For the love of music - Creative ways to play and listen to music in challenging times.

Story by Tina Hennigar 
Contributed photo
In rural Nova Scotia, people have space between their neighbours. It’s a place where young drummers and musicians can be encouraged to drum and make music – sounds that are often discouraged in most city homes and skyrises. And, I’m told, the acoustics in old rural houses are really good for learning an instrument.
Morgan Zwicker also credits the Park View Education Centre’s Jazz program for the growth of musical talent in this area. “That program is miles ahead of the rest, I think,” noting that if a band needs a percussionist, there’s one around.  
Morgan left Lunenburg County to go to school at McGill in Montreal to take Neuroscience.  Ultimately, he chose to follow his passion for music and studied Jazz Performance at Toronto’s Humber College. He was drawn back to Lunenburg County because of its pace of life and general friendliness. Today Morgan runs The Lunenburg County Youth Jazz Society, a non-profit, providing an enriched jazz program for youth. He also is the drummer for the band, Juicebox. 
He found a big community of music lovers in Lunenburg County at The Confidence Lodge, a landmark building and recording studio in Riverport where musicians would gather. With The Confidence Lodge up for sale Morgan was trying to find a new safe space for musicians to gather, where social distancing was ​possible, and where music lovers could once again feel normal.
He found that right on Hirtle’s beach where, with the sand between his toes, he was sitting searching for a solution . 
“Not everything has to be complicated,” Morgan said of the beach concert idea. With a generator, lights, equipment, and after a few phone calls to fellow musicians, double-checking with Lands and Forests and the appropriate law enforcement agencies to make sure it was allowed, a concert on the beach was born. 
And people showed up. 
The beach concert was the first of what is hoped will be many performances. Morgan said he looked out from the stage and saw seniors, children, vacationers, music lovers and curious on-lookers - people who missed live music.
And they didn’t get a single complaint.
“There are a lot of pockets of creativity here, you just have to find the one that appeals to you if you’re looking for a creative outlet.”  Morgan says if you look around, music is being played. 
To learn more about Morgan and music in Lunenburg County go to www.morganzwicker.com
And to learn about the Lunenburg County Youth Jazz Ensemble, go to www.lcyje.com