The Albany Gazette - Let Music Fill My World Announces Winners of the 2025 Music Matters Challenge

CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / June 24, 2025 / Let Music Fill My World, a privately funded nonprofit launched by the Tullman Family Office (TFO) and Grammy-nominated artist Five For Fighting (aka John Ondrasik), is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Music Matters Challenge - a nationwide initiative that called on individuals and schools to celebrate the transformative power of music and advocate for increased access to music education in classrooms across the country.

After months of heartfelt submissions, powerful storytelling, and overwhelming public support, the winners have been selected. These standout entries were chosen by the public for their creativity, authenticity, and moving demonstrations of how music has shaped their lives and communities.

2025 MUSIC MATTERS CHALLENGE WINNERS

Individual Winner
Ramon Campos - Rochester, MN
Ramon taught himself violin with the help of YouTube and support from his school community, eventually earning a spot in the All-State Orchestra. Recognizing a lack of access to music education in his community, he launched a mentorship program offering free violin lessons to 25 students and training 11 mentors. His goal is to close the equity gap in music education. This summer, he'll attend Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra to further develop his skills and continue inspiring others.

School Winner
Mozart Elementary School - Boston, MA
For the music teacher at Mozart Elementary, music has always meant many things - tradition, expression, connection - but this year brought something entirely new: the overwhelming joy of building a musical community. From day one, students learned, laughed, and sang together - working toward a shared goal of performing Stand By Me as their school song. At the spring concert, that dream came alive. As sixth graders kicked off the beat and chords rang out, every voice - hundreds of students, teachers, and family members - joined together in one unforgettable, powerful moment.

"Congrats to Ramon and Mozart Elementary. Your music filled my world!" said John Ondrasik, Co-Founder of Let Music Fill My World.

"This year, once again, John and I had the great honor of getting to know so many talented and passionate Americans through the universal language of music," said Cayley Tull, Co-Founder of Let Music Fill My World. "Thank you to each of you who shared your story and joined our movement to reimagine the role of music in our lives and classrooms. Music is one of the most powerful tools we have-for connection, social and emotional development, skills-building, and perhaps most importantly, as a vital resource that delivers for our youth. Congratulations to this year's winners and to everyone who participated in the Music Matters Challenge. Together, we will make a little noise, and maybe even some good trouble, to ensure music education is prioritized and evenly deployed across the Nation."

Challenge Prizes Include:

• $25,000 School Grant - Awarded to the winning school to directly support its music programming and initiatives.

• $10,000 Cash Prize - Awarded to the individual winner to further their personal music journey.

  • $300,000 Music Teacher Grant - In a transformative effort to expand access to music education, the individual winner will also help select a school to receive a grant of up to $300,000 to fund the salary of a full-time music teacher for three years.

Let Music Fill My World extends its heartfelt thanks to every person, student, teacher, and community who participated in this year's Challenge. Together, we're building a future where music education is not a luxury - but a right. We're already looking forward to next year's Challenge and hope you'll join us again to keep the momentum going!

###

ABOUT LET MUSIC FILL MY WORLD:

The organization "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 connect with students at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago through music. Ondrasik and eight students co-wrote the original song titled "Let Music Fill My World," with the students contributing the lyrics, passionately expressing their personal connection to music. Despite overwhelming evidence that music education is integral to childhood development across varied proof points including boosting test scores, reducing disciplinary infractions, and improving graduation rates, music and arts education remains undervalued, as evidenced by its uneven and insufficient deployment nationwide. These powerful creative resources continue 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 reality, supporting sustainable music funding, fueling dynamic storytelling, and transforming 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.tullmanfamilyoffice.org/

PUBLICITY CONTACTS

Cassie Zebisch-Schienle | [email protected]m

Abbey Kovacevich | [email protected]

SOURCE: Let Music Fill My World

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(J.Torres--TAG)