Next month Gwen will have a mentorship with the students of Neuqua Valley High School. Before her Billy Corgan was at the school to answer questions from the students. Here is a copy of the full article as you have to register in order to view it:

Star gives students a thrill
The Grammy Foundation sends Billy Corgan to Naperville's Neuqua Valley High School, where music is more than just another class

By Grace Aduroja
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 26, 2004

Performer Billy Corgan and music students at Neuqua Valley High School have something in common: multiple Grammy awards.

On Tuesday, the former lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins and Illinois native stopped by the Naperville school to answer questions from students about the grunge movement, being famous and music.

"I just left the studio to come here," Corgan told the 400 boisterous students who attended the after-school session. "You're ruining my album!"

His visit was arranged by the Grammy Foundation to reward the school's stellar music program, which was named one of six Grammy Signature Schools Gold nationwide for the third time. The school won a $5,000 prize.

The students were more excited at the chance to meet with Corgan.

Although his signature band split before many of the kids entered high school, the students were thrilled at the opportunity to chat with a music superstar.

The hourlong session ended with Corgan hopping on the piano to serenade the teens. It was the only time the audience fell silent.

"It was a lot more real than I thought it would be. It wasn't phony," said Erin Johnson, a sophomore who plays the flute. "It was the behind-the-music story instead of what you just hear."

Next month, the students will have a mentorship session with Gwen Stefani, lead singer of the band No Doubt.

"The name Grammy has some name recognition and brings some attention," said David Sears, senior director of education programs for the Grammy Foundation, based in Santa Monica, Calif. "That's what we want--to bring positive attention to what's going on in schools."

Studies show student musicians perform better in math and science classes, have better verbal skills and score about 100 points higher on SAT tests than their non-musical peers, said Mike Blakesless, deputy executive director of the National Association for Music Education.

"There's a lot of data demonstrating what I think parents and teachers and kids have known for years," Blakesless said. "Involvement in music can and will make for a richer school environment. Kids take pride in it."

At Neuqua Valley, about 850 of the 3,200 students study music. Competition is stiff for the higher level bands despite the requirement that students dedicate time to private lessons and participate in after-school vocal groups, jazz ensembles and brass quartets.

"Our faculty is able to convey through the art form that passion is an OK way to live your life fully," said Charles Staley, fine arts chairman and band director. "Most important, they [students] understand what beauty is, and they understand what it takes to get to a high level of artistry."

To encourage music in schools, the Grammy Foundation kicked off the Signature Schools program in the 1998-1999 school year. The schools that win a Gold award offer well-rounded music programs encompassing band, vocal and orchestral courses, and some non-conventional forms of music.

At Neuqua Valley, the most evident examples of the unusual are the two steel drum bands, which produce a tropical sound that is more Caribbean than west suburban.

For vocal variety, students can join Neuqua World Voices, an after-school group that performs selections from Israel and Puerto Rico to Thailand and India.

Staley says the students' focus on music rather than accolades is why the school has received Grammy recognition in each of the five years it has applied.

"They don't necessarily see it as a goal that they've been trying to reach," he said. "It's just affirmation of what they've been doing."

Source: Chicago Tribune