Channel Tres Surprises L.A. Students at Harmony Project With Ugg Shoes
Channel Tres visited the Harmony Project in Los Angeles to surprise young student musicians with mentorship, discussions on overcoming self-doubt, and brand-new pairs of Ugg shoes. The visit bridges grassroots arts education in under-resourced communities with brand partnerships, highlighting how early creative encouragement shapes long-term career trajectories in the entertainment industry.
The Compton-raised artist walked into a student rehearsal to address the drumline and broader music cohorts, offering practical advice on creative endurance. According to reporting from Footwear News, the interaction focused heavily on protecting the imagination required to build a creative life, with Tres drawing directly from his own formative years moving between Lynwood and Compton. Before establishing his signature blend of house, hip-hop, and funk, the artist found his footing through school music programs and supportive teachers.
“Those moments were the catalyst for where I’m at now,” Tres told Footwear News, reflecting on early mentors like his first-grade choir teacher, Miss Tolbert, who invited a jazz pianist into the classroom and helped him conquer stage fright. “It’s an each one, teach one type of thing. It was given to me, and now I can give it.”
The Mechanics of Community Arts Funding
Behind the surprise footwear distribution lies an instructional framework designed to foster social mobility through the arts. Harmony Project provides free, year-round music instruction and mentorship to children in Los Angeles neighborhoods where traditional arts funding remains scarce, according to executive director Natalie Jackson in her interview with Footwear News.
“We eliminate financial barriers,” Jackson told Footwear News. “Beyond music, we wrap our students and families in comprehensive support.”
This operational model incorporates social-emotional resources via the organization’s Community & Relational Engagement team alongside targeted college readiness support from its College Alumni Success team. The structural approach yields tangible educational metrics. As Jackson noted, the program maintains a 98 percent college acceptance rate for graduating seniors in areas where higher education attainment can otherwise prove elusive.
From Bedroom Production to Global Brand Equity
The partnership itself originated during the COVID-19 pandemic when live performance infrastructure ground to a halt across the entertainment sector. Confined to his home workspace, Tres began producing self-shot videos that eventually caught the attention of Ugg representatives looking to expand their FEEL _ creative series.
Writing poetry, onboarding his own dancers, and shooting campaign content provided a critical financial and creative lifeline during a period when touring had stopped and paid creative work was harder to find. “Especially during COVID, financially, it was a really hard time for a lot of people,” Tres explained to Footwear News. “To get paid for my art during that time lifted my spirits a lot.”
That initial digital-first commission blossomed into a relationship, culminating in the Los Angeles classroom drop where footwear served as a tangible reward for students navigating their own creative journeys.
The visit to Harmony Project demonstrates how strategic partnerships can simultaneously validate rising creative talent and supply tangible resources to the next generation of working musicians.
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