CURRENT STUDENTS

Students of The Shepherd School of Music enjoy an ideal environment for educational enhancement and artistic development. Situated in the fourth-largest city in the country, Rice University is conveniently located near some of the Houston's major artistic hubs. The campus sits just southwest of Houston's Museum District, which is comprised of eleven museums and arts education centers, and the Theatre District lies a few miles to the north, in the heart of downtown Houston. The university itself boasts a wooded, picturesque campus with beautifully landscaped grounds.

Rice's population of 4,300 students offers a wide range of campus activities, such as student clubs, intramural sports, volunteering opportunities, and student media. Music students enjoy the exceptional features of Alice Pratt Brown Hall. Built in 1991, the building houses Stude Concert Hall, Duncan Recital Hall, the Edith Bates Old Grand Organ and Recital Hall, the Wortham Opera Theatre, and the Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall. These impressive facilities are used for student and faculty performances, as well as for the active Houston performing arts community. Students may use any of the ample practice rooms, which offer reduced-noise conditions, and most have a piano, mirror, and a window (many looking onto landscaped interior courtyards). When taking a break from studying, practicing, and rehearsing, students congregate in the two peaceful courtyards on the north and south sides of the building.

The most appealing quality of The Shepherd School of Music, however, is undoubtedly the composition of the faculty and students. The Shepherd School community is a diverse populace of musicians from around the globe. The renowned faculty demonstrates a firm commitment to the students, and the 6-1 faculty-to-student ratio helps to ensure the professors' availability to their students' needs. Over the course of their studies, performance majors gain invaluable orchestral experience as members of the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Larry Rachleff. Most importantly, the environment in the Shepherd School is best described as collaborative, rather than competitive, as students and faculty work closely together to learn from one another and optimize their musical abilities.