The White House Goes Country! The Newest Music Event -- UPDATED

This is country music week at the White House! Get ready to hear Brad Paisley (top) and Alison Krauss (bottom) and Union Station -- the top modern bluegrass band (she has 26 Grammys) -- in the East Room and the State Dining Room. The show begins Tuesday at 2 p.m., when Jay Orr moderates an educational workshop with the musicians for 120 middle- and high school students from around the country (40 are coming from Nashville, which is a little like coals to Newcastle, no?). The students are supposed to "learn about the craft of songwriting and the genres of country music, including bluegrass, honky tonk and rockabilly," according to the White House press machine.  

As she was for the first of these music events -- on jazz -- First Lady Michelle Obama will be there. Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, will make the opening remarks. 

Then, at 7:30 p.m., Paisley and Krauss and Union Station will perform at the White House, with the president in attendence, and he'll make remarks. Eddie Stubbs, from the Grand Ole Opry will MC.

UPDATED, 7/20: 4 p.m.: The White House has just sent word that Charley Pride has joined in and will perform at the 7:30 gathering -- though not the workshop.

This is all part of the Obama Administration's effort to make the arts more prominent, more part of our daily lives, and to show the importance of arts education. I applaud it, and hope it works.