"I don't really listen to country," said Myers, who said she normally listens to hip-hop and R&B. "It was really interesting what they played for us."
Dennis Creedon, director of arts education for the Philadelphia schools, hailed the White House visit and the music program as enlightening for the students.
They arrived by charter bus and were ushered into the formal State Dining Room, where they listened to the performances and talked to the artists. While Michelle Obama organized it, neither she nor the president was able to attend. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan introduced the program.
"Alison Krauss spoke directly about how she began her career studying classical music and then transitioned into country and bluegrass because she was having fun with it," Creedon said.
Myers said she especially liked hearing that Krauss, who has won Grammys and Country Music Association awards and whose latest album is Essential Alison Krauss, also gets nervous when she performs.
"I could relate to that," Myers said. "When I play, I get nervous, too."
Paisley is a Grammy-winning artist from West Virginia whose latest album is American Saturday Night.
Moira Mack, a White House spokesman, said yesterday's music program was one in a series devoted to students. The Obamas are encouraging musicians who perform at the White House to participate in educational programs for children, Mack said.
The Philadelphia students were selected to attend the White House program by the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in public schools. They are participating in the WorkReady Philadelphia Summer Music Program at Benjamin Franklin High School.
Creedon said the foundation had donated $300,000 per year to the district for the last five years for the purchase of new musical instruments. The money has been used to buy more than 2,000 instruments for students, he said.
