For the TCU Frog Corps, performing is about spreading school spirit, not just singing.
“We call it a spirit group that sings with a real heavy emphasis on the spirit and a pretty solid interest in sounding really good when we sing,” Brad White, the director of Frog Corps, said. “That’s what the group is all about.”
Frog Corps started in fall 2011 as a non-audition group aimed to give more men the opportunity to sing in college, White said.
Currently, 50 men sing in the choir with a wide range of talent, White said.
“It’s really kind of interesting because we have guys beside each other in choir who were all-state singers versus guys who [were] like, 'I played in my high school orchestra, and I can carry a tune, so this would be fun,'” he said.
Sophomore strategic communication major Alex Tomlinson has been with Frog Corps since it started. He said having the different experience levels makes each semester an adventure and a challenge.
Frog Corps reuses songs from previous semesters to help ease the transition for new members and give returning members confidence, Tomlinson said.
“We all sort of work together to make sure the new guys fit right in and feel comfortable and have no problem adjusting,” he said.
Frog Corps also created a YouTube page with every song they have performed, White said. Interested men can watch a performance and become familiar with the group, he said.
The group sings at various functions on the campus, including the Chancellor’s Scholar Dinner and other university athletic events, but performances outside the university are common, White said.
The growing recognition of Frog Corps has strengthened the group’s bond, Tomlinson said.
“Rehearsals are fun,” he said. “We have a blast. We also get stuff done. We sing and make great music.”
White said he wants the group to keep growing, possibly having 100 members in the future.
“We want to make people smile. We want to make people laugh, and we want people to understand the TCU spirit and how we operate on the campus and feel about the university,” White said. “There’s nothing better than a Frog Corps to do something like that.”