Foreigner Hopes To ‘Save The Music’

While many people talk about the deterioration of music programs in public schools, Foreigner plans to do something about it by giving high school vocal groups the chance to perform with the band on stage.

The band founded by guitarist Mick Jones in 1976 has partnered with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation to launch a nationwide fundraising campaign aimed at restoring instrumental music programs in public schools. While on the “United We Rock” tour with Styx and Kansas, the band will donate a portion of CD sales on each stop to the foundation and will auction off a Gibson guitar.

Photo: John Davisson

Twin Oaks Mansion, Silver Springs, Fla.

But that’s only part of the fun. Foreigner and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation have hooked up with music discovery site OurStage.com to present the “Can’t Slow Down The Music Competition” in each market hosting “United We Rock.” To enter, eligible high school choruses, choirs, glee clubs and vocal groups upload a video of themselves performing Foreigner’s 1984 hit “I Want To Know What Love Is or the band’s current Top-30 single “In Pieces,” to OurStage. Winning groups will receive $1,000 and the opportunity to perform “I Want To Know…” with the band when “United We Rock” rolls into town.

“As far as I’m concerned music is not only the most powerful form of communication between the peoples of the world, it provides a gateway that opens up a fantastic new dimension of feeling and creativity and anything we can do to provide our young ones with the tools to express themselves through music, is our goal in this partnership,” Jones said.

“Can’t Slow Down The Music” finalists will be determined through online voting at OurStage with the winning groups picked by an independent panel of judges from local radio stations. For more information, including rules and regs, click here for the OurStage Web site.