear, computer hardware and software. Save the Music also provides program support to schools for a 10-year period.
Developed in partnership with Pharrell Williams’ creative collective i am OTHER and Arizona State University, the grant first funded a pilot program in high schools in Philadelphia, Miami, Brooklyn, and Newark in 2018, featuring cameos from the likes of Wyclef Jean and Juke Ross. The program will be expanded to three more schools this September.
Read Pitchfork’s feature “Got ’Til It’s Gone: The Legacy of J Dilla.”