About the Staff
The Staff of the BHS Choral Program are happy to offer their experience and expertise to provide you with the best choir experience we can. You might also consider finding a private teacher to take your musical experience even further. Information about this can be found below.
​
Mr. Duckworth
Ryan Duckworth has been involved in music and music education for most of his life. Growing up in a suburb of Denver, Colorado he was constantly exposed to music from his mother’s piano studio. In the fourth grade he was accepted into the world renowned Colorado Children’s Chorale and for three years enjoyed performing in many concerts throughout the state under the direction of Duain Wolfe.
​
When his voice changed he joined the choir at his school and began working for the Chorale as a stagehand and rehearsal assistant. In the Wheat Ridge High School choirs he studied under the guidance of Jim Dalton and Janice Vlachos and performed in two All-State concerts and in a performance for the Colorado Music Educators’ Association. It was here that he began learning about musical theater, performing such roles as the Professor in South Pacific and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.
Mr. Duckworth earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Vocal Performance from the University of Redlands in southern California. There he studied choral directing and opera performance with roles including Modern Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance, Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and the father Peter in an English performance of Hansel und Gretel. He has studied privately as a student of voice under Mary Louise Burke, Tom Poole and Lois Vaccariello.
Over the years Mr. Duckworth has performed with several notable ensembles. He sang with a men’s quartet, InTune, through high school and performed with the collegiate a capella group Those Guys at the University of Redlands. He was a founding member of the Nova Chorale in Colorado and performed with the Inland Master Chorale in California, most notably participating in their performance of Verdi’s Requiem with the Redlands Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jon Robertson. He has further performed professionally with the Desert Carolers.
In 2002, Mr. Duckworth accepted the choir position at Bloomington High Schoolteaching a section of music history, two choir classes and assisting the marching band. Over the past decade this program has grown to include four curricular choirs and several extracurricular ensembles with over 100 students. His students are regularly selected into the All-Southern California Honor Choirs and his choirs typically earn high ratings at choral festivals.
Mr. Duckworth recently earned his Master’s Degree in Music Education from Boston University and served a term (2010-2012) as the president of the San Bernardino County Music Educators’ Association, the first choral director to ever hold that post. He is listed in the 2004 Edition of Who’s Who Among America’s High School and University Teachers, received a “Teacher of the Month” award from a local radio station in December of 2003, and in 2001 was inducted into the national honor society for music, Pi Kappa Lambda. In 2012 he was recognized as the Bloomington area "Teacher of the Year" by Senator Negrete McCloud. He has served on the state Board of Directors for the California Music Educators Association as President of the Southeastern Section (Riverside, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, and Orange counties)
Mr. Hampton
Bradley Hampton has been passionate about music since he was very young. As the oldest of eight children, he would arrange and composes pieces for his siblings to sing. He taught himself composition by transcribing the music of the Beach Boys, Hi-Los, Take6, and other great vocal groups. He received his degree in music education and music composition from California State University San Bernardino.
​
Mr. Hampton is one of the finest choir accompanists in the area and regularly plays for middle school, high school and university choir and music theater programs. He also works as a freelance composer/arranger with work in a variety of genres. For many years he worked at Emerson Music, a major music publishing company, and he has also worked as a performer and puppeteer for Disneyland.
Several years ago Mr. Hampton founded the a capella group SoundStage, which has won many prestigious awards and competitions. SoundStage has performed extensively in southern California but has toured internationally as well. Under Mr. Hampton’s direction, SoundStage has released three albums, the latest, entitled "One Savior, One Voice" is of available for purchase on Amazon.
​
He is currently an adjunct professor at CSUSB teaching vocal jazz and music theory. Bloomington High School is extremely fortunate to have such an amazing musician and accompanist on staff. We are grateful for the incredible assistance he provides to our program.
Finding a Private Teacher
While a high school music education will provide you with all the tools you need to be successful in the world of music-making and enjoyment, a private instructor can really help take you to the next level. Even if you can only afford a few short lessons right before an important audition, the benefit far outweighs the cost. Of course, it is not a requirement to take private lessons, but we do recommend it whenever possible. If you are interested in private study, your choir director can recommend some fine teachers and may even be able to arrange for a teacher to come to the school for an after school session.
The following teachers and organizations are some possible places to begin your search for a private teacher.
Jammie Hampton – Piano & Voice lessons in all styles – intreble23@hotmail.com
University of Redlands Community School of Music - (909) 748-8844 or visit: http://www.redlands.edu/academics/csma.aspx
A Word About Agents & Agencies
Often our young musicians may find themselves approached by someone claiming to be an agent offering to become their representative. While a representative or agent can be beneficial for the aspiring professional musician, it is also a field ripe with scam artists. There is no easy way to determine whether an agency is legitimate, so caution and discretion must be used. Never give your address or social security number to anyone who approaches you. Ask them for a card and then use the internet to research their agency. Always read any contract all the way through before you sign it and if you do not understand any part of it, ask for clarification or consult another professional. A typical agency takes a fee of 15% of any earnings. Beware of any agency where you must pay for classes or other services up front. While many good agencies provide classes, portfolio photography or even professional websites, other agencies simply take your money for these services and never really get you any work.