UNCG faculty gift furthers a legacy of music education

UNCG’s School of Music produces excellent performers, K-12 teachers, and collegiate educators. It’s “extraordinary” says Professor Emerita Nancy Walker. Now, she and her husband, Tim Lindeman, will do more. They’re supporting undergraduates majoring in voice who exemplify remarkable academic, artistic, and professional promise through the newly-established Nancy Walker and Timothy Lindeman Scholarship Endowment in Music. 

Nancy taught at UNCG for over 30 years and has seen many students go on to great successes.  Many have won awards and participated in programs like the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Aspen Music Festival, and Palm Beach Opera Competition. Some became public school teachers, and others are teaching at the collegiate level. 

Tim taught at UNCG briefly, then spent the bulk of his career at Guilford College. Over the decades, the musical couple had several chances to teach and perform together abroad through university-affiliated programs in China and Germany. Lindeman is a noted pianist and Walker an opera singer who has performed around the U.S., including in Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. 

The musical couple was partially inspired by colleagues who also gave back to the University. 

Walker says, “I’d been giving to scholarships established by previous faculty: the Richard Cox Vocal Arts Scholarship Fund and the William W. McIver Endowment in Vocal Pedagogy. Once Tim and I retired, we thought we’d like to establish a scholarship for voice students.”   

College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean bruce d. mcclung says, “I very much value the contributions of our emeriti faculty. Several have made scholarship endowments part of their estate planning, and the memories of their careers here at UNCG will live on through their endowed scholarships.” 

The legacy of UNCG’s School of Music is something to be proud of. “Music was one of the original eight subjects taught,” says mcclung. “The School of Music recently celebrated its centennial and is beginning its second century of excellence in the musical arts.” 

Today, in addition to the standout performers, the School of Music is a key pathway for the state’s music educators, says Dean mcclung. “Alumni of our Music Education degrees teach in all one hundred counties of North Carolina, and many of our alumni have successful careers because of the comprehensive musical education that they received here.” 

That kind of excellence takes hard work. It also takes something that Walker and Lindeman agree is crucial. “You have to follow your passion.”  

After a lifetime in teaching and performance, Walker and Lindeman are proud to ensure that future students can pursue their own musical careers. “Part of giving something is being thankful for what you’ve had,” Walker says. “I’ve had fabulous students, and I want to make sure we keep bringing good people to the school.” 

This gift is part of UNCG’s Light the Way: The Campaign for Earned Achievement, which has raised more than $200 million to increase access, elevate academic excellence, and enhance the tremendous impact of UNCG’s programs. Visit lighttheway.uncg.edu for additional information.