Slash, Matt Sorum + More Unite for LA’s Peace Through Music Gala

Few things are more gratifying than seeing rockers team up for a good cause and that's just what Slash, his Velvet Revolver cohort Matt Sorum and more are doing next month in Los Angeles. Sorum has partnered with philanthropist and South Asian rock star Shehzad Roy to help increase the quality of public education and to raise funding for the arts in underprivileged schools on an international level via the Peace Through Music Gala.

Arts education programs are suffering everywhere, not just in the U.S. and this benefit intends on shining a light on that fact. The Gala is set for Sept. 15., from 5 to 10 PM at Wolfgang Puck's Ray Dolby Ballroom at the Loewes Hollywood Hotel. There will be a live auction and performances by Sorum, Roy, Slash, R&B singer Macy Gray and more.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) reports that 50 percent of the 535 elementary schools in the district are not receiving arts education due to budget cuts. “Kids learn four times better with music and arts, without which, their education suffers and we lose a creative force of the future," Sorum said.

As for the international element? "We founded Zindagi Trust to help the 10 million children in Pakistan employed in child labor,” said Shehzad Roy. "I soon realized over 85 percent of school-going children only have access to government schools plagued with low teacher attendance, dilapidated facilities, and a curriculum that encourages rote-learning. Only through government school reform, can all children get quality education."

All proceeds will benefit both organizations.