“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>Simpson

style=”font-family: Calibri, Arial;”> music students brought back

several prizes from the regional competition of the National

Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) in Kansas City on Nov. 4

and 5.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>Not only did the

students bring back 10 awards total, but three of those were first

place winners: freshman 

“apple_002dstyle_002dspan__Char”>

“apple_002dstyle_002dspan__Char” style=

“font-family: Calibri, Arial;”>Emma Witbols-Feugen, sophomore

Meghan Kasanders, and senior Abby Rethwisch.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>NATS is a nation

wide organization of vocal teachers that promote a series of

regional and national competitions for high school and college age

students.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>The competition

consists of three different rounds where the students are split up

in groups based on gender and their grade.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>In the first round

each singer has to sing one song in English as well as two other

songs in contrasting languages and styles to a panel of three

judges. Certain singers are cut, and the remaining competitors

perform their three pieces to three new judges for the second

round.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>Finally, three

students are chosen to go on to the finals where they perform one

of their songs.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;”>

“

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>For finals it’s in

a big auditorium in front of everyone that is there and there are

three judges,” Rethwisch said. “You get to see

everyone.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>The competition was

regional so they performed against students from Iowa, Illinois,

and Missouri.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>“I think it’s a

great opportunity for singers to go out there and kind of see the

other competition,” Rethwisch said.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>Not only does it

give students a chance to see what other college students within

their region are doing, but it helps them determine where they are

at musically.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>“We live in a

competitive world,” Director of Opera Bernard McDonald said. “The

music profession and the singing profession, in particular, are

unbelievably competitive.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>The competitors say

there is not much you can do to prepare besides practicing

consistently.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>“Because really

competitions are kind of a crapshoot,” Rethwisch said. “You never

know what those three judges are looking for. They might like your

voice; they might not like your voice. And so there’s nothing

really strategic you can do. You just have to go into it and

figure, okay, hopefully they like me. If they don’t, they

don’t.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>Regardless of how

the competition goes, the students appreciate the experience to

help them grow musically.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;”>

“Even 

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>if you don’t win

anything, it’s always a good idea to practice singing in front of

other people under pressure,” Kasanders said. “You just have to

have your songs memorized and understand what they are about so you

can convey the story through your acting, especially when the piece

is in a different language.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>Simpson has gone to

NATS for several years, and competitors have always had a good

support system.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>“Everyone from

our school was so supportive of each other,” Kasanders said. “We

wanted to make our music department proud and I think we did

it.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>The music

department was impressed with the students’ results and hard work

they put in.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>“I was pleased to

support my students and proud that we were so successful,” McDonald

said. “The thing that I am most pleased with is that our students

basically won the majority of the prizes.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>The NATS results

reflect back on Simpson’s program as a whole and the faculty that

have helped students get where they are today.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>“This is a

phenomenal program,” McDonald said. “The success of these students

is also a testament to the Simpson voice faculty. It wasn’t just a

case of we prepared them here. We went as a faculty to support our

students.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 13pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>This year’s

performance at NATS has not only been a memorable experience for

Simpson College itself, but for the individuals that competed in

it.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;”>

“

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>When they called my

name for first place, I was shocked and super happy,” Kasanders

said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was really

excited.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>And for one

individual that had received third place twice and honorable

mention in previous years, it was a great way to end her last

competition at NATS.

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 12pt;”>

“font-family: Calibri, Arial; font-size: 12pt;”>“I was really

honored and surprised,” Rethwisch said. “They have you go up on

stage afterwards, like in your division. So the three of us were up

there and they called third place first, then second place and it

came down to me and another girl from here. It was an honor to

compete with her.”

“margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Arial; font-size: medium;”>