Vocal Music Shines During Homecoming Weekend

Fine Arts of KWU held many showcases of talent at the Homecoming Weekend from October 21st-23rd. Kansas Wesleyan University’s Music Department held a concert on Saturday, October 22, 2022. The concert, a collaboration of Orchestra and Vocal, invited the Kansas Wesleyan Music Alumni to attend, and perform along with them. KWU Alumni proudly joined the Choir and Orchestra, with classes represented from 1963 to 2021. Coinciding with the concert, the fall play took place, with shows every day of the weekend. Several students experienced working both in the play and choir within hours of each other on Saturday. These students experienced dealing with the obstacle of conflicting schedules. Together, the stories of old Alumni and current students paint the picture of the KWU Vocal experience for Homecoming weekend.

Alumni: The Old…

KWU Alumni which came back to support and sing with the choir. One couple, who have been married since graduation in 1963, have supported and worked at Wesleyan University for decades. After meeting and dating due to a KWU Choir trip, the alumni had this to say about the changes to campus.

“Never left…When we first came it was ‘new to us’ but after we graduated, Wesleyan hit some hard times. We got to see it then come back from bad to great.”

The couple, now retired, still attends the yearly homecoming, which allows them to enjoy their favorite activity, the Choir concert. They plan on continually supporting KWU Music.

Alumni: And The New

Two individuals, Hope Keiswetter (2020) and Curtis Weidle (2019), attended KWU as a part of the music program. Keiswetter runs her own music studio while Weidle teaches choir in Garden City, KS. They shared how they fondly remember the touring and the sense of community in the department. When asked if there have been many changes in the campus the pair, the response was immediate.

“Yes! There are so many new faces and projects at KWU. We are so excited for the renovation of Sam’s Chapel.”

The younger alumni plan to attend KWU music concerts often and support their Alma Mater.

Choir Members Doubled Up

With the conflicts of the play and Choir concert, several students were affected. The Saturday showing ended at 1:15 PM, and Choir Rehearsal began at 1:30. Students had to greet the audience, change from their costumes, and place their props away before they could leave to change into choir garb. One student feeling the pressure of the play and choir is Maddie Johnson.

Maddie was a clown in the play, meaning she had many distinct roles, which each had their own costumes and props to be responsible for. Maddie said she found that, “the most difficult part of being a member of the play and the choir during homecoming weekend was feeling rushed to get to rehearsals and performances. It gave those of us who were involved no time to breathe in between the things we had to do.”

Upon reflecting on the situation, she decided, “in the future, I would tell myself to take everything one step at a time. It isn’t going to help to think about everything all at once.”

Weekend Reflection

Overall, the Choir’s performance with the alumni brought the audience together, after a myriad of songs coming from both the choir and orchestra, the ending Alma Mater sung by the chorus with the orchestra playing gave a boost to school spirit. The group later would go on to perform the National Anthem for the football game. The vocal performance with alumni and students overcoming conflicts allowed the Music department to shine on Homecoming Weekend.