RISING stars are helping to boost the appreciation of country music throughout rural schools in Tamworth with the program #schoolcountry.
The #schoolcountry program will bring up-and-coming country music artists Kaylee Bell, Kaylens Rain and Jared Porter to schools about the district.
Peel High School has had its first meet with the artists and music teacher Nicole Hayman said it had a profound effect on the students.
Ms Hayman said the day allowed students to ask the stars questions about the music industry and what their schooling lives were like.
"One of the aims was building country music among schools and showing students what's possible with a commitment to music," she said.
"They were so engaging, I had students saying that they made them think they could actually get there in the industry."
Not only is the program trying to get in touch with music students, but it's also trying to encourage those who enjoy writing, as song writing is an important process of being an entertainer.
"The program went across different facilities in the school," Ms Hayman said.
In the future, the stars will continue to go back to the schools to further express to students how nurturing the country music industry can be for young talent.
A main aim to the program is to spread country music further throughout the region and encourage young students to get involved with the community's most famous event - the Country Music Festival.
Event and program co-ordinator Cheryl Byrnes said #schoolcountry could introduce the country music scene to students who had disregarded it.
All three visiting artists had a different representation of the country genre and Ms Byrnes said she hoped the program would show students just how diverse country music really was.
Ms Byrnes said the program would be something different for the students, who often aren't exposed to live music due to their age and location.
"In most cases, students aren't old enough to attend concerts unless their parents are into music and go out regularly, so we need to take the music to the students.
"I hope that students can realise their own potential and also recognise country music as a genre that they can enjoy."
Across the year, Ms Byrnes said she would alert schools when a variety of artists were coming through town and give them the opportunity to participate in the program.
The idea of #schoolcountry is to encourage children to share their experiences with the program on social media to hopefully get surrounding districts involved.