Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA)<\/a> Conference in January 2018, returning for the first time in 10 years among the most talented musical performers in the state.<\/span><\/p>\nThe group had to prepare seven vastly different songs to showcase at the event.<\/span><\/p>\nDr. Elise Hepworth, director of the choir, said that the reason they chose such a varying range of music to perform was to showcase all that the singers had to offer.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like the Olympics,\u201d Hepworth said. \u201cYou want to show off all your best attributes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nAccording to Hepworth, the process of preparation for the group was long, yet enjoyable. On July 15, the elite group found out they were selected to perform at the conference and began rehearsals immediately in the fall.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt was very intense,\u201d Hepworth said. \u201cThey spent hundreds of hours of preparation for that one 27-minute performance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nTo Hepworth, having the honor and experience of attending the MMEA Conference is a life-changing one.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI think an opportunity like this completely transforms a person, especially if they\u2019re interested in teaching,\u201d Hepworth said. \u201cThere\u2019s 3,500 music educators that attend the conference, and about 1,000 of them go to this concert, so for them to be affirmed by other professionals in the field is enormous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nMashel Keplinger, one of the singers, also said that the conference was a great networking and learning opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI learned a lot from just going to workshops,\u201d Keplinger said. \u201cI learned a lot more about the connections, how the music educators work as a family and how they benefit each other.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nJackson Connors, another member of the chamber singers group, had a similar opinion. He felt that performing at the conference was beneficial for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI thoroughly enjoyed the experience because you\u2019re in a conference with a bunch of different musicians,\u201d Connors said. \u201cYou really get a bunch of different perspectives on how things are supposed to work within music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nConnors also praised director Hepworth as being the fundamental piece for the choir\u2019s success.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cDr. Hepworth is really the cornerstone of it all,\u201d Connors said. \u201cWithout her, we wouldn\u2019t be able to do what we\u2019re doing as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nThrough the MMEA Conference, Western\u2019s Chamber Singers had the chance to demonstrate their choral excellence to thousands of talented musicians across the state. It was not only a learning and networking experience; it was a chance to share one thing they all love so deeply: music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t