Name: Joe “Wog” Rine
Graduation Year: 1986
Major: Music Education *Trumpet primary instrument*
Current Position: Director of Strings/Choral at Keller-Saginaw High School at International Leadership of Texas
City and State: Fort Worth, Texas
Tell us about your career and what you do now.
I presently direct the high school’s string and choral department. In other words, I direct a choir that is accompanied by an orchestra. After college, I served as a director for several awesome church orchestras and choirs. For the past few decades, my service has been full time teaching in the schools. In 1996, I was blessed to co-direct with Carol Cymbala from the Brooklyn Tabernacle for the premiere of the book, “Favorite Song of All” which was premiered in Houston, Texas. This past June, I was honored to walk on the stage of Carnegie Hall in New York. We performed songs in Russian, Latin, and English. Watching my students perform was a true moment of happiness.
What is your favorite memory from Evangel?
My parents and I drove up to Evangel while the chapel was being finished. The chairs were just being installed onto the new carpet. My Dad and I worked through the night helping install the chairs while others were praying over the chairs. I can’t tell you how many times I have prayed over the students that are sitting in the chairs that my Dad and I installed.
How did Evangel help you identify/develop your calling?
My calling has always been to compose and to teach writing. Dr. Joe Nicholson forced me to compose my first song. He released a flood of writing that has filled many choir books and orchestra folders. Through the “Form and Analysis” class, the professors taught me how to be a creative writer. That skill has been the key to composing with extreme differentiation in the classroom.
How did your experience at Evangel prepare you for life after graduation?
When I entered Evangel, I felt like the only student who was not a pastor’s kid or missionary’s kid. I was street smart and church rough. Evangel did not give me religion; they gave me relationships that allowed those rough edges to become smooth.
What advice would you give a current student preparing for the workforce?
Never think of graduation as the end of your education. The process of education is simply the requirement to be released in qualified professions. However, the rigor that you apply to that process will carry you to the highest levels of your profession.
What would you look for if you were in a position to hire new graduates from Evangel?
Someone with the greatest of technology and innovation, but respecting the culture of the profession.