POINT OF IMPACT

Cape Central sophomore Kyle Hoppmann got a music lesson of a different sort when he began learning music for the Point of Impact concert.

"It's out of this world," said Hoppmann, a percussionist who plays in the N-2 Jazz ensemble. "It's a broad spectrum of music."

The Point of Impact concert combines Top 40 hits, popular jazz and big band songs of the 1930s and 1940s, Brazilian and African rock-fusion music styles.

Performances are at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Cape Girardeau Central High School auditorium. Tickets are $3 at the door.

The concert will consist of performances by both N-2 Jazz and by Roc, which plays ragtime, Brazilian salsa and African music on percussion instruments only.

Director Mark Ellison wants the concert to introduce students to new music while teaching them about the world of professional music.

"The music is unlike what you'd hear on the radio," he said, adding that different styles need to be heard.

"It's as if you were in the studio. My goal is for them to experience what the demands are if you decide to go into the profession."

One part of playing in the studio is recording with sequenced music. Six of the songs to be performed will be augmented during the concert with sounds pre-recorded onto a computer disk, but the audience probably won't notice.

The computer sequencing is a musical tool, Ellison said. It adds more instruments and background sounds to the songs.

And it means that additional players aren't needed for those extra instruments. However, two professional musicians will join the high school band.

Ellison performed with a similar rock, jazz and percussion group as a graduate student in Texas, so he knows what the professional life is like on the road and in the studio. "I found my experiences with the percussion ensemble to be true in the real world," he said.

Ellison also has toured England with jazz groups like the Ink Spots and the Four Aces. He just finished recording with a Christian rock group.

Rehearsals and stage set-ups are similar to what professional musicians deal with on the road, he said.

But playing professionally and for a large audience isn't the ultimate goal of the Point of Impact concert, he added.

"It's got to be fun," Ellison said. "If you work to get better then you grow, but the moment you are not recognized then you lose your drive. Our point of impact is the stage."

He discourages students from playing competitively. There are no auditions for seats in the band. Everyone is welcome to play.

And the size of the ensemble -- about 50 students -- proves his theory. Playing different styles of music is fun for the band members.

"It's something you don't hear every day," said senior Rob Giles, who plays the trumpet.

Senior Emily Groesbeck agreed. "It's something I'd never heard until now," she said.

While some songs were unfamiliar to the students, others were not. The vocal selections are popular hits from both country and pop charts with a little extra twist, Ellison said.

Other selections include Big Band tunes like "In the Mood," "My Funny Valentine" and "It Don't Mean A Thing," and popular hits like "Carry on My Wayward Son" by Kansas, "Make It Happen" by Mariah Carey and "If You're Not In It For Love" by Shania Twain.

Proceeds from the concert will help purchase music, equipment and instruments for the school.