{"id":39535,"date":"2021-12-16T17:22:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T22:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=39535"},"modified":"2022-01-03T16:23:26","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T21:23:26","slug":"american-idol-winner-studdard-to-teach-at-utc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2021\/12\/american-idol-winner-studdard-to-teach-at-utc\/","title":{"rendered":"‘American Idol’ winner Studdard to teach at UTC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ruben Studdard sang the National Anthem before the Mocs football team’s Oct. 16 game.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Chattanooga Mocs football game visit has led to a coup for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Performing Arts.<\/p>\n

The department\u2019s Music Division has announced that Ruben Studdard, winner of the second season of \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d and a Grammy Award-nominated recording artist, will lead two master classes on campus in March 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an opportunity to share all the wisdom that I\u2019ve gained with young people and I\u2019m so looking forward to it,\u201d Studdard said. \u201cI understand the importance of \u2018See it, be it,\u2019 and there are a lot of young people that want to be involved in the music industry that are music majors or theater majors or just in the arts, in general, and they really don\u2019t know what that looks like in a real way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The son of two educators\u2014his mother, Emily, still teaches in the Birmingham public school system while his father, Kevin, is a former auto body collision technology teacher\u2014Studdard received a bachelor\u2019s degree in vocal studies from Alabama A&M University in 2000.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was in school, I just wanted information,\u201d he recalled, \u201cand I loved my music history class. That was one of my favorite classes, not because I thought I would learn from Bach\u2019s experience, but I just wanted to know about it. There may be kids that have that same desire to know for the sake of knowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure these guys will be sponges. They\u2019ll be looking for information that will help guide them if the music industry is something that they want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Studdard\u2019s road to UTC began Oct. 16 when, at the behest of longtime friend Stacy Lightfoot, UTC vice chancellor for diversity and engagement, he sang the National Anthem at Finley Stadium prior to the football game between the Mocs and the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers.<\/p>\n

While in town, he had dinner with a group that included Stuart Benkert, head of the UTC Department of Performing Arts. They talked talking about music, philosophy, their shared fraternity\u2014Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia\u2014and \u201chow we were trying to diversify the program here at UTC,\u201d Benkert recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more I talked to him, the more I thought to myself, \u2018He\u2019s a great artist, but it would be great if he would consider coming and working with our students as a teacher,\u2019” Benkert said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs head of the department, how could you not want to bring in somebody like him to work with our students? I realized that he has the heart of a teacher and it would be a shame not to let that become part of who he is. What we needed to do is provide the opportunity where his love and talent can be directed toward people that he\u2019s trying to make more musical.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of Studdard\u2019s new assignment, he will work with the UTC Singing Mocs, a group specializing in contemporary singing styles, including pop, a cappella and vocal jazz.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be a really good way for him to start working with our students,\u201d Benkert said. \u201cHe has a lot of traditional training, and he\u2019ll be able to teach a wide range of styles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, this is the first part of a long-lasting relationship. We\u2019re just going to take it one step at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

A singer of rhythm and blues, pop and gospel, Studdard rose to stardom during the second season of \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d in 2003, earning the nickname \u201cVelvet Teddy Bear\u201d from R&B legend Gladys Knight. Studdard defeated Clay Aiken in the televised competition\u2019s season finale.<\/p>\n

Studdard has seven studio albums to his credit. The Recording Industry Association of America awarded him platinum status\u2014more than 1 million sold\u2014for his debut album, \u201cSoulful.\u201d His follow-up record, \u201cI Need an Angel,\u201d was the best-selling gospel album in the U.S. and was certified gold\u2014more than 500,000 sold.<\/p>\n

He received a Grammy Award nomination in December 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the song \u201cSuperstar,\u201d and his songs have appeared in the Top 10 singles charts in five different categories: Hot 100, R&B\/Hip Hop, Adult R&B, Urban Contemporary and Gospel.<\/p>\n

Studdard also has appeared in several television shows as a guest star. His theater credits include starring as Fats Waller in a national tour revival of the musical \u201cAin\u2019t Misbehavin\u2019,\u201d which received a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album, and touring alongside actress Robin Givens in the play \u201cI Need a Hug.\u201d<\/p>\n

After winning \u201cAmerican Idol,\u201d he created an advocacy program, the Ruben Studdard Foundation for the Advancement of Children in the Music Arts, to promote music education for students in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. He has run summer music camps for middle school and high school students since 2003.<\/p>\n

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