For the past seven years country star Amber Lawrence has been visiting schools and performing free concerts for primary school children.
“When I was on tour I was going into schools for different reasons,” Amber tells Noise11.com. “1. To give back and share my story of believing in yourself. 2. To get country music into schools because its not a form of music that gets a lot of radio play or mainstream”.
Amber took it upon herself to educate school kids about country music. “I thought if I could sing it for kids and they go home and they look it up on YouTube you might find you are turning kids into country music fans,” she says. “If we were in town the local newspaper would always love to follow the story of someone coming in to give a free concert. They have always been free. I’ve done over 300 free kids shows”.
The concept became Amber’s “Be Your Own Superhero” campaign. “The most important thing is that I want kids to know they can be whatever they want to be,” she says. “I am certainly not encouraging them to become singers or country singers. I tell my story of never giving up. The first time I went it, it was like The Voice for country music, I was told ‘no, go home’ and I went back the next week and was told no, and then the next week and I got told no again. It was the fourth time I got through on The Road to Tamworth and I ended up coming second to Jessica Mauboy. If I had given up on those first attempts I wouldn’t be singing now. The kids like that story of never giving up”.
Amber chooses to perform for primary school children. “I feel I get the best connection from Year 3, 4 and 5. They are old enough to get excited and have a dream and they aren’t too old for me to be uncool”.
Watch the Noise11.com interview with Amber Lawrence.
Amber Lawrence has just released her first DVD ‘Amber Lawrence Live’. It is available from Songland Records or from her website.
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