BMG | New York, 07/11/2024

Teaming Up To Bring Music To Schools

BMG songwriter DʼMile has organized a music education project at a school in his hometown of Brooklyn with the support of BMG, Penguin Random House, Amazon Music, and the Save the Music Foundation. The partners financed a recording studio at Transit Tech High School, DʼMile recorded a song with students, and Amazon Music made a documentary about the project.

DʼMile is one of BMG’s best-known and most successful producers and songwriters. Now the Grammy- and Oscar-winning U.S. artist has teamed up with BMG, Penguin Random House, Amazon Music, and the Save the Music Foundation to support music education in U.S. public schools with a special project. A recording studio was built and equipped at a chronically underfunded school in the New York borough of Brooklyn, DʼMileʼs home town. The school, Transit Tech High School, was chosen by DʼMile himself. The project also included recording a song together with the school’s students as part of an exciting “Songwriting/Production Masterclass.” In addition, Penguin Random House donated a small library of selected books on music topics to the school for the project.

The time D’Mile, whose birth name is Dernst Emile II, spent with the students was captured in a mini-documentary, “Save the Music: Inspiring Music’s Next Generation,” that was released on Amazon Music in celebration of Black Music Month. It is also available on Amazon Prime as of this week. D’Mile also produced a song with Victoria Monét for the project, a re-imagination of her Grammy-nominated “Hollywood,” with all proceeds benefitting the school.

“D’Mile’s masterclass showcases how we can leverage the expertise of world class songwriters and producers to create transformative experiences for today’s youth, who are increasingly deprived of arts programs due to widespread cuts in school systems,” said Ed Holland, Director, Publishing Partnerships & Songwriter Marketing, who led the project for BMG. “This project also exemplifies the innovative approaches we’re pioneering in BMG’s publishing marketing, redefining what’s possible, bringing songwriters and producers to the forefront, and creating impactful, community-driven initiatives that resonate beyond the traditionally perceived boundaries of music publishing.”