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Mr. Rod Stoughton
(262) 763-0190 ext. 3029
rstoughton@basd.k12.wi.us
5th - 8th Grade Choir and General Music
Karcher Room 127
Mr. Stoughton has been a member of the Karcher Middle School music faculty teaching choir, vocal jazz, general music, and guitar since 1999. He has spent the past 25 years directing the choirs at Karcher and also developing innovative music courses such as Modern Music Production, History of Musical Theatre and Scene/Songwriting, and Rock and Pop Modern Band.
Mr. Stoughton holds a Bachelor's Degree in Choral Music Education from UW-Eau Claire and a Master's Degree in Education from UW-La Crosse. He has been a member of NAfME, ACDA, WCDA, WMEA, and NAMM and has presented at the Wisconsin Music Educators Association state conference. Most recently, he was a guest speaker at the 2024 WCDA NextDirection Leadership Conference, speaking about the techniques, challenges, and rewards of teaching middle school choral music. He has also served numerous times as a guest clinician for area middle and high school choral workshops.
In 1999, when Mr. Stoughton became choral music director at Karcher, he created the unique and now successful Karcher Vocal Jazz Ensemble. In addition to the jazz ensemble, he started the tradition of the annual Karcher Choirs Pops Concert, becoming both a student and crowd favorite showcasing some of Karcher's most exceptional young singing talent - including a former student who recently appeared on the TV show, “The Voice.” From 2011-2017, Mr. Stoughton also co-directed and played guitar with the popular Orange Crush Band. "OCB" was a rock and soul band that was a collaboration between students and faculty that played at high school athletic events, community events, and was featured on the PBS Wisconsin program, Wisconsin Life. As a sound engineer and member of the Burlington High School Musical Theatre team, Mr. Stoughton has received seven Jerry Awards for Outstanding Sound Design. In 2024, Mr. Stoughton was awarded the Civic Music MKE Certificate of Excellence for Choral Music Instruction and in 2025, he received the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Teacher Fellowship Award.
In addition to his teaching duties, Mr. Stoughton was the Burlington High School Varsity Girls Basketball Head Coach for five years and an assistant for six. He has also coached middle school basketball, track, and volleyball. He is now a licensed WIAA basketball official and officiates throughout the area.
Away from his own school, Mr. Stoughton enjoys being a freelance guitarist, playing in the area for musical pit orchestras and accompanying ensembles. He also enjoys writing, recording, and arranging music, collecting, building, and fixing guitars, and spending quality time with his wife and two daughters.
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