Above: “You’re going to Hollywood!” Moondance Student Slater Nalley get’s three yeses from American Idol Judges
April 11, 2025
By Caroline Garrett + Mary Kathryn Wood
Growth isn’t always a straight path. Sometimes, it looks like strumming a guitar surrounded by a group of 12 new friends in Croatia. Other times, it looks like standing on a national stage in front of millions of viewers. For Slater Nalley, both moments are part of the same story.
At just 18 years old, Slater has already emerged as a standout contestant on American Idol. But long before he was a fan-favorite on national television, he was a Moondance teen learning how to find his voice — both musically and personally — over the course of three unforgettable summers.
Slater’s Moondance journey began on the Big Wild trip in Wyoming, then continued in Maui and Croatia the following two summers. Like many Moondance teens, his first trip began as a leap of faith, but quickly became something more meaningful. Each summer, he left convinced nothing could top the one before, only to be proven wrong again and again.
While each summer was unique, one thing remained constant: the Baby Taylor travel-sized guitar his leaders brought along. It quietly accompanied the group throughout each trip section, but became habitual to every evening’s Moonup. “It was a unique experience to witness a Moondance group fall silent, but this was normal when Slater would play his guitar and sing for our group,” said Slater’s Croatia trip leader, Chris Monde. At first, Slater was only content to play in the background or with small groups of teens, as playing for others felt intimidating. “Performing is one of the hardest skills for a musician to learn,” he reflects, but Moondance, with its culture of encouragement and community, created a space for him to grow.
Leaders and peers alike began to notice Slater’s talent and encourage it. “He had no idea how captivated everyone became when he sang for the group. He made the trip so memorable for everyone on it,” Slater’s Maui trip leader, Harry Putt, shared. With their support, Slater grew more comfortable and confident in his abilities. By the end of his trip to Maui, Slater wasn’t just playing for his group — he was actually teaching them how to play guitar too! His ability to step outside his comfort zone encouraged other teens to follow suit.
When asked what kept bringing him back to Moondance, Slater is quick to name the people. “There’s something special about human connection with Moondance — it comes naturally,” he shares. This is something Chris Monde, Slater’s Croatia leader, noticed about Slater on day two of their trip. He shared that after a relatively heavy Moonup, Slater reminded his group, “to know someone is to love someone.” This outlook “set the tone for how the group embraced developing genuine connections and creating an uplifting environment to flourish in,” Chris said. And that ease of connection, the kind that creates fast friends out of strangers, would turn out to be one of the most valuable skills he’d carry into the American Idol process.
Slater found himself in yet another new group on American Idol — a gathering of people from all over the country, each with a different story. It reminded him of his Moondance trips, where every group started as strangers and ended with an unbreakable bond. Slater’s confidence in joining new groups and connecting with people serves as a quiet reminder that he still carries pieces of Moondance with him every day.
And just like during his summers, Slater hasn’t had to go it alone. Since his first audition aired, he’s felt the full force of the Moondance family behind him — from leaders reaching out, to friends from even his first trip sending their support. “It’s been nice to have the Moondance family rally behind me,” he says.
As Slater takes on Hollywood and beyond, we’ll be cheering him on every step of the way. His story is a reminder that growth doesn’t just happen in the spotlight — sometimes, it starts with a guitar on a hillside in Croatia.
