CORTLAND, NY -- Students at St. Mary's school in Cortland had a visit from a special guest on Tuesday. Country music star Trisha Yearwood made an appearance to talk about the importance of learning about the arts.
The three-time Grammy Award winning singer visited the school as part of the Campbell Soup's Label for Education program.
Jessica Verfuss, who has two children at the school, entered the school into a national contest and won
"I couldn't believe it,' says Verfuss. "I actually had to call them to make sure it was real."
It was real, and students say they were thrilled to see Yearwood perform in person.
"I love Trisha Yearwood," says 6th grader Remington Blasdell. "She's awesome, and it's a great opportunity for her to come here."
Yearwood and other people who work in the music industry took the time to answer the students' questions. One child asked her guitarist how many guitars he owned. He said, at one point, he owned 101.
Yearwood answered questions about everything from whether she still gets nervous before she performs to whether she knows Carrie Underwood.
The singer also shared her story about growing up in a small town where there weren't a lot of musical opportunities. However, she said she sang wherever she could, even playing Dorothy in a school production of "The Wizard of Oz." At the assembly, she sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" with the students and encouraged them to share their talents."
"You don't necessarily have to end up touring the world and singing for a living, but it gives children another outlet, and you never know when a child is going to discover something in themselves that they didn't know they had," says Yearwood.
This is Yearwood's first performance as part of Labels for Education. Other artists, like Gavin DeGraw, have performed in other areas of the country.
