Choir Director Paul Vasquez said the program has grown from 14 students to 63 in a few years. He called the night a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for kids from a small town who don't often get big-stage events.
Foreigner bassist Jeff Pilson said every member of the band went through public school music education. Music and the arts are among the first things to get cut when funding gets tight, he said. The band donates $500 to the choirs it invites to perform on tour, and Lubbock restaurant One Guy from Italy matched the donation for the Slaton program.
For the students, the payoff reaches past the stage lights. Senior Mari Marsistos said, "We don't get recognized very often. We're kind of the underdogs in our school." She said the performance helped bring recognition to the choir and the work its members put in. Junior Adalyn Sims said the arts help students express themselves creatively and have helped her through high school.