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Birch Creek Jazz Musicians Come to Door County schools

Reggie Thomas, piano, Rick Haydon, guitar, and Jeff Campbell, bass will hold jazz clinics in Door County Schools Nov. 13-14. Photo by Ashton Waller.

Birch Creek’s “Artists in the Schools” program is slated to bring jazz musicians and Birch Creek faculty members Reggie Thomas, Rick Haydon, and Jeff Campbell to Door County schools on November 13 and 14.

“Artists in the Schools” is an outreach program that reaches between 200 to 400 Door County public school students annually. Birch Creek faculty members visit instrumental music classrooms and conduct two-hour seminars. They perform and demonstrate basic to advanced techniques based on the levels of the students and lead hands-on workshops with students.

For the past eight years, Birch Creek has joined the increasing nationwide effort to bring music programs, performers and clinicians into public schools. In addition to Thomas, Haydon and Campbell, Birch Creek faculty members who have participated in “Artists in the Schools” have included Robert Chappell, Liam Teague, Dane Richeson, Fred Strum, Greg Flint, Birch Creek’s Executive Director Kaye Wagner, and Vicki Peterson Jenks.

Additionally, Door County band directors may contact Birch Creek throughout the school year to ask one of the jazz artists a question about the public school’s jazz program.

Birch Creek is a nationally recognized summer study program three miles east of Egg Harbor offering promising young musicians two-week sessions in symphony, percussion and steel band, or big band jazz. During the day, students are taught by legendary performers. At night, students perform before live audiences in concert programs that are challenging and exciting.

For more information or to inquire about off-season facilities rental, contact Birch Creek Executive Director Kaye Wagner at 920.868.3763.