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Here's Johnny
Musician John Steinhardt to perform at WHS

Musician John Steinhardt will perform at Williams High School April 17. Steinhardt has recently relocated to Williams.

Musician John Steinhardt will perform at Williams High School April 17. Steinhardt has recently relocated to Williams.

Professional musician John Steinhardt - a man who goes by the persona of Schizoid Johnny - will entertain students at Williams High School (WHS) April 17 beginning at around 1:30 p.m. Steinhardt, a classically trained musician, has been in the music business for over 20 years. His performance, titled "The Rock and Roll Experience," offers a message of diversity to youth, according to Steinhardt. The show will touch on other messages as well, such as tolerance and respect, bridging the generation gap through music, respect for the animal kingdom, Native American pride and building self esteem among other topics.

"I'll be presenting a very electric, eclectic, high energy, multimedia performance on many instruments, with the themes of rock and roll as a true American art form and a theme of non-hate, non-violence alternative expression in music," Steinhardt said. "I'll do a clinic for the music students immediately afterwards, where I'll be discussing the music business."

He added that he would also discuss other music-oriented topics with the students as well. Steinhardt's latest CD is currently being promoted on National Public Radio. An expert in all forms of music, Steinhardt said he is approaching his 5,000th performance.

Born in La Jolla, Calif. and raised in Wisconsin, Steinhardt began playing music at the age of nine. As a musician, he plays a wide variety of instruments and has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and the world. He's recorded 22 albums and has taught band as music director for a number of different schools throughout the U.S. He's also served in three Department of Defense overseas tours. His one-man show has been written about in a handful of newspapers and received nationwide airplay. His "Samadhi Concert" has entertained audiences both nationwide as well as overseas. Billed as a futuristic, mythical tale, the concert follows the exploits of Schizoid Johnny while on an expedition to the planet Mars. The show itself, according to a press release from Steinhardt's Web site, is designed to showcase "the loss of innocence, acceptance, the battle of good and evil, the learning experience of a human being and the lessons we all have learned."

Steinhardt recently relocated to the Williams area and may also perform at other venues in the city in the future, where he will offer "authentic cowboy music from the '30s, '40s and '50s."

The special concert, according to WHS Principal Steve Hudgens, was first presented to school officials by Steinhardt himself after he visited the school. Hudgens said the idea to offer a special assembly came after a discussion between school administrators and teaching staff. Besides the show, Steinhardt will also hold a "band clinic" with WHS band students.

"He's supposed to be pretty talented," Hudgens said. "He's going to put on a little clinic for our band people."


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