The MSU College of Music boasts a faculty that is passionate, committed to excellence, and dedicated to creating innovative and academically rigorous programs. They invest their time, resources, and expertise to shape minds and lay the foundation for a legacy of excellence, and recently three professors showed their deep belief in the transformative power of music through personal investments in the programs they have led in the College.
Melanie Helton, David Rayl, and Philip Sinder, each with over 20 years of experience teaching at MSU, have established new endowments to support the College’s programs and students. These professors provide students with mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for performance and professional development, and now they have demonstrated again their strong commitment to personally supporting the MSU music programs they have cultivated for years.
Their investment in student success is unparalleled. College of Music Dean James Forger believes that this is a true indicator of program strength and student success.
“The sign of a strong program is when faculty are so deeply committed to success that they are willing to donate personally to support programs,” Forger said. “We are incredibly grateful for these gifts and the leadership of these three esteemed members of our faculty who have dedicated their careers to developing generations of music students.”
Melanie Helton has led Opera Theatre at MSU for 22 years, nurturing hundreds of young singers through personal attention and participation in professional productions. By creating an endowment to support opera at MSU in the future, she is creating a path for continued excellence in the art form.
Melanie Helton Endowment for MSU Opera Theatre for the College of Music
Professor of Voice Melanie Helton, soprano, has directed MSU Opera Theatre for 22 years. She considers her time at MSU her legacy, influencing countless students and significantly growing the opera theatre program.
She has established an endowment within the College of Music to benefit the program, and she hopes her gift will strengthen the program for future generations. Helton believes that the art of opera cannot be learned from a book but must be passed down from person to person, which is why she considers her work at MSU more important than her work as a singer.
Helton said she has seen firsthand the difference donors can make. When she first arrived at MSU, there was very little funding for opera at MSU, just a $5,000 budget for the entire year. She decided to arrange an annual fundraising gala and began drawing in $20,000 to $30,000 per year through small- to medium-sized gifts. This helped the program thrive, and now she hopes through her donation to pay it forward to the future directors of MSU’s opera theatre program.
“I hope that if someone has been at MSU for a significant amount of time, they feel they have a legacy,” Helton said. “A bequest is a wonderful way to be remembered.”
Philip Sinder (right) has taught tuba and euphonium at MSU for 44 years. Now, he and his wife, Carolyn, have matched the funds given to MSU by fellow tuba performer and teacher Jim Self, who donated to MSU to create an endowed scholarship in Sinder’s honor.
Jim Self and Philip Sinder Endowment for Tuba and Euphonium
Professor Philip Sinder has taught tuba and euphonium at the College of Music for 42 years. His dedication to teaching music has been recognized by a major donation. Jim Self, a university professor, and freelance and studio musician, donated funds to various institutions and chose MSU to support Sinder’s career-long commitment to the College of Music.
Sinder and his wife Carolyn decided to match the gift and establish an endowment. The endowment will support discretionary spending within the program and provide an annual scholarship for a student. Discretionary spending is an essential factor in the success of a program. It includes purchasing music and gear, helping students pay for instruments, and attending conferences. Scholarship support helps the College attract and retain talent.
The first annual scholarship for the 2023-24 academic year was awarded to R.J. McLaren, a senior tuba player. Sinder described him as a hardworking student who has played in ensembles and the quintet program. McLaren is passionate about the Spartan Marching Band and plans to apply for graduate school.
Sinder hopes the endowment will help continue the program’s legacy of producing dedicated and excellent musicians who use their love of learning to teach music in schools, colleges, orchestras, and bands nationwide.
“When you’re fortunate enough to teach in one place for an entire career, and you’ve had the freedom to teach what you want,” Sinder said, “what’s better than supporting the institution you value so highly?”
David Rayl retired in 2023 as senior associate dean for graduate studies and research and the director of choral programs in the MSU College of Music. He considers his 21 years at MSU as a “gift and a privilege,” and now he is excited to see how his endowed fund will help MSU choral programs.
David C. Rayl Choral Programs Endowment
Dr. David Rayl is thrilled that his endowment supports choral music at MSU. “I consider my 21 years at MSU as a wonderful gift and a privilege,” he said. “It’s only right that I give back to the institution and the program that gave so much to me.”
Rayl, who retired following the 2022-23 academic year, is a professor emeritus of choral music. He directed the MSU choral program for years and served as the College’s senior associate dean for graduate studies and research. He led the University Chorale, the top MSU auditioned choir, in performances nationwide. He has also performed and presented nationally and internationally. At MSU, he mentored over 125 graduate students in choral conducting, many of whom are making significant contributions to choral music throughout the United States.
“I hope that the endowment will provide funds to support the graduate program in choral conducting,” he said. “Since the days of Robert Harris and Chuck Smith, the program has been recognized nationally. During my 21 years, we were fortunate enough to continue to build on that national reputation for attracting some of the strongest choral conductors in the country. One of the primary reasons for that was the support of individual gifts. While support from the University has been strong, the program would not be where it is without private support.”
Helton, Sinder, and Rayl are excellent examples of faculty who embody excellence, help create a promising future, and strengthen the enduring legacy of the College of Music. This is a fact that energizes Dean Forger.
“As we look ahead to the future, I am excited and optimistic about what the next decade holds for the College of Music,” Forger said. “With our faculty leading the way, we envision a college that continues to push the boundaries of artistic expression, embraces diversity and inclusion, and fosters a community of lifelong learners. The investment that our College of Music faculty has made – and continues to make – into our program is truly the cornerstone of our success. Their dedication, passion, and vision shape our college’s legacy and inspire the next generation of musicians and scholars to dream big.”
