Administration

William Ballenger, Director, School of Music

William L. Ballenger is the Director of the School of Music at Texas Tech University. Prior to his appointment at Texas Tech, he served for twelve years as Department Head of Music at Oklahoma State University. Mr. Ballenger’s previous academic appointments include Associate Director of Bands at Oklahoma State University and Associate Director of Bands at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mr. Ballenger is an active composer and arranger, having produced more than seventy original compositions and more than six hundred arrangements for various ensembles. He also maintains a busy guest conducting and clinician schedule. Mr. Ballenger serves on the Ethics Committee of the National Association of Schools of Music. Previous elections include President of the Oklahoma Association of Music Schools and Vice Chair and Chair of Region 9 of the National Association of Schools of Music. Director, School of Music.

William Ballenger can be contacted through email at: william.ballenger@ttu.edu

Michael Stoune, Associate Director, Graduate Studies

Michael C. Stoune is Associate Director of the School of Music for Graduate Curriculum. He holds Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music (Music History) degrees from The University of Texas (Austin), and the Doctor of Music Arts from the University of Michigan. He is the flutist in the Devienne Trio, which has played twice for the National Flute Association, at Music Teacher National Association (Spokane) and the International Double Reed Society in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Stoune also performs in the Lubbock Symphony and Roswell (NW) Symphony orchestras. He chaired the Special Publications Committee of the National Flute Association for eleven years and supervised and edited five books. He has been president of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors. A student of flute bands in Northern Ireland, he has conducted their music at the NFA in 1989, and is preparing a paper on flute bands for presentation. Music Theory, Ph.D in Fine Arts.

To contact Dr. Michael Stoune, email Michael.Stoune@ttu.edu.

Alan Shinn, Associate Director, Undergraduate Studies

Alan D. Shinn is Professor of Music and Director of Percussion and Jazz Studies at Texas Tech University. He holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Missouri and the Master of Music degree from Texas Tech University. His primary teachers were Tim Lautzenheiser and Ron Dyer. Prior to coming to Texas Tech in 1982 as faculty percussionist, he served as Instructor of Percussion and Jazz at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. Over seventy percussion students have graduated with music degrees at TTU since 1982 and are enjoying careers in education (all levels) and performance as well as music business and industry. Many former jazz students are performing professionally or are teaching in public schools, junior colleges or universities.

Shinn is Principal Timpanist with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra and a former member of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as Principal Timpanist/Percussionist with the Roswell Symphony and has performed a number of times with the chamber orchestras of Santa Fe Pro Musica and 20th Century Unlimited. In March of 2001, Shinn performed with the Santa Fe Pro Musica and the Smithsonian Chamber Players in Washington DC As a member of these organizations and the musical communities in which he lives, he has performed with Henry Mancini, Peter Nero, Roger Williams, Doc Severinsen, The Fifth Dimension, Rita Moreno, Michael Martin Murphy, Tony Bennett, William Warfield, Mark O'Connor, Jose Feliciano, Mitzi Gaynor, Engelbert Humperdinct, Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan and Carol Channing in Hello Dolly.

Under his direction, Texas Tech's Jazz Ensemble 1 has taken honors at many jazz festivals.  The group has performed with such renowned jazz artists as Louie Bellson, Frank Mantooth, Kevin Mahogany, Willie Hill, Clay Jenkins, Kim Richmond, Denis DiBlasio, Tony Campise, Phil Wilson, Bob Mintzer, Tuck and Patti, Dave Pietro, Ed Calle and Ernie Watts. The Tech Jazz Ensemble has opened shows for Spyro Gyra, the Yellowjackets and Jay Leno. In 1996 the ensemble opened for Arturo Sandoval and the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Lab Band 1 at the UNC/Greeley,CO Jazz Festival. Their CD Seein' the Light...Hearin' the Hub-Tones (Sea Breeze Jazz) received a Grammy nomination in 1998. Shinn has produced CD's that have garnered national attention for jazz singer Carla Helmbrecht, trumpeter Mary Benner and vibraphonist Lisa Rogers. He served as Associate Producer on Helmbrect's 2001 release Be Cool, Be Kind (Heart Music) which climbed to number eight on the Gavin Jazz Charts. He is currently finishing his second TTU big band project which features Austin jazz legend Tony Campise. He has recorded as a percussionist on many of his own projects as well as on albums by Lubbock artists Terry Allen and The Maines Brothers.

Alan Shinn is an active clinician and adjudicator throughout the Southwest and Midwest and has served as an Educational/Product Consultant for REMO, Inc. and Pro-Mark. He is currently an Artist Endorser of Innovative Percussion. Percussion, Jazz

To contact Alan Shinn, email alan.shinn@ttu.edu.

Eric Fried, Assistant to the Director

Eric Fried, Associate Professor of Music and Assistant to the Director of the School of Music, earned music degrees from Indiana University, the University of Denver, and the University of Arizona. He served for fifteen years as music director/conductor of the Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra. Prior to coming to Texas Tech, he served as orchestra director and professor of violin on the music faculties of Oklahoma State University and Hendrix College (AR). During the summers of 1997 and 1998 he was assistant concertmaster of the Classical Music Festival Orchestra based in the Schloss Esterhazy in Eisenstadt, Austria, and performing in numerous locations throughout Austria and Hungary. He also has served as concertmaster of the Arkansas Symphony Chamber Orchestra, the Little Rock Chamber Orchestra, and the Arkansas Ballet and Opera orchestras. He was president-elect of the Oklahoma String Teachers Association immediately before accepting his position at Texas Tech.

Dr. Fried has published articles in American String Teacher, California Music Educator, and Upbeat (publication of the American Symphony Orchestra League).

To contact Eric Fried, email eric.fried@ttu.edu.