For the students of the Southeast Community College multi-campus choir, enjoying the process of learning music is far more important than any performance.

In any given quarter, students from the Lincoln and Beatrice campuses learn the importance of music and experience the real joy that comes from hard work.

The same goes for the instructor, SCC music director Dr. Kenneth John Hoppmann.

The students from each of the campuses meet at the start and towards the end of the quarter as well as meeting in the three course sections during the week.

Then the two Lincoln sections and the one Beatrice section get together for two concerts at the end of the class, one in Lincoln and one in Beatrice.

“When I direct a concert, the energy is absolutely stellar,” said Hoppmann, “but the accomplishments made during the rehearsal are where the true joy comes from.

The concerts are merely a celebration of these accomplishments.”

Hoppmann referred to the class as more of a teaching choir because of its highly structured nature.  The choir is structured this way because of the type of student that enrolls in the classes.

“These are often individuals who have not necessarily been in a choir for a couple years and just miss singing,” Hoppmann expressed. “So it is important to get down to the fundamentals of using their vocals.”

Choir students will have the ability show off these fundamentals to hundreds of their peers across the country.

Hoppmann will be taking choir students who are interested to New York City in May of 2013 to a community college choir festival.

The festival will feature a four-day rehearsal under the tutelage of several world famous conductors.

At the end of the four days, there will be a concert were the group of around 200 choir students will perform at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall.

The total cost per student for this trip is not yet known, but there will be fundraising available for those who are interested in attending.

Although the festival is not until next spring, interested students should get in touch with Hoppmann as soon as possible because of the money needed for the trip.

It is also important to make sure to enroll in the choral classes MUSC 1410 for the summer of 2012.

The music studied in this particular quarter will be the music performed at the festival.

Other choir options provided to interested students would include the SCC group known as “After the Storm.”

This is a selected group open to all choir students that is currently made up of four women and is selected through auditions.

Once selected, these students have the fortune of performing on special occasions throughout the area.

One of these occasions will be on Thursday, March 8, when “After the Storm” performs at the Van Dorn Villa retirement community at 3001 S 51st Street in Lincoln.

The publikc can see the multi-campus choir perform in a free concert at Aldersgate United Methodist Church on 8320 South Street in Lincoln at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 10.

Another free concert will be performed on Monday, March 12, in the Truman Gym on the SCC-Beatrice campus at 3 p.m.

Hoppmann can be reached at 402-228-8256 or via email at [email protected].