Program Summary
The Colorado Music Ambassador recognizes and supports Colorado musicians whose public service improves Colorado economically, socially, and culturally. The music ambassador serves a two-year term and receives a $10,000 honorarium for community engagement work.
Stephen Brackett was named the Colorado Music Ambassador in October 2020 and will serve a two-year term.
About Stephen Brackett
Stephen Malloy Brackett has been rhyming words as a calling and profession for the last 12 years. He has toured the world with his band, Flobots, using music as a platform for engagement and collective empowerment. The band’s platinum hit, “Handlebars,” has allowed Stephen to share the stage with many of his heroes including Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, Bernie Sanders, and Emily Keys.
His time as a philosophy student at Colorado State University nurtured his life-long love affair with the arts, education, and activism. Blending his passions, he co-founded the non-profit Youth on Record in 2008. Youth on Record exists to empower Colorado’s youth to achieve their academic, artistic, and personal best by employing local, professional artists as their educators. To date, Youth on Record has impacted the lives of thousands of young people and after 11 years serving on the Board of Directors, Stephen is proud to join the staff this year as Director of Special Programs.
Initiatives of the ambassador
As the music ambassador, Stephen will focus on two initiatives. The first will include assessing the needs of emerging and seasoned artists in the areas of professional and business development training, trauma support, and artistic tools in order to begin rebuilding Colorado’s music ecosystem, which has been deeply impacted by the global pandemic.
Additionally, Stephen and his team at Youth on Record will train Colorado musicians who are interested in further developing their skills so that they can lead classes and workshops in schools and youth facilities throughout the state. The goal is for Colorado musicians to acquire the tangible skills that will prepare them to share their gifts in schools and youth-serving facilities (libraries, youth centers, hospitals, and treatment centers). Other training areas will include Musician Health and Community Safety, Trauma Support and Recovery, and Emerging Music Business. This work will inform Take Note Colorado and Colorado Creative Industries, and young children across the state will have increased access to musical education.
Contact Stephen
If you would like to connect to Stephen, he can be contacted through his Youth on Record email.