MEDICINE BOW Students scattered around the Medicine Bow elementary school music room. They had a performance that night, practice would be critical.

Warm it up, said teacher John Steinhardt. I dont hear any music.

An ear-splitting cacophony erupted of seemingly random notes on pianos, clarinets, cymbals and drums.

Steinhardt, 56, settled at his drum set at the front of the room. If he makes them play, he plays, too. The chaos calmed.

Sitting on a stool, his long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a yellow shirt and bald eagle tie, he whacked his drumsticks together to count the beat of the first song. Each of the 11 players, from third to sixth grade, came together.

Steinhardt, known on stage as Schizoid Johnny is settled in Medicine Bow, for now, anyway. After spending 36 years performing in nightclubs, schools and theaters across the globe, Steinhardt wants to focus on his music and performances meant to teach students about respect, diversity and tolerance.

Some songs, like his most recent Smoke A Pack A Day, are a little unconventional

Some of the guys who get the song on the radio station think its about smoking cigarettes, he said.

In reality, the lyrics are a half serious, half joking way to promote wolf hunting. Everyones opinions should be respected and tolerated, not just the politically correct ones, he said.

He has spent hours listening to Montana ranchers talk about wolves hurting their businesses and slimming big game herds. Wolf hunting should be allowed through conservation, he argues, to help keep a balance in nature.

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Medicine Bow music teacher sings, plays, motivates