<p>It doesn't appear that Texas Christian University is widely explored on this forum, but does anybody out there happen to have any personal experiences with, or accolades for, any of their voice faculty or the TCU voice program? The faculty are: Shiela Allen, David Brock, Jennifer Carr, Nancy Elledge, Richard Estes, David Grogan, San-ky Kim, Colleen Mallette, and Kathleen Terbeek.</p>
<p>We've met several of them and visited various opera events at their school. Son really likes what he knows of the voice faculty and their program. So do I. But it would be great if we could get feedback from others with more knowledge and experience.</p>
<p>Excuse me … pardon me … I must be a budinski and bump my own thread! …</p>
<p>Really? NOBODY on this forum has any knowledge of or experience with any of the voice faculty or voice program at TCU?</p>
<p>Son just learned of a full-tuition scholarship the other day. We are thrilled. We plan on heading out there so he can take a few lessons – their time permitting. But, oh it would be so nice if somebody here could advise.</p>
<p>Btw, unless I’m mistaken, David Brock (from TCU) participates as voice faculty with the summer AIMS in graz program. Do any of you know him from there? He’s the voice faculty coordinator for 2009.</p>
<p>SimpleLife,</p>
<p>Congratulations on your son’s full-ride offer from TCU. I don’t know anything about the voice dept., but I can tell you that TCU is a very well-respected music dept. (and university) in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. They have beautiful facilities and an incredible faculty in general. For example, Yoheved Kaplinsky (piano-from Julliard) joined them recently. </p>
<p>Has your son had lessons with any of the faculty? Just looking at the bios of the numerous voice teachers (I think there are 7 or 8) - they all have impressive credentials and are most likely active in the DFW opera/vocal scene. Contrary to many other parts of the economically depressed Country, Texas is very supportive of the arts and live classical music in general.</p>
<p>Yay! I am so glad that somebody out there knows something about TCU! Our sad little thread was just lingering there, looking for an answer.</p>
<p>I’m especially glad to hear that TCU’s music department is very well-respected! We just don’t hear of it much. Especially here on CC. We do know that they were a Classical Singer competition school.</p>
<p>It does have gorgeous facilities. A lot of the dorms are very recently renovated; there’s a brand new student center; the fitness center is absolutely amazing. Not that he’s going to school for the scenery or buildings – but it sure is a pretty campus.</p>
<p>It does seem that the school is very tight with the Fort Worth Opera, based on a few things we picked up in conversation during auditions and on our campus visit.</p>
<p>You mentioned the pianist from Juilliard who joined them recently. During auditions, they led the applicants to the piano practice rooms to warm-up. Those practice rooms were incredible! They were all equipped with brand-new looking Steinways. The walls were painted a lovely, relaxing color. The rooms were huge and air-conditioned. If I’m not mistaken, they were all carpeted. Everything down there looked brand new. We saw while we were there that TCU has a big role in the Van Cliburn piano competitions (maybe the semi-finals?), which is impressive. Those piano students have it good there, I guess!</p>
<p>We had been to their other practice rooms (for all other musicians, I suppose) during a previous campus visit, and those practice rooms had the same worn-out look with the same well-worn pianos as all the other schools we visited. But we had never seen this special, super-secret piano hall! Very nice.</p>
<p>My son has had one lesson with one faculty member. He’s interested in two other professors, but he doesn’t know anything other than their bios and from conversations he’s had with them. So he hoped to hear more from somebody who has had some experience with the voice faculty there.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for responding, violinmom! </p>
<p>Anybody else?</p>
<p>SimpleLife:</p>
<p>My daughter will be joining TCU in the fall, majoring in voice-opera. If you unearth any information on the voice faculty we would love to hear it. She did meet with San-ky Kim last November and she liked his style. We were impressed that he remembered their conversation when she returned to audition in February.</p>
<p>Hi collegemech!</p>
<p>Congratulations on your daughter’s decision! That’s wonderful that she’s found a place where she’ll be happy. We really can’t claim to be an expert on any of the voice teachers, but we have met a few of them at this point. And we will second violinmom’s description of TCU, the faculty, and the facilities.</p>
<p>We’ve met many of the voice faculty at this point, but we don’t really know them enough to comment on them with any authority. My son really likes Sheila Allen and David Brock a lot. But that’s not to say he doesn’t like the others - he just hasn’t had an opportunity to know as much about them. We did hear that both Dr. Allen and Dr. Kim speak fluent German, which is pretty cool. We also know that all of the ones we’ve met are very caring and kind and talented themselves. In fact, as a whole, TCU is an amazingly caring campus. That truly has to be THE friendliest, kindest campus we’ve EVER visited! And we’ve visited a ton of campuses.</p>
<p>My son still hasn’t made his decision. He was stuck between two schools that very generously offered him full-tuition scholarships – when he went to decline another school, they matched the others. So, now he’s torn between THREE! Which was not the plan. They’re all great schools, with great teachers he could love, and academics that he can’t wait to sink his teeth into! </p>
<p>The good news is - he can’t lose, I suppose. The bad news is - he can’t seem to choose!</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter. I’d be very interested in hearing which teacher she decides to study with and any other impressions you have of the school.</p>
<p>Can I ask? What put her over the edge for TCU?</p>
<p>SimpleLife,</p>
<p>Had to respond to this - we’d corresponded earlier in a different thread about TCU, and I’m planning on taking “s” there next week on a second visit prior to his HS senior year. We’re being scheduled to meet with Dr. Sheila Allen after a very nice meeting last year with Professor David “You’ve driven down this far, now let’s hear you SING” Brock, who my son and I enjoyed meeting.</p>
<p>My son’s teacher [who</a> was discussed in this thread](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065174507-post9.html]who”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065174507-post9.html) has sent his chamber choir kids to music schools across the nation including Berklee, Indiana/Bloomington, Michigan and North Texas during the time my son’s attended his high school in a smaller “Southeastern Conference” state…he’s REALLY impressed with TCU and is encouraging my son to take a good look at it.</p>
<p>Sorry to resurrect this old thread as I know your child is heading to SMU, but I was googling “Sheila Allen TCU” and saw this post in the results. I’m with you on the friendliness of “Froggy”…if all U.S. colleges were as gracious as we’ve experienced at TCU this nation would be a better place, and I’m saying that quite seriously. If you see this and if it’s not against forum rules I’d appreciate a PM as I’d like to ask you a few other questions.</p>
<p>Thanks and God bless.</p>
<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>I have heard a little about TCU. I know that last year, their students consisted of about 1/3 of the National ACDA College Honor Choir. I was impressed that half the students were from Texas alone. That’s my brief experience with them, but my teachers seemed to like them a lot. Good luck to s next year and congrats!</p>
<p>I had not seen this thread, and I do not know any of the teachers at TCU. However, I would recommend that anyone considering voice teachers at a particular school do the following kinds of research:</p>
<p>Ask your choir teacher which choral directors she/he knows in that area, or chase down ACDA directory; contact a few and ask what they know about the voice faculty and whom they would recommend. You could also ask your choir teacher or voice teacher to contact the choral director at the school itself and ask for a recommendation…some will find a way to recommend without “dissing” the others. </p>
<p>Ask the teachers there to put you in touch with a current student or two, and then when you speak to the students ask about their teacher, but also ask which other teacher they would recommend or not recommend. </p>
<p>Ask the teachers about their most recent graduating class(es) and where those students are now. Are they still there in a graduate program, at a larger graduate program, teaching somewhere, or …</p>
<p>Lorelei,</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I’ve actually made contact with a TCU choir alumni. Also, my son’s private vocal music teacher (who’s also the choral director at his high school) has said he will study the pedagogy of the top few schools that my son chooses for college and discuss what he finds with my son. I very much appreciate and will act on your additional advice as well.</p>
<p>Hi all. I’ve been in touch with OTamandau via PM. But I did want to get back on this thread for a second for the sake of following up …</p>
<p>My son ended up choosing SMU for undergrad. He is loving it! He couldn’t be more pleased with his choice. However, we’re both quite sure that he would have loved TCU just as much. He was very blessed to have such a choice.</p>
<p>I did want to tell of a grad student at SMU who is in the same studio as my undergrad son. She got her undergrad vocal performance degree at TCU. She is amazing! She’s extremely talented, as an actress and as a vocalist. She’s also an incredibly interesting person with all sorts of jaw-dropping experiences. I’m nearly positive that she studied with David Brock while she was at TCU. David Brock was one of two teachers that my son really wanted to study with when he was considering TCU. He (Brock) was impressive in many ways.</p>
<p>Anyway, I see this as an endorsement for the TCU voice program and wanted to pass it along for future TCU applicants.</p>
<p>Good luck to all!</p>
<p>Indeed it’s so, and thanks for the advice, SimpleLife! (As well as the input from everyone else here).</p>
<p>I know there have been threads here about the strengths of the Texas choral music programs at the high school level (perhaps the most competitive in the nation right now). It seems like the Dallas/Fort Worth area is blessed to have four schools (SMU, TCU, North Texas, Baylor) all of which have VERY strong music programs, within a fairly close radius by Texas standards, and that’s a good thing to see.</p>