A key component of Law Rocks’ mission is to promote music education for underserved youth. In 2023, due to our increased sponsorship and fundraising, Law Rocks was able to offer a new grant at each Law Rocks show: The Music Matters grant. This grant is given to a local nonprofit that supports youth music education in each of our U.S. tour cities. Omi Crawford, director of Law Rocks, says of the grant initiative:
“Since our 2009 founding, Law Rocks has supported hundreds of incredible nonprofits, with an emphasis on youth music education organizations. The Music Matters grant is a natural evolution of our mission and a chance to formalize our support of amazing music education nonprofits across the country.”
Today’s spotlight is on our 2025 Law Rocks Houston Music Matters grant recipient, Prelude Music Foundation (PMF). This is Prelude’s second Law Rocks Music Matters grant, and we are happy to be highlighting the organization again as they celebrate a decade of serving the children of Houston.
Keep reading to learn more in our spotlight interview with PMF.
Our 2025 Houston Music Matters Grant Recipient: Prelude Music Foundation
1) What new successes or milestones have you achieved since we last spoke?
This 2024-2025 school year, we are celebrating our tenth anniversary! Over the past decade, we've served nearly 17,000 children in 26 sites across the city of Houston. Our team of music specialists has taught over 22,000 classes in more than 750 classrooms.
Since our founding in 2014, we've grown our professional development practices for our music specialists and for the early childhood educators whose classrooms we visit each week. We've built authentic connections between Houston's leading cultural institutions and the students we serve, from ongoing school visits from professional musicians to the end-of-year concerts where an ensemble of players from these institutions join the children to sing and move to the songs they have sung all year. We've worked to become a consistent source of support for the communities we serve. Even through a pandemic, a flood, and a few hurricanes, the Prelude Music Foundation has kept the music going.
We're grateful for the extraordinary support we've received over the past ten years from our funders, our school communities, and our many supporters across the city of Houston.
Prelude Music Foundation Co-Founder, Dr. Ana Treviño-Godfrey accepts the Law Rocks Music Matters grant from Law Rocks Executive Director, Omi Crawford at the Fourth Annual Law Rocks Houston in 2024.
2) Have any new programs or initiatives been introduced since our last conversation that you are particularly excited about?
We're currently in a strategic planning process, where we are charting the course for what the next few years will hold as we work to grow thoughtfully and sustainably. We believe that music is a birthright, and music-making is for everyone. As music educators, we are committed to bringing excellent music education to young children in Houston, many of whom would otherwise not have the chance to experience arts education. We plan to deepen our commitment to our existing sites and deliberately expand to more schools. We endeavor to provide consistent, high-quality music programming year after year so that these communities can count on our teachers as a source of joy and a resource for effective, engaging teaching practices.
Prelude Music Foundation - Miller Outdoor Theatre - Spring 2024 - Photo by Lynn Lane, courtesy of PMF.
What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?
We are looking forward to our fourth annual My First Orchestral Concert at Miller Outdoor Theatre on April 8th and 9th, 2025, at 11:00 AM! We will be welcoming over 2,600 students and teachers from our partnering campuses to experience an interactive, educational, and engaging live-music event designed especially for our youngest audience members.
Led by Prelude Music Foundation Music Specialists and professional musicians from Houston’s top orchestral organizations—including the Houston Symphony, Apollo Chamber Players, and Mercury Chamber Orchestra—this dynamic concert will have children and families singing, dancing, and celebrating the power of music together with the wider Houston community.
Our goal is to create an inclusive, joyful, and high-quality live-music event where young children can experience the transformative power of live music in a fun, interactive way. And because all concerts at Miller Outdoor Theatre are free and open to the public, we’re thrilled to invite families throughout Houston to join us! Perfect for children from birth through 1st grade, this developmentally appropriate performance will immerse young learners in the magic of live music.
We can’t wait to bring Houston together for this special celebration of music, joy, and community! Come join us!
Prelude Music Foundation - Miller Outdoor Theatre - Spring 2024 - Photo by Lynn Lane, courtesy of PMF.
4) What is your favorite thing about having your organization take part in a Law Rocks event?
We wholeheartedly believe that music is a birthright, and that everyone is musical. It is truly inspiring to witness legal professionals step into their craft as musicians and share their passion, dedication, and talent on stage. Law Rocks is a remarkable event that not only unites people through the joy of music but also harnesses the generosity of the community to raise essential funds for music education. We are deeply honored to be part of this meaningful celebration—one that highlights the power of music to build connections, strengthen communities, and enrich lives.
Learn more about Prelude Music Foundation.
Learn more about the upcoming Fifth Annual Law Rocks Houston.