Keith Urban Meets With Students to Promote Music Education at ‘Today Show’

Keith Urban has long been a champion of the importance of music education, and at his performance on the Today Show on Friday (Aug. 7), he showed just how much he cares.

As a CMA Music Education ambassador, Urban recently partnered with the CMA Foundation’s Music Education Matters initiative to donate guitars to New York City middle and elementary school students, whom he invited to experience the Today Show performance from the front row.

The artist took time before and after the five-song set to meet with the excited kids, who are part of the Education Through Music (ETM) program and were attending the organization’s summer camp. ETM partners with underserved schools to make music a priority by providing it as a core subject for students and creating a community that values the arts.

The CMA Foundation has made Music Education Matters its core initiative and supports programs like ETM primarily through events like the CMA Music Festival. CMA and the CMA Foundation has donated $11 million toward music education programs on behalf of artists who perform at the festival for free.

While on the Today Show, Urban performed his most recent single, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16," which has become a Top 10 hit for the singer, along with “Long Hot Summer,” which fans chose in a poll the week prior. He announced recently that he will be appearing as a judge on the final season of American Idol. Urban continues touring around the country through early October.

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