The GRAMMY Museum will begin offering free general admission to visitors aged 17 and under starting Jan. 25, 2025, the organization announced today. This new initiative aims to make the Museum’s interactive exhibits and exclusive collections more accessible to a broader audience of young music lovers. The Museum anticipates this new policy to increase the number of youths who visit the Museum's galleries each year by more than double.

The newly announced free-admission policy was made possible by the Stengaard Gross Family Education Initiative through a generous donation made to the Campaign For Music Education. First launched in 2022, the Campaign For Music Education aims to eliminate the financial burden to access music education and foster the next generation of music's creators and leaders. The fundraising campaign recently surpassed its initial fundraising goal of $5 million. With this initial milestone now achieved, the GRAMMY Museum is announcing that it has doubled its fundraising goal to $10 million, which it hopes to reach in 2026. The Campaign For Music Education is co-chaired by some of the leading names in music, including Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendes, and Rosalía.

Additional funds raised through the Campaign For Music Education will be used to expand the GRAMMY Museum's education and community programs, which have served more than 550,000 students through programs such as GRAMMY Camp, GRAMMY In The Schools and the Quinn Coleman Scholarship Fund.

"The GRAMMY Museum has always been committed to increase access to music education by reaching underserved communities where access to our Museum and programming could make a huge impact,” GRAMMY Museum President and CEO Michael Sticka said in a statement. "Waiving admission for kids 17 and under will go a long way towards achieving that goal."

Sticka, who has been leading the Museum since 2018, just renewed his contract to serve as the GRAMMY Museum’s President and CEO until 2029.

Sonic Playground Exhibit Opens In January 2025

As a result of the Campaign For Music Education, the GRAMMY Museum will debut Sonic Playground, a new, interactive permanent exhibit designed to encourage creativity and exploration. Opening January 2025, the exhibit will feature 17 music-making, interactive experiences that allow visitors to play different roles in the music industry — from rapper and singer to producer, music supervisor, and voice actor — and discover the many ways they could pursue a career in the music industry. Sonic Playground is a groundbreaking, interactive space designed for visitors of all ages, regardless of their skills or knowledge, to be playful and creative through music.

Sonic Playground is made possible by a generous donation from Deborah DeBerry Long, dedicated to the legacy of Jim Long. More details will be announced in the coming weeks. Additional donors to the Campaign For Music Education include the Ray Charles Foundation, Deborah DeBerry Long, the Living Legacy Foundation, the Natalie Cole Foundation, and BeatHeadz.

Learn more about the GRAMMY Museum’s free admission initiative, Sonic Playground and other Museum programs.