FINAL CALL: LET MUSIC FILL MY WORLD’S 'MUSIC MATTERS CHALLENGE' ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS THROUGH MAY 1

Nonprofit’s flagship campaign spotlights the power and urgency of expanding music education nationwide

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, April 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What happens when you give students a microphone and a mission? You get a movement. Let Music Fill My World, the nonprofit founded by GRAMMY^®-nominated artist John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting and Cayley Tull of the Tullman Family Office, is continuing its annual “Music Matters Challenge” and accepting submissions through May 1.

More than a traditional competition, the online challenge invites individuals and schools across the country to create an original rendition of the chorus of the song “Let Music Fill My World,” paired with a personal story about how music has shaped their lives. The result is a growing collection of voices from across the country that reflect the power of music to inspire, connect, and transform.

Two Grand Prize winners – one individual and one school – will be selected by a panel of esteemed judges and awarded cash prizes, grants, and the opportunity to help fund a music teacher for an under-resourced school. Ondrasik and Tull will be joined on the judging panel by former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum and indie pop artist Tiger La Flor.

Ondrasik and Tull founded Let Music Fill My World with a simple but ambitious goal: to ensure that every student, regardless of ZIP code, has access to and the ability to participate in high-quality music education. The song “Let Music Fill My World” was originally written and recorded by students from Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, where the initiative first took root. That initial collaboration led to funding for a full-time music educator for three years, igniting creativity in the classroom and laying the foundation for a broader national effort.

“The Music Matters Challenge is more than just a campaign – it’s become a movement that shows how powerful music education can be,” said Cayley Tull, co-founder of Let Music Fill My World and President of the Tullman Family Office. “In just a few years, it has grown into a national conversation about the value of music in our communities and the role it can play in shaping our future.”

Research continues to underscore the impact of arts education, showing that students with access to music and the arts experience stronger academic outcomes, increased engagement, and greater social-emotional development. Despite this, arts programs are often among the first to be cut, making initiatives like the Music Matters Challenge an important vehicle for both awareness and action.

The individual Grand Prize winner will receive $10,000 and the opportunity to participate in selecting a music teacher for an under-resourced school, supporting a salary of up to $300,000 over three years. The winning school will receive a $25,000 grant to support and expand its music program. Ten finalists—five individuals and five schools—will be selected by the judging panel, with final winners determined in part by public vote.

The impact of the challenge is already being felt. In 2025, individual winner Ramón Campos helped select a school to receive a three-year music teacher salary grant, restoring access to music education for students who had gone years without a program. Since then, he has earned a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship, been selected for a young classical musicians fellowship, and performed with Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 National Youth Orchestra. That same year, Mozart Elementary School in Boston brought together nearly 160 students for a school-wide submission, using its $25,000 grant to expand performance opportunities and invest in new instructional resources.

The 2026 challenge will follow a similar format, with submissions open through May 1 and Grand Prize winners to be announced the week of May 18.

Full details about the Music Matters Challenge and how to participate are available at letmusicfillmyworld.org or by following @letmusicfillmyworld on social media.

Michael Corrigan
MCPR
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