The Men and Women's Choirs at SFA

A choral conducting graduate of the University of Kansas, Dr. Tod Fish has spent more than 7 years at Stephen F. Austin (SFA) State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, as associate director of choral activities. Dr. Tod Fish manages a number of responsibilities in this position, including oversight of both the men and women’s choirs.

The women’s choir has been particularly successful under his direction, tripling in size in recent years. During that time, the choir has been invited to the 2020 Southwest American Choral Directors Association Convention in Little Rock, Arkansas, among other special performances. The choir has also established relationships with local performance groups such as the Choral Union and the Orchestra of the Pines.

The men’s choir, meanwhile, has doubled in size under Dr. Fish’s leadership. Like the women’s choir, it is open to all majors, so long as students maintain a passion for performing pieces across a wide variety of musical styles and periods. Jonathan Quick’s Loch Lomond, Brain Tate’s Ehara, and Western Songs as arranged by Roger Wagner are just a few examples of pieces performed by the SFA men’s choir.

To learn more about either choir, please visit www.music.sfasu.edu.

Introducing the SFA University Men's Choir

Dr. Tod Fish holds a doctorate of musical arts in choral conducting from the University of Kansas. He joined Stephen F. Austin State University in 2013 and continues to serve the school as associate director of choral activities. In this role, Dr. Tod Fish doubled the size of the men’s choir in just one year.

The men’s choir at SFA University was established in 2018 and now includes 38 members. One of three major choral ensembles at the university, the choir operates on a non-audition basis and accepts vocalists in all majors. The only requisite is that performers demonstrate a passion for the diverse, challenging program the choir performs, which encompasses a diversity of musical styles and periods.

A few examples of SFA University men’s choir selections include Loch Lomond as arranged by Jonathan Quick, Roger Wagner’s arrangement of Western Songs, and Ehara as arranged by Brian Tate. Audio recordings of these performances are available to listen to online at no cost.

SFA College of Education Honors Exemplary Field Supervisors

An experienced choral director in Nacogdoches, Texas, Dr. Tod Fish joined Stephen F. Austin State University as director of choral activities in 2013. He also serves as a student teaching supervisor for all the school’s Choral Music Education majors. Dr. Tod Fish was nominated in 2018 as an Exemplary Field Supervisor by the SFA College of Education.

Each spring and fall semester, the Perkins College of Education recognizes outstanding performance among supervisors of teacher candidates in clinical teaching. Nominated by either the students they are supervising or by a faculty member who has observed their work, field supervisors must demonstrate a commitment to exceeding the requirements of the position.

Specifically, the award honors field supervisors who have supported teachers by helping them develop strategies for creating effective lesson plans, giving constructive feedback, and responding to teacher-candidate concerns thoughtfully. Field supervisors also provide valuable mentorship, helping teacher candidates learn to think critically and develop confidence in their abilities.

The Value of Vocal Modeling in Repertoire Rehearsal for Choral Singers

Nacogdoches, Texas-based musical professional Dr. Tod Fish serves at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) as the associate director of choral activities, and is also the student teaching supervisor for all choral music education majors. Dr. Tod Fish has expertise in teaching opera chorus, Italian diction, and choral repertoire.

Practicing the choral repertoire using the vocal modeling methodology is somewhat controversial among choral teaching professionals, since some believe it teaches students to produce a manufactured tone based on what they hear. However, the sung and unsung models of vocal modeling can provide singers with specific benefits.

The sung model of vocal modeling, which involves the teacher modeling vocal sounds to students, is highly efficient at helping students to achieve the ideal tone quality, dynamic level, rhythmic precision and articulation, and musical line during rehearsal. Because this methodology involves more singing and less talking, learning is expedited.

The unsung model of vocal modeling relies on the use of unsung cues from the teacher to help students achieve correct sounds. Examples of such cues include using physical gestures to indicate rounded and tall vowel sounds. This methodology provides the advantages of not requiring stopping and redirecting while students are learning musical sounds, and also reinforces previous learning instructions.