Blake Shelton Surprises Ada High Students With New Instruments

Country music star Blake Shelton surprised students at Ada High School with a major donation to their music program on Tuesday.

Shelton, who graduated from the school in 1994, made an unexpected appearance on stage, leaving the students in disbelief.

“When I heard about this thing that we are doing here today, and it’s for you guys, I wanted to just come up and poke my head in because I think this is a really cool opportunity,” Shelton said to the students.

Shelton partnered with Music Will, the largest nonprofit music program in U.S. public schools, to donate new instruments to Ada High School’s band program. He shared how growing up in the Ada area, surrounded by family and friends, had influenced his music career.

“My inspiration probably was just here, driving back roads and growing up hunting and fishing every day,” he said.

Shelton also emphasized the therapeutic power of music, telling students that it can be a lifelong passion, whether as a career or a hobby.

Someday when you're older, coming home from work, you're gonna love the idea of walking into your house and grabbing an acoustic guitar and sitting around and coolest thing in the world. It’s the coolest thing in the world. It really is,” he said.

Music Will, which aims to expand its reach in Oklahoma, is encouraging school leaders to consider partnerships through its website, musicwill.org.

Ada Band Director Richard Howard hopes Shelton’s story will inspire students, adding,

“Hopefully, the kids will realize, looking at Blake, he was a student just like them not that long ago, and if you work at it, things can happen.”