Parents and friends gathered in the Burns Chapel, April 4 to listen to the sweet melodies of the Midwestern Singers.

Preparing for two months and meeting three days-a-week, the audience was serenaded at no cost with Stevie Wonder’s top hits, “Superstition” and “Don’t Worry ‘Bout a Thing.”

Conductor Dale Heidebrecht added a song to the program that he said, most performance groups shy away from, “Richtige Dauern,” by Karlheinz Stockhausen. He describes this song as “fascinating, interesting and unique,” which allowed his students to build something more than their voices.

“It builds individual confidence. They feel confident in their own vocal line because they are creating this music as we speak,” Heidebrecht said.

Heidebrecht said he encourages his students to take a “leap of faith” but also wants to shed light on the audience.

“I program not only music that my students can sing and pushes them, but to educate the audience as much as I can,” Heidebrecht said.

Haley Hancock, vocal performance sophomore, describes the preparation for the Stockhausen piece, as vocal improv meaning there is “absolutely no preparation” and “fly off the seat of your pants.”

Vocal improv is more than creating sounds and rhythm and having the ability to play off of others.

“How do I play off everyone else, because you are suppose to listen to everyone else. It’s important to take that into consideration,” Hancock said.

Hancock sees vocal improvisation with a deeper meaning, allowing her to see a new perspective and grow as a person.

“Preparation is always great but if you go in blindly to something it could open up your perspective to something new. If you try a different approach to something it could enable you to become better as a person and grow,” Hancock said.

The concert closed with a classical piece, “Cells Planet,” by Erika Lloyd

Gallery • 3 Photos

Vocal instructor Don Maxwell dances and sings to vocal improv performance of Richtige Dauern by Karlheinz Stockhausen. Photo by Taylor Anderson