LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A mural honoring late Lubbock musician Mike Pritchard now stands at the Betty M. Condra School for Dyslexia Success, where a music department also bears his name.
Artist Elyse Arnold painted the mural after she was approached by the school. She said she wanted the work to send a message to students.
“I was really excited to be a part of doing something big and powerful for that to showcase to the children that yes, there are people out there who want to invest in your future and your interests and things like that,” Arnold said.
A mural honoring late Lubbock musician Mike Pritchard now stands at the Betty M. Condra School for Dyslexia Success, where a music department also bears his name.(KCBD Photo)
Arnold said the mural took about two months to complete, from proofs to final painting. It features flowers, cardinals — the school’s mascot — music notes, and Pritchard’s likeness and logo. She said the broader purpose of the project extended beyond the wall.
“I think it’s very important as individuals at all, even for adults to have self-expression, creativity, having an outlet, having something that you can be proud of that you’ve made that no one can take from you because you made it came from your hands, your mind,” Arnold said. “And so having that self-expression is really empowering and really helps self-esteem that can carry on into adulthood and gives them the courage and like confidence in all areas of life outside of just art. Like it just kind of spills over across the board.”
Pritchard’s widow, Tiffny Pritchard, founded “Mike Pritchard’s Friends Fest,” an annual fundraiser that has directed money to the Condra School for three years.
“We chose Condra for the first year because I found that they only had five-gallon buckets and drumsticks,” Tiffny Pritchard said. “It was basically all they had for their music program.”
The fundraiser has helped raise about $15,000 for the Condra school, according to administrators.
“It makes me very proud. It makes the family proud, and I’m not going to stop,” she said. “I will not let him be forgotten and, you know, blown away with the West Texas wind.”
Music teacher Josh Frye said the program transformed what was available to students. Before the Pritchard donations, the school had toy drums and, later, a donated upright piano and congas. After the funding came in, Frye said he was able to purchase guitars, a full drum set, three keyboards, and additional ukuleles.
“Then after we moved into this school, that’s whenever the Mike Pritchard program helped us out, and I got to spend $5,000 one summer on guitars and a whole drum set that we have over there, three keyboards, a bunch more ukuleles, like anything that I would put in the hands of a child just so that they could have a little fun for five or ten minutes,” Frye said.
Frye said music does more than occupy students — it opens parts of the brain that benefit learning across subjects.
“Just being able to have something that they’re successful at, whether it might sound good or not, but to actually play something just kind of unlock some other parts of their brain,” Frye said.
Merinda Condra, the school’s founder and superintendent, said the Condra School is the first of its kind in Texas and is entering its eighth year of operation. The school serves children with dyslexia at no cost — tuition, after-school programming, summer camp, and meals are all free.
Condra said music is a natural fit for the students her school serves.
“They’re very creative. And music absolutely is a place they can shine. And they do shine. If you look at the statistics on artists and entrepreneurs and inventors, you’re going to find a pretty high percentage of people who are dyslexic compared to the general population. So, yes, we want to boost their confidence. We want them to see their potential,” Condra said.
The Pritchard family’s organization will move on to support a different school after three years with Condra. Tiffny Pritchard said the board will vote on the next recipient.
“It just makes me proud. It makes me excited that they’re excited,” she said.
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