A key component of Law Rocks’ mission is to promote youth music education. In 2023, the Law Rocks Board founded the Music Matters grant, given to a local nonprofit that supports youth music education in each of our US tour cities. Omi Crawford, Executive Director of Law Rocks, says of the grant initiative:
“Law Rocks has always been about championing nonprofits, especially local organizations that make a real difference in their community. The Music Matters grant deepens that commitment, helping support music education organizations nationwide as they change young lives through the power of music. It’s inspiring and exciting to learn more about each organizations work, truly one of the best things about this work!”
Today’s spotlight is on our 2026 Atlanta recipient of the Law Rocks Music Matters grant, Atlanta Music Project (AMP). AMP “transforms the lives of young people through world-class music training, extraordinary performance opportunities, and comprehensive college and career preparation.” We first awarded AMP with a Music Matters grant in 2024, and are thrilled to have selected the organization as a grant recipient once again.
D’Laney Bowry; Development & Grants Manager for Atlanta Music Project shared a bit about what the organization has been up to since accepting its last Music Matters grant. Read on to learn more in our spotlight interview below!
The 2026 Law Rocks Atlanta Music Matters Grant Recipient: Atlanta Music Project | Photo by Qu West Photography | Courtesy of AMP
1) What new successes or milestones have you achieved since we last spoke?
AMP recently completed its 16th year of programming. We have gone from serving 30 students through 2 programs to now serving over 500 students annually through 8 programs and several sites across SW Atlanta. Our students perform over 50 concerts throughout the Metro Atlanta area annually, have taken part in artistic exchange programs, and have worked with various music professionals, all in an effort to help them see what they can accomplish and all they are capable of becoming.
During Summer 2025, the AMP Senior Youth Orchestra embarked on its first multi-city tour in the US Southeast alongside the Antigua & Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the AMP Senior Youth Choir was invited to participate in the Pro Musica International Choral Festival in Albany, NY. These artistic exchanges allow our students to meet, work with, and cultivate relationships with other musicians their age from all walks of life, and we can’t wait to do more of these in the future.
Our Co-founder and CEO, Dantes Rameau, has always been a huge soccer fan. So naturally, when he found out that the FIFA World Cup 2026 would be held in Atlanta, he saw a perfect opportunity for our students. This past Summer, AMP Summer Series was reimagined to celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted partially for the first time in Atlanta. During this summer, AMP put together a World Music Festival, celebrating music from around the world, including Spain, Cape Verde, Haiti, Morocco, Czechia, and South Africa. Collectively, our World Music Festival Orchestra and World Music Festival Choir put on 3 concerts. In addition to this festival, AMP spent the summer focused on boosting recruitment for instruments needed in our program. This June, we held 4 music camps - Violins & Viola, Horn & Tuba, Oboe & Bassoon, and Male Voices - each for a week, from 9am-12pm, with a concert at the end of each week.
AMP World Music Festival Orchestra Concert | Photo by Qu West Photography | Courtesy of AMP
2) Have any new programs or initiatives been introduced since our last conversation that you are particularly excited about?
AMP is always actively cultivating new ways to give our young musicians world-class experiences. Currently, we’ve got our sights set on one main one: Antigua.
Recently, AMP established a relationship with the Antigua & Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra (ABYSO). During our 15th season, not only were we able to send some of our teaching artists and Music Mentors (AMP Alumni) down to Antigua to work with their students, but we also had the ABYSO join us on a multi-city tour with the AMP Senior Youth Orchestra. We are now looking into ways to continue this partnership for years to come and give all these young musicians as many worldly experiences as we can, including hopefully having a cultural exchange where not only will our advanced orchestra and choir students go down to Antigua, but also inviting our Antiguan community to AMP.
Festival Choir at the AMP World Music Festival Choir Concert | Photo by Qu West Photography | Courtesy of AMP
3) What has been the most rewarding aspect of your work over the past year?
For me, it’s the same answer this year, next year and 10 years from now: seeing our students thrive. Getting to watch and hear about the confidence, patience, and overall social changes in our students year after year reminds me everyday just how important the work we do at AMP really is.
Take Preston Harris, for example: a 9th-grade French Horn student who started with AMP 6 years ago. Back then, Preston’s elementary school didn’t have a music program, so everything he was learning at AMP was completely new and foreign to him. He was performing just 2 weeks after his first rehearsal. Preston exclaims that he “couldn’t stop smiling after the performance, probably more so because it was over, but [he] felt like [he] did a good job and was proud of [himself].” Even his mom noticed how much he’d grown with AMP; she recently read one of his school essays where Preston says his goal is to one day create an ‘AMP 2.0’ when he grows up. When asked why, he said:
“Mom, it’s changed my life. It might not be the coolest thing for everybody, but I’ve made good friends and I like it. I want people to feel the way I feel.”
When I heard that for the first time, I was almost brought to tears because it was such a sweet sentiment and really shows just how transformative AMP is.
AMP Senior Youth Choir during their performance with the Harvard Glee Club | Photo by Qu West Photography | Courtesy of AMP
4) What is your favorite thing about having your organization take part in a Law Rocks event?
Seeing the power of music being used in real time! I have always believed that music is one of the most powerful tools we have to connect with others and strengthen our community, and Law Rocks puts this belief into practice. Look at just how many people all over Atlanta – all over the world, really – come together for this event to help bring awareness and support to several charities and non-profit organizations. It’s truly amazing! And the best part: it’s done with people whose main profession is not in music. It just further proves that anyone who puts in the effort and the time can do music, and music can be used to change people's lives.
Learn more about Atlanta Music Project.
Get tickets to The Third Annual Law Rocks Atlanta.
Header photo by Qu West Photography
