The Albany Gazette - One Month Left to Join the Music Matters Challenge Hosted by Let Music Fill My World

CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / May 1, 2025 / With just one month remaining to enter, Let Music Fill My World, a privately funded non-profit launched by the Tullman Family Office (TFO) and GRAMMY-nominated artist John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting, is reminding students, educators, and musicians across the country to submit their entries for the Music Matters Challenge before the deadline on May 30, 2025.

This nationwide competition is reigniting the conversation around music education by offering major prizes and the chance to make lasting change through the power of music. Whether you're a student, teacher, C-suite executive, music industry professional, aspiring artist, or simply a music enthusiast, there's still time to take part, and the impact could be life-changing. This challenge is open to everyone.

"Music and the arts are essential to human flourishing. They ignite curiosity, creativity, and connection-the very qualities young people need to thrive in today's world." says Cayley Tull, Co-Founder of Let Music Fill My World. "Through the Music Matters Challenge, we're not just funding talent-we're reimagining the tools students deserve to succeed in school and beyond, preparing them to lead full, meaningful lives and careers."

"I'm thrilled that the Music Matters Challenge is continuing to raise awareness for the critical need for a music teacher in every school," says John Ondrasik. "I can't wait to review the submissions and share the finalists with the world!"

The grand prize for individual entrants includes a $10,000 cash award and the opportunity to participate in selecting a school to receive a 3-year salary for a music teacher in need. Additionally, the winning individual will play a pivotal role in helping Let Music Fill My World select a school to receive a transformative grant of $300,000 to fund the salary of a full-time music teacher for at least a three-year period. Schools may also enter to compete for a $25,000 grant to support their music programming, enabling them to expand or enhance their music education initiatives.

To enter, participants must submit a short narrative (up to 250 words) detailing how music has positively impacted their life, whether through a formative experience with a music teacher, a memorable performance, or the ways in which they have used music to uplift others. In addition to the written component, entrants must record a video (up to two minutes) showcasing their own creative rendition of the chorus of "Let Music Fill My World." Submissions may feature a variety of interpretations, including singing, instrumentals, dancing, beatboxing, or other forms of musical expression.

Entries must be submitted by May 30, 2025, through the official challenge portal at https://letmusicfillmyworld.com/challenge. Complete and accurate contact information must be provided to ensure finalists can be reached. The challenge is open to individuals and schools nationwide, offering a meaningful opportunity to inspire change, share the power of music, and help return essential music education resources to the classrooms that need them most.

ABOUT LET MUSIC FILL MY WORLD:
"Let Music Fill My World" was born in 2023 when Tullman Family Office (TFO) teamed up with Grammy-nominated artist John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting to empower students at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago. Ondrasik and eight students co-wrote the song, with the students contributing the lyrics, passionately expressing their personal connection to music. Despite evidence showing that music programs boost test scores, reduce disciplinary issues, and improve graduation rates, arts education continues to face cuts in lower-income urban schools, often being the first to go during budget constraints. "Let Music Fill My World" is on a mission to change that, supporting sustainable music funding and changing lives in the process.

ABOUT FIVE FOR FIGHTING / JOHN ONDRASIK:
In the two decades since Five for Fighting's first major single, "Superman (It's Not Easy)," hit the stratosphere, Five For Fighting (aka John Ondrasik), has released six studio LPs, including the platinum-certified "America Town'' and "The Battle for Everything;" and the top-10 charting "Two Lights," along with an EP and live albums. A post 9-11 anthem, Ondrasik performed "Superman (It's Not Easy)," at the 2001 Concert for New York, a benefit show at Madison Square Garden that honored first responders and the fallen about a month after the tragic September 11th attacks. Ondrasik has penned major hits, including the chart-topping "100 Years," "The Riddle," "Chances," "World," and "Easy Tonight," which have earned tens of millions of streams and placed him as a top-10 Hot Adult Contemporary artist for the 2000s. The reflective "100 Years" has joined "Superman (It's Not Easy)" as part of the American Songbook and continues to stand the test of time. Five For Fighting's music has also been featured in more than 350 films, television shows, and commercials, including the Oscar-winning "The Blind Side," "Hawaii Five-O," "The Sopranos," and the CBS drama, "Code Black." For more information visit: www.fiveforfighting.com.

ABOUT THE TULLMAN FAMILY OFFICE:
The Tullman Family Office (TFO) directs the Chicago-based Tullman family's philanthropy, political advocacy, business investments focused on social impact, and community engagement initiatives. We partner with visionary leaders, grassroots organizations, and creative thinkers to move beyond incremental progress - reimagining resources, accelerating impact, and activating collective solutions that advance equity and opportunity for all. For more information about TFO's philanthropic work, visit: https://www.tullmancommunityventures.org/

PUBLICITY CONTACTS
Cassie Zebisch-Schienle | [email protected]
Abbey Kovacevich | [email protected]

SOURCE: Let Music Fill My World

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(W.Walker--TAG)