P R E S I D E N T
E L E C T (continued)
Billy Talley has served as choral director at Tascosa HS for twenty-eight years. He earned a BME and a MM from West Texas State University in Canyon, where he was mentored by Dr Hugh Sanders. Before coming to Tascosa, he taught at Dickinson HS and Pampa HS. His Tascosa HS choirs performed for the TMEA Convention in 1991, 1995, and 2002. His THS Women’s Choir performed for the 2009 National ACDA Convention in Oklahoma City. He has served as an adjudicator and clinician for UIL Contests, choral festivals, and region choirs in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Missouri. In 2010, Billy was selected to prepare and direct the Oklahoma All-State Women’s Choir. He has served in a number of capacities at the region and state levels, including Region Vocal Chair, Area Audition Chair, UIL Sightreading Committee, All-State Choir Section Leader, TMEA Region 1 President, and TMEA Facilities Team. He served as High School VP on the TCDA Board from 2007-09. Three times he has been named Teacher of the Year at Tascosa HS. In 2003, a readers’ poll for the Amarillo Globe-News selected him as the city’s Outstanding Teacher. He was the founding director of the Amarillo Boychoir. He has been Music Director at St Paul UMC for the past thirteen years.
candidates
for the TCDA Board of Directors C O L L E G E / C O M M U N I T Y
V P
Dr Vicki D Baker is Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Education at Texas Woman’s University. She received a PhD in Music Education from Texas Tech University and her MA from Texas Woman’s University. Prior to entering higher education, Vicki taught elementary and secondary choral music in Texas public schools for 13 years, receiving numerous teaching awards including Most Influential Educator and Teacher of the Year for her school district. During her 24 years of membership, Vicki has presented at annual TCDA Conventions, served on the Hospitality Committee, Ways and Means Committee, and Ballot Committee, and has written articles for Texas Sings! She has also published research in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, ChorTeach, Texas Music Education Research, and Southwestern Musician. Vicki serves as a choral clinician and adjudicator and conducts choral workshops throughout Texas. Her choral works are published by BriLee Music, Shawnee Press, RBC, and Southern Music Company, and she composes music for the Texas University Interscholastic League Choral Sight Reading Contest.
vote
Vicki Baker Richard Bjella Randy Hooper
Richard Bjella became full professor and Director of Choral Studies at Texas Tech University in September, 2009. The highly acclaimed University Choir made its Carnegie performance debut on May 2, 2010, to rave reviews and were proud to sing at the 2012 TMEA Convention. Previous to 2009, he was the Director of Choral Studies at Lawrence University, Conservatory of Music. The Concert Choir most recently performed for the 2009 National ACDA Convention in Oklahoma City. Bjella has conducted outside the United States in Europe and Asia and has guest conducted over 350 festivals and workshops in 28 states. Last year he was honored to conduct the Arizona All-State, the All Northwest State MENC All-State (Seattle), and the Collegiate All-State Choir in Wisconsin. Richard has served as President of the Wisconsin CDA, has been a part of the CMP leadership team for Wisconsin Music Educators Association, and various state and regional leadership positions with ACDA and WMEA as well. In 2007, he was awarded the Lawrence Excellence in Teaching Award. This season Richard is conducting the National OAKE HS Choir in Arizona, and presenting workshops and guest conducting in Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, Washington, Texas, Colorado, and Connecticut.
For complete bios, and “if elected . . .” statements, please go to our website www.TCDA.net.
Spring 2012
5