FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 17, 2012 CONTACT: Kate Phenix; (207)-443-7105; [email protected]; WEB SITE: HYDE.edu Hyde School to Host Student Songwriter Workshop and Showcase [Bath, ME]— For the eighth consecutive year, Hyde School in Bath, Maine, will host a five-day music workshop to be held on January 23 through January 28. The Songwriter Workshop, designed for aspiring musicians interested in perfecting their musical craft in writing, producing, or singing, will be led by music great Don Cook. The weeklong workshop will culminate in a performance on Saturday, January 28, at 7 p.m. at Bayside Bowl in Portland. The public is welcome. Students from both Hyde School boarding campuses in Woodstock, Connecticut and Bath, Maine, will be performing with students from Morse High School and local homeschool study students who participated in the workshop. The students will perform original pieces they have composed with hands-on training from Cook and other music professionals who are volunteering their time with the workshop. Don Cook is one of Nashville’s premier songwriters and producers. A former chief creative director for Sony Music Publishing Nashville, he has more than 30 years of experience in the music industry. He has worked with groups including Brooks & Dunn, Alabama, and The Mavericks. Also involved in this year’s program as facilitators will be Lilly Hiatt, musician and daughter of award-winning musician John Hiatt; Terry Radigan, from Brooklyn, New York, a longtime Nashville songwriter and artist; Chapin Hartford, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, and other notable music industry professionals. Program Director and professional musician Matt Newberg says, “We’re really excited to have some new facilitators that broaden the scope of the program and give the students an opportunity to gain a better sense of their own unique style. And, as always, we look forward to having the students perform their original songs to an audience, and it will be great to have this year’s showcase at Bayside Bowl.” Hyde School will also live broadcast a demo session with students on January 26 from 7 – 10 p.m. EST at www.hyde.edu/livedemo. Students will be recording songs in Hyde’s newly-renovated music studio, a gift from music legend Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan. McDonald is a former Hyde parent and a committed supporter of Hyde’s music programs. Students from the workshop will be selected to visit Nashville, Tennessee, where they will record an album in a professional studio, tour major music venues including the Country Music Hall of Fame, and learn about music history. The Hyde School approach to education has been developed since 1966 at the Hyde boarding campuses in Bath, Maine, and Woodstock, Connecticut, and through public school initiatives in New Haven, Connecticut and Bronx and Brooklyn, New York. Known for its success in developing leadership skills in teenagers, Hyde boarding schools offer students in grades 9–12 and post-graduate studies, a strong academic curriculum including many AP and Honors courses, a wide range of sports, a performing arts program, plus many enrichment programs, including Academic Support and the Hyde Leadership Society. Students may also participate in student mentoring programs in Hyde’s New York charter schools, and internship and volunteer experiences that help to apply learning to real life. Ninety eight percent of Hyde School graduates are accepted to four-year colleges. To learn more about Hyde Schools, its summer leadership programs, and parenting and teen workshops, log on to Hyde.edu. For more information about Hyde’s music and performing arts program, visit to Hyde Schools, contact Kate Phenix at (207)-443-7105 or [email protected]. ### .