McCLELLANDS GIFT $40,000 TO BLINN COLLEGE FOUNDATION FOR CHORAL SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIP

  

Despite no formal training, Mark McClelland loves to sing so much that he and wife Sharon have gifted an endowed scholarship that will help choral students with their college needs.

The McClellands, from Navasota, have gifted $40,000 to the Blinn College Foundation for the new Choral Society Scholarship earmarked for students who sing in one of Blinn’s choirs.

Blinn has several choirs, including the chamber and concert choirs, that are open to students and faculty members, no matter their musical background.

“I was intrigued to see the number of non-music majors who are in the Tuesday Evening Choral Society,” said Mark McClelland. “One of them is going to Texas A&M next semester. That would be the kind of student this is focused on – not a music major, but he had a very nice voice when he sang.”

Mark McClelland has no formal music training. His wife Sharon, whom he met in 1965, attended Blinn before transferring to Texas A&M University as a member of the first female class there.

“Both Mark and I came from middle-class families, and going to college back in the ‘60s and ‘70s was really a struggle for some parents. You had to budget for college,” she said. “Mark, luckily, got a scholarship. I got a $50 participation scholarship. We know college is expensive. It’s out of sight for some families, especially families that are middle class, so this scholarship will make it easier for those students.”

Dr. Larry Smith, Choir Director, said Blinn’s choir programs feature many students who love music but are not necessarily music majors.

“We have a lot of students from a high school where there is no choir program,” said Smith. “We had one student from Giddings High School, where there is no choir program. Singing here was the first time she had ever sung with a choir. She got to sing with the all-state choir this year, and she did it as a solo.”

Smith hopes the McClelland’s scholarship can help Blinn continue to recruit future leaders into its choir programs.

“The really good singers and the really good academic students – those are the students you want to prioritize because they bring a culture to our group,” he said. “In addition to their talents, they come from a place of high expectations, good discipline, and the kinds of things we want to foster.”

“This is such a wonderful gift,” said Blinn College Foundation Director Gentry Woodard. “Scholarships mean so much to students in helping them achieve their educational needs financially. The donors win, the students win, the departments win.”

Smith implemented the Tuesday Evening Choral Society during his first semester at Blinn when he joined its faculty in 2024.

“It’s something that’s growing, and we’re really excited about it,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for students and community members to work together. It really helps develop the bond that we have with the community.”

The Tuesday Evening Choral Society is open to everyone. Rehearsals are held Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Finke Recital Hall, beginning in early September. Registration is available by emailing Smith at larry.smith@blinn.edu, calling 979-830-4239, or coming to a rehearsal. Participation is free.

The Blinn College District Music Department offers small classes, one-on-one attention, practical learning, and easily accessible faculty so that students are actively engaged in a superior learning environment. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/music.

Smith said Blinn’s Music Department “is all-encompassing.”

“It includes personal coaches for students so they can work with them independently on their solo music and choral music. So they get a really rich opportunity here, and that’s not something you get at many other schools,” he said.

(Story courtesy Blinn Information)