Ben Folds gets schooled

via student.virginia.edu

Ben Folds believes that young, student-run a cappella groups sing his songs better than he does. So now they are the stars of his latest album "Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!" which hit iTunes yesterday.

The entire record consists of a cappella covers of Ben Fold’s songs—an idea Ben took from the creative college kids he heard on YouTube. "I was really moved," he told CNN, "I thought it was better than what I had done when I first heard it. That's how it struck me because it was so fresh."

Ben picked 15 ensembles from 250 submissions for the album. And don’t worry, the rocker sings two a cappella tracks himself: "Boxing" from his Ben Folds Five days, and "Effington" from his 2008 solo album "Way To Normal." Why is he so excited about promoting these school a cappella groups? “These guys just did it.”

And Ben gets it too! Reaching out to the arts is so important at this time—arts programs are the first thing to go when the budgets get tight. You can reach out to the arts like Ben by inviting a celeb or a government official a school concert to demonstrate the importance of music. And don’t forget to tell us what you think of Ben’s idea—comment below!