St. Croix Valley Boy Choir

Al Duerkop is Artistic Director for the St. Croix Valley Boys Choir. Prior to joining the staff of SCVBC, he served ten years as Founder and Artistic Director of Wild River Boychoir.

His love of music started at an early age growing up on a farm near Black River Falls, Wisconsin. School, 4-H and church music activities were his initial ventures into music performance. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, with additional Master's classes from UW River Falls, College of St. Thomas and Montana State University, Bozeman, MT. He has taught music to students ranging from pre-school to adult in private, school and church settings. The School District of Somerset currently employs Mr. Duerkop as an Elementary Music Teacher.

The idea of teaching boychoir first presented itself to Mr. Duerkop while studying music education at UW-Eau Claire. The head of the Choral Music Department would, in the face of emerging public correctness, state the value of training boys voices in a gender specific setting both historically and developmentally. Mr. Duerkop continued to explore and challenge the validity of that idea as he began his teaching career and found that there are many strengths to the boy choir setting. "Boys have a unique path to travel with regard to singing that is difficult to model", states Mr. Duerkop. "As young children boys and girls voices are nearly identical. Unfortunately, at that time in a child's development, boys are generally uncomfortable with the girls and boys seldom like to use the full range and power of their voice because it may appear to be 'singing like a girl'. Women's voices are closer to the sound of a child's voice but most boys don't want to 'sing like my mother'. Men's falsetto can be close to the sound of a boy's voice but that is also the voice of Walt Disney used for Mickey Mouse - hardly the best role model for developing boys. The best way to train boys’ singing skills is to have other boys as models while they mature and become comfortable with their talents.

Dan Baumgartner has been with the SCVBC since spring of 2005 as assistant director and leader of our training choir.

He graduated from St. Olaf College with a BA in Music Education and composition. He also holds an MA in Music Education from the University of St. Thomas with an emphasis on the Kodaly approach and a mastery certificate in Kodaly. Mr. Baumgartner is currently teaching general music in Hudson, WI.

Nancy Jane Burman is an independent voice and piano teacher in the Hudson and New Richmond, Wisconsin area. Her two sons were members of the SCVBC. She has directed choirs of all ages, continues to accompany soloists and high school choirs, and sings with the Phipps Festival Choir in Hudson. Mrs. Burman holds a Music Education degree from Bethel College with graduate work from the University of Minnesota and the University of Northern Colorado. She is also a member of NATS, MTNA and WMTA.