The show opens with the main character, Mary Lennox, played by Mari Wilkerson (so), dreaming of nursery rhymes and Hindi chants at her home in India. I found Zach Arneson’s (sr) interpretive dancing during this part particularly delightful.

Mary wakes to find her mother, father and loved ones have all died of cholera, so she must leave India to live with her only remaining relations in England. She moves to the manor of her uncle Archibald Craven, played by Braden Hunt (so).

I was pleased with Wilkerson’s portrayal of a sassy, 10-year-old girl. I was also quite elated by how Hunt rendered Archibald’s older-sounding voice in his singing, managing to both stay in character and use proper singing technique — a skill I think Russell Crowe would be wise to hone.

As the story continues, we find that Archibald is deeply grieved by the death of his wife, Lily Craven, played by Elise Duncan (sr).

And may I say, wow? Just, wow. Duncan sang her upper-register solo, “Come to My Garden” with utmost strength and purity. Her tone was something I would expect from a professional show in a large, metropolitan theatre — not an undergraduate performance that was selling tickets for $7. Her vocal role was more closely related to operatic singing than the rest of the performers’, which made her character unique in the musical.

It was later revealed that Duncan was incredibly sick during the performance, suffering from pneumonia. It was totally unknown to audience members, however, as she performed flawlessly. Learning about her illness later only magnified the “wow” factor of her stunning vocals.

The first night Mary arrived at the manor, she heard crying. As time passed, she eventually found the source to be Colin Craven, the invalid son of Archibald, played by Lauren Crane (jr). In the nicest way, she did a fantastic job playing a boy. The snobbery, whining and discontent of the 10-year-old upon first meeting him were spot-on.

Crane’s voice, too, was beautiful, and her duet with Wilkerson was quite lovely.

Throughout the play, the stage choreography was creative. The ever-changing walls made by the arms of the company (the spirits of those who died in India) in “I Heard Someone Crying” had just a really cool effect, mesmerizing, I would say. I also found particular allure to the scene in the garden where Mary sings “The Girl I Mean to Be.” The choreography was just utterly beautiful and poetic.

The only choreography I wasn’t too big a fan of was during “Come Spirit, Come Charm,” when virtually the entire cast was in the garden, trying to cast a spell on Colin in order for him to be healed and able to walk. The cultish-looking, tribal dance was in line with other versions’ productions of the musical, but I still found it a bit strange.

It was a truly great musical. I feel bad that technical issues hindered what could have been a figurative third-thumbed performance. There were a lot of equalization issues with performers’ microphones. Certain high frequencies weren’t accentuated enough, making performers’ consonants disappear and rendering many of their words particularly difficult to understand.

Because some of the narration — both spoken and sung — was rather indecipherable, I at times found the storyline challenging to follow.

There were also a few mic cues that were missed, so some of the actors’ first words when they got on stage were not caught in time.

Lighting was also a bit of an issue. I thought it was awesome they included the wings of the Phillippe Performing Arts Center Auditorium stage, creating a really cool surround sound when singers were placed on both sides. Unfortunately, sometimes the light wasn’t covering enough stage space and actors stood in shadows.

Hopefully, I didn’t give too much away, though it may be wise to have a general idea of the plot before going, in the event that technical issues continue to hinder audience’s ability to follow the storyline.

Ever since Yoder won the “Best Sense of Humor” award in high school, he wanted to see if other people thought he was funny when he was actually trying. As the only person in this competition who’s never performed comically, he has his work cut out for him, but he has a plan: “I am vigorously watching all of the comedians I can on Netflix — that’s a true story.”

Yoder’s particular favorites in stand-up include Brian Regan and Jim Gaffigan. His approach to comedy is mainly observational. “I try to just talk about things everyone can relate to, and make it into funny situations, because everyday situations are what I think is funny,” he says.

Why should everyone come to JK?
“Laughter is just fun. You just get to sit there and enjoy yourself for an hour and a half!”

CAITLIN NEWELL
Year: Senior
Major: English Education
Lives: South Townhouses
Act in One Word: Different…

A veteran of both JK and Friday Night Live, Newell is well-versed in comedy performance at Indiana Wesleyan University. Last year her stand-up was about campus life and her crazy family, but this year she’s going for something a little different. She, however, didn’t want to give away too much. She’s “enjoyed being a goofball” her whole life, but she really figured out she was funny in junior high.

“In junior high, all you have going for you is to laugh at how awkward you are — it was so awful! I hated junior high,” says Newell.

Explaining her comedic hero is Steve Martin, she says: “I enjoy his eccentricity. He just went out there and did so many random things and hit it out of the ballpark.”

Her favorite kind of humor is witty, subtle or stupid and she especially enjoys jokes about people’s personalities. To really succeed in comedy, she says, “It takes a lot of saying it over and over and over again until you want to just punch yourself in the face.”

Why should everyone come to JK?
“It’s hilarious, and I’m not saying that because I’m in the show. The other four people are just great, and I’m pumped to get a chair and listen to their routines. It’s worth two bucks!”

NATHAN SAYEGH
Year: Senior
Major: Nursing
Lives: Scripture (Lifer!)
Act in One Word: As Close to Acceptable As IWU Will Allow?

“I really like entertaining people, and I think stand-up is fascinating — It’s just you, and the microphone, and the crowd,” says Sayegh. “I’m a purist like that. I like people with good energy.” Sayegh did stand-up in coffee shops in high school, “just for kicks.” Since then, he participated in JK his sophomore year.

His biggest challenge is staying on script. Even with this year’s script, his basic bullet-pointed jokes have morphed several times from his original audition. “It’s a trial and error process for me. … The more times you tell a joke and improve, the more times you see little variations of it, and then you take the best from those,” says Sayegh. “It’s maybe a little scientific for comedy, but it works!”

He says he’s been a clown since he was a kid, but his penchant for comedy developed as a “natural defense mechanism in middle school.”

Why should everyone come to JK?
“I can’t really answer that, because I have a conflict of interests. I’m also doing Relay for Life. If people are at Relay and they can’t go to JK, though, I will [also be performing my routine] at Relay.”

GRAHAM MCCLANAHAN
Year: Freshman
Major: Graphic Design/Music Therapy
Lives: South Hall East
Act in One Word: Unicorns.

McClanahan says his biggest challenge for this competition is, “Probably what I’m going to wear.”

He says, “I never want to be too confident or too comfortable with the gifts I’ve been given. Whatever I’m known for, I want it to parallel my faith.”

Humor for McClanahan is more than just making people laugh, no matter how much he has loved doing that his whole life. He sees comedy as a ministry opportunity to “love on people and to show them: ‘I love to make you laugh, but let me show you why.’”
He hopes that his boisterous and spontaneous personality well intrigue people to look to the reason for his joy: his faith in Christ. “I think people take for granted the ministry that lies within comedy, because there is a Christian approach to humor, as cheesy as that sounds. God has a sense of humor — just look at monkeys. I’m almost convinced He made monkeys just to screw with us,” says McClanahan. He appreciates the original humor of Jim Gaffigan as well as the Christian satire of John Acuff.

Why should everyone come to JK?
“Everyone should come to JK because my mom would appreciate the support of her son and his friends.”

KYLE DAVIDSON
Year: Junior
Major: Pre-Med Biology
Lives: North Townhouses
Act in One Word: Chargrilled

You might know him as the Facebook Poetry Guy from FNL, but that’s not the only thing Davidson can do. “I love comedy — I love all aspects of it — so it’s fun to try out a new part. For me, there are very few things as rewarding as making people laugh and bringing joy into their lives,” he says.

He also says for a long time, “people probably just thought I was pretty weird,” but in high school, he started participating in comedic plays. He has been in FNL every semester since coming to IWU.

Davidson has been practicing for this competition by sitting in the bathroom in front of a mirror so he can perfect the facial expressions that are so important for his routine. His comedic hero is Patrick Star (Yes, from Spongebob).

Why should everyone come to JK?
“It’s Friday night in Marion — where else are you going to go?!”

The 10-track album is what I would describe as guitar-based, catchy, rock-esque fun.
It would be especially fantastic for driving on back roads on a sunny day when you’re in a “thinking too much about life” mood. I could also see most of the songs being great for movie montages, but in the least cheesy way possible.

There was absolutely nothing I disliked about it. I’m not sure, however, that it would immediately catch my attention if I happened to hear it somewhere. I found I wasn’t all that impressed on first listen, but after several days of playing it as background music, songs stuck in my head, lyrics popped out at me and I liked it considerably better.

I had trouble listening to the entire album, but not in a bad way. It was only because I got hung up on the fifth track, titled “Five.” The song is sort of a comically sad twist on a relationship that’s not going well. Dilley laments the way things are going and how he’s not the person he should have been. But, as he says, “I wish I knew you when I was 5,” because he, and life, were so much more simple then, and maybe he and his romantic partner would have been better too.

Lines like “I wasn’t invited to your Ninja Turtle birthday party” make me laugh, but the song overall is actually pretty sad. I enjoyed the conflict of emotions there, and after listening to just that song probably 16 times in a row, I can definitively say it was my favorite from the album.

My other favorite was “The Doses,” another sad track near the end of the album. The sparse instrumentation and vocal harmonies gave the whole song a feeling of melancholy, even without really knowing what it was about. I thought the most thought provoking line was, “I’ve been in photographs with folks I’ll never see again.” There is also a part of the track in which Dilley sings about the beat of his heart, and the drums become much more prevalent for a few seconds, which is a nice aesthetic touch.

Several points in the album were like that — where everything from the lyrics to the music to the way Dilley’s voice sounded connected and made the song complete.

“The Color Pharmacy” is an album you may think you know, and yet have never heard before. It houses a portfolio of songs with silvery choruses written with beautiful surgical precision,” as described by Youa Vang of City Pages Blog.

I couldn’t help but agree with that analysis. “The Color Pharmacy” is familiar, and yet different. It was enough to get me interested in checking out the band’s other music, and I recommended it to a few friends with more refined tastes. I’m not sure it’s an album for everyone, but I think there is definitely something about this band’s music that intrigues me and makes me think I should keep an eye on these musicians in the future.

To be honest, I wasn’t exactly pumped to go to FNL this semester. A: I’d have to take notes during the show in order to write this review, and B: The quality of the previous two shows I had watched was only decent.

Needless to say, this semester’s FNL exceeded my expectations, and then some.

Hosts Brad Draper (sr) and Becca Ebenhoch (sr) led off with the obligatory banter, this time about the new dance class at Indiana Wesleyan University. One of the jokes was a jab at The Sojourn’s lack of readership from Ebenhoch, which wasn’t the best start for her if she were looking for a favorable review from me. Looking back at it, the joke undermined the whole show and singlehandedly made this semester’s FNL terri — just kidding. It was all in good fun, and no harm was intended at all.

The opening interchange between Draper and Ebenhoch was solid, but it wasn’t until the end of the opening musical medley that I knew this FNL was going to be special. With the song “Thrift Shop,” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis playing, beloved professor Wilbur Williams strutted out onto the stage with a full-length white fur coat. It was epic and a genius move by the FNL staff to get Williams involved in the evening as a live performer.

After that, the evening just got better and better, aside from one act near the beginning, which featured Josiah Kaufman (jr) as Dave in “Hot Wassail” Kaufman and the other cast members performed well, but the entire act’s comedic value was based solely on alliteration, which is very cliché. The writers were creative for the rest of the night’s scripts, but “Hot Wassail” missed the mark.

On a more positive note, one of the best acts of the night came soon after. It was set in a grocery store and involved two couples: one with a child at IWU and the other with a child at Taylor University. Graham McClanahan’s (fr) performance as the father of the Taylor student earned the honor of my favorite performance of the night. He was just so weird, and he mastered a voice that reminded me of the curly-haired, asthmatic Carl Wheezer from “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,” a popular Nickelodeon TV show circa 2002.

Two of McClanahan’s memorable lines from the skit were “Well, I’m lactating,” and, “You know what they say about holidays: You celebrate one of ‘em, you celebrate all of ‘em.” Both lines were met with thunderous laughter from the crowd that forced the other cast members to wait a few seconds before continuing.

FNL veteran Lauren Melser (sr), who played the mother of the IWU student, was also great in the skit. She comically made fun of Taylor’s optional chapel policy, calling it “kind of pagan.”

“Squirrel Dynasty,” a parody of the A&E Network TV show “Duck Dynasty,” was also great. It starred McClanahan, Joshua Larson (jr) and Draper. Once again, McClanahan stole the show with his spot-on “hick” accent.

Then came the guest band, “Trouper.” I had mixed feelings about its performance. On one hand, I absolutely loved its musical style, which was an Imogen Heap-esque folk-electronic vibe that was very ethereal. On the other hand, I had been laughing so hard from the skits that I almost would have preferred a brighter and more energetic band for an FNL performance. I still enjoyed “Trouper,” even though the music felt somewhat out of place with the rest of the evening.

The second half of the night started off with a bang, featuring a “Harlem Shake” video of IWU faculty, once again starring Wilbur Williams. If there were one fad I hoped the FNL cast would capitalize on this time around, it was the “Harlem Shake.” They didn’t let me down.

“Facebook Poetry” by Kyle Davidson (jr) was amusing, as always. In addition to his trademark “little black heart” line and shouting of words written in all caps, I loved that he added some entertaining new voices to his repertoire. My favorite was a soft, delicate one that made a slight whistle every time he sounded out the letter “s.” Davidson has carried the past couple of FNLs with his fantastic performances, but this semester, he had a lot more help from the rest of the cast.

The entire second half was at least somewhat funny, but the humor at the end of the “Society of World Changers” skit seemed a little bit cheap. The revenge of the globe? Not the writers’ best efforts. I did enjoy the skit as a whole, however. The witty conversations between the busts were highly entertaining.

For all the great performances, my highlight of the night was the second-to-last act, a horror film about the recently closed Shatford House, in which Lindsey Griggs (so) and Natalie Theriot (fr) tried to explore the supposedly vacant dorm. Instead, they found that people still lived in Shatford, led by creepy Resident Director Caitlin Newell (sr). The effects were stellar, including a picture that had a moving face. I had to remind myself in the middle of the video that I wasn’t watching an authentic horror movie.

Ah yes, and then there was the icing on the cake at the end of the night: an engagement. Draper and Ebenhoch pretended to be playing a game involving audience participation and blindfolds, but the game was secretly setting up a proposal between Jason Tarnow (alumnus ‘12) and Lauren Jones (jr). I personally thought it was a unique venue for a proposal, but still very romantic and entertaining for the audience. It also helped alleviate the inevitable awkwardness that comes when the hosts have to wrap up the show. Congratulations, Jason and Lauren!

This semester’s FNL finally showed me why it is such a time-honored tradition here at IWU. I hope the writers continue to work hard to produce quality humor and that Wilbur Williams continues to make cameo appearances in the show as long as I am a student here.

If the film version of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” had to be summed up in a simple sentence or two, this quote from the protagonist, Charlie, would be the perfect choice. This movie is about capturing a feeling, but it isn’t simple.

It’s about capturing an era in life — a time of teenage confusion when everything is somehow simultaneously happy and sad and exciting and depressing and as dramatic as possible. And by the end, it’s still not figured out. But it’s still life, for better or worse.

This 2012 indie film tells the story of high school freshman Charlie, played by Logan Lerman. He’s an outsider, and his first days of high school are rough, to say the least. He connects with step-siblings Patrick and Sam, played by the fantastic Ezra Miller and the fresh-from-”Harry-Potter” fame Emma Watson. Their group of “misfit” friends accepts the newcomer with open arms, even though all are seniors and longtime companions. With them, Charlie experiences the angst of being a teenager and learns about how to “participate in life.”

Maybe that sounds like your typical, clichéd teenage movie, and maybe at moments it was. However, this movie overall made me feel like I was re-experiencing my high school years.

John Anderson of Newsday had a similar impression. “High school — and the teen years in general — is a series of minor tragedies, small epiphanies, brushes with joy, skirmishes with pain, all adding up to something delightfully awful, and delightful to be done with. The film makes all that make perfect sense in a way very few movies in its genre do,” wrote Anderson.

“Wallflower” is based on a 1999 young adult novel by Steven Chbosky. Interestingly enough, he wrote the screenplay and directed the movie. I have not read the book, but I do know that Chbosky had his work cut out for him. The novel is formated in letters, written by Charlie to an anonymous person who is helping him cope with life after his best friend commits suicide. That must have been tough to translate into a movie, but the film makes good use of the letter writing as a way to see what’s going on in Charlie’s mind. All the important details from the book remained, though some plot lines were cut out or lessened.

I give major props to Chbosky — for his first real film, this is impressive. It defies what you expect of the story without trying too hard. It has big-name actors and actresses in it, but they don’t overshadow the story. It has depth and darkness, yet I still walked away with a sense of hope.

“Wallflower” is a movie with something to say, not just about high school, but life in general. It’s about love and how we don’t know how to handle it. It’s about life and how to live it. It’s about taking each moment as it comes and appreciating it for what it is. It’s about knowing that you’re never going to have it all figured out, and it’s never going to be perfect, but that’s OK.

I think that was actually one of my favorite things about it — it didn’t necessarily feel like an ending as the movie concludes. It felt like a pause in the characters’ lives. Charlie’s end monologue acknowledges that he has a lot to work out, but it also acknowledges that these moments will pass.

“I know these will be stories someday. And our pictures will become old photographs. We’ll all become somebody’s mom or dad. But right now these moments are not stories. This is happening. … This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story, … and in this moment I swear, we are infinite,” he says.

“Wallflower” doesn’t state a lot of things outright for audiences. It expects them to pay attention because so much of what happens is never actually said or shown. Even the major plot twist is portrayed with little more than sparse flashbacks and implications, but Chbosky expects his audience to be smart enough to figure it out. I, for one, appreciated that the story demanded more from me than just a passive viewing.

The book was written in the ’90s, and the movie is clearly placed there as well, but very few specifics are given. You never know exactly where or when this is taking place, which makes you feel more like a part of the story. We were all there: freshman year, terrified on the inside, confused, alone, and yet somehow hopeful, probably because we didn’t know any better.

Might I add: the soundtrack for the movie is amazing. Music is a huge part of the lives of the characters, and the life of the movie itself. Mix tapes are prominently used throughout the film as characters’ ways of showing affection. And yes, actual cassette tapes. It was endearing.

It’s not a movie for everyone — “Wallflower” deals with some really serious issues like drugs, sexual abuse, homosexuality and depression, though it does so tastefully. It requires you to stop and think and actually feel something.

Of course, it has some problems. My biggest issue with it was some of the storylines, particularly in dealing with the letter-writing and the best friend’s suicide, were not fleshed out as well as they could have been. Viewers also don’t really get a good grip on any of the flashback sequences until the very end scenes, which can be frustrating. And Emma Watson’s American accent struggled at times.

Still, I would agree with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Amy Biancolli when she said: “But somehow, these imperfections fit. Somehow, ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ shouldn’t be flawless. It should be cracked and riddled with human frailty. It should hurt.”

And it does hurt, if you let it. But somehow, that’s the beauty in it all.

The lights dim as actors scramble to various positions. Sound check — finished. Stage lights — on. Everyone is ready for the final rehearsal of spring 2013 Friday Night Live.

It’s 6 p.m., three hours before doors open and it still feels chaotic. Behind the scenes, the stage crew maneuvers props ranging from small chairs to giant walls. The men and women in black repair broken props while the tech team prepares the audio and visual elements of the production.

About a month ago, technical director Caleb Collins (sr) and assistant technical director Kayla Smith (jr) were already hard at work. In these early stages of production, they decide the crew members to include on the FNL tech team.

“The week of FNL is pretty crazy time-wise for our technical staff,” Smith remarks.

The tech director and assistant serve on both the FNL leadership and the tech team. They communicate with the guest and house bands, making sure to take care of sound needs and work on a stage plot for the lighting crew.

“We start going to skits and deciding how we want to lay this show out. We try to come up with a layout that will work best for changes in all areas,” Smith says. “[We get] people their microphones and count the number of times people need to change [costumes].”

In the week leading up to the show, it’s crunch time. Collins, Smith and a couple of lighting workers spent five to six hours total hanging lights in the canopy above the chapel. Once they see the skits unfold, they can begin programming the lights.

“That’s really what it takes,” Collins explains, “seeing the show and watching the cast members interact. We work around them to make sure we meet all of their needs.”

As technical director, Collins’ job consists of organizing all tech workers involved with lighting, sound and media into one cohesive union. Even though the technical director past can present a competitive conflict among students, many embrace their current positions.

“We look at lighting and say: ‘This is what the show’s looking like. Here you go. Go off and create,’” says Collins. “And the same thing for the audio: ‘Here, have fun. You’re mixing it. You’re doing it. You’re in charge.’”

FNL provides a unique chance for tech workers to express themselves. Collins says, “That’s something that all techs love to work FNL because it’s that great opportunity to use their creative abilities in lighting and creative abilities in mixing for live bands.”

For both the tech director and assistant director, stress wears them down. Smith, who is also in wind ensemble, doesn’t get out of class until 4:30 p.m., then skips dinner in order to get to the set at 5 p.m. On top of that, the two don’t finish until between 11 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.

Not only does stress crowd rehearsals, but also planning. Collins describes the difficulty in organizing with facilities workers in getting box trucks to move equipment from storage to the school.

“There’s a lot of paperwork involved and note-taking,” Collins says, “to make sure you check out equipment and just organizing times when the techs need to be available, organizing times with your bands to make sure they can get here on time, to make sure they’re here for sound checks and run-throughs and things like that.”

Because the show took place in the Chapel Auditorium this semester, the tech team built the set for rehearsal on Thursday night, tore it down for chapel Friday morning, then rebuilt it before rehearsal at 5 p.m. “It was very, very difficult,” Collins says.

Speaking to the necessity of the tech crew, FNL cast member Josiah Kaufman (jr) says: “The tech crew is in some ways more important than the actors. If you don’t have lights, you don’t have sound, you basically don’t have a show.”

Kaufman laughs at the thought of the tech crew and cast switching roles: “I think it would be really funny for the tech crew and the cast, not necessarily for the audience.” He says the cast would probably just goof off with the controls and things would get very spastic.

The auditorium begins to fill up with an anxious crowd anticipating the long-awaited production. It’s show time.

Indiana Wesleyan University’s Music Division added three music professors at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. These professors all come from very different backgrounds, but they all have something in common: They all felt the call to teach at IWU.

Todd Williams

As the jazz sounds of New Orleans fill the air, tenor saxophone player and professor Todd Williams samples an album he was on with the Wynton Marsalis Septet. Before coming to IWU,
Williams traveled on the road with the group for several years. He performed in places such as Australia, New Zealand and Europe. He was living a life other musicians only live in dreams. However, he came to a point where he was getting tired of constantly being on the road. Williams said he was “wanting to serve Christ and was feeling pulled in another direction.”

After stepping away from the jazz scene, Williams started working and volunteering at the Times Square Church in New York City. While working there, he met the man he calls his spiritual mentor, Pastor David Wilkerson. While at the Times Square Church, Williams worked as the church’s music director. At the time, he said he was unaware stepping away from performing was causing quite a buzz in the jazz community. After receiving calls to perform at the Lincoln Center, Williams was beginning to feel that God was calling him to start doing gigs again. He later played at the White House with the Eli Yeman Quartet.

Before making the move to IWU, Williams taught general instrumental music for five years at the Tuxedo Park School. Then Williams began to feel God pulling him in another direction once again. He began to search online for different schools and came across IWU. The job description fit his skill set and after much prayer, he and his family decided to make the move.

Williams says, “God will arrange a scenario where people are drawn to your life.” He sees this proven true when he gets to share about his testimony of intentionally following God’s call.

Michael Dennis

Dr. Michael Dennis is from Central Alabama. As a high school student, he had a love for school and computers. It wasn’t until later he discovered his love for music. After high school, he went on to study voice performance at Montevallo University. One of Dennis’ main joys is working within the church. This led him to pursue a master’s degree in church music, with an emphasis in choral conducting, at Lee University.

Working with people and seeing growth in the lives of his students are two things that Dennis enjoys the most about his job. He says he was brought to IWU by “the desire to teach.”

Dennis also says he acts as a facilitator at times and that “God will take people from where they are and [He] uses them to encourage and build people up.”

While at IWU, Dennis wants to develop the university as a premier place to study Christian worship music. He ultimately wants to see the school progress into a “hub” for contemporary worship.

Isai Jess Munoz

Serving as assistant professor of voice and opera theater, Dr. Isai Jess Munoz joins IWU with a strong background in the operatic, music theater and concert stage. Munoz has appeared with the New York City Opera, the American Symphony orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Israel Philharmonic.

He can also be seen as Pirelli in “Sweeny Todd” with the St. Petersburg Opera. Munoz attended the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he received his bachelor’s degree in vocal performance. He then went on to pursue his master’s and doctorate degree.

Munoz said he was drawn to IWU because he is “passionate about learning and teaching on how Christian perspectives can give greater meaning to all academic disciplines, particularly the performing arts.” He also feels it is a wonderful and timely fit for the career to which God has called him.

The album includes 11 tracks: Eight are toned-down guitar or piano renditions of songs from last summer’s “Believe,” and three are new, also of the acoustic persuasion. What’s the best part of the album? None of the tracks feature auto-tune, club beats or dubstep.

While this isn’t soon-to-be 19-year-old Bieber’s first acoustic album (he released “My World’s Acoustic” in 2011), it is certainly his most stripped-down. The musical style harkens back to his YouTube days. Before the record deals and the worldwide fame, he posted videos that included nothing but his prepubescent singing voice and an acoustic guitar. I found “Believe Acoustic” incredibly refreshing. However, the album left me wondering why he’s spent his whole career avoiding this style of music like the plague.

To put it bluntly, I hated Bieber’s original “Believe” album. It was gaudy pop, complete with breathy, seductive rap in “Boyfriend.” There was also trite dubstep in “As Long As You Love Me” and suggestive dance tunes like “Beauty and a Beat.”

A voice as good as Bieber’s deserves better than to be confined to the dance club, but that’s what “Believe” did to him.

Pretty much across the board, all the renditions on “Believe Acoustic” were better than the originals. Without the electronic effects to detract from the vocals, Bieber’s now fully changed voice shines through and complements the guitar or piano (depending on the song) perfectly.

My favorite acoustic rendition was “As Long As You Love Me.” The tune starts chill with Bieber’s vulnerable voice and a slow guitar rhythm until the pre-chorus. At that point, the tempo increases and a palm-muted guitar comes in with a pulsating strumming pattern that builds intensity into the chorus. Bieber nails all the notes perfectly and adds a little flair by changing up the original melody a few times.

Two other renditions I especially liked were “All Around The World” and “She Don’t Like the Lights.” Each features a guitar that clicks the rhythm so quickly that you almost forget that there aren’t any percussive instruments in the song. Bieber even turns “Boyfriend,” one of my least favorite songs ever, into a halfway decent song.

“Be Alright” is the only acoustic remix not more impressive than its predecessor. The original was already totally guitar-based, but “Believe Acoustic” makes it a bit calmer by using a piano instead of a guitar; I preferred the original guitar version.

There were also three new tracks: “Yellow Raincoat,” “I Would” and “Nothing Like Us.”

“Yellow Raincoat” was the lowlight of the album. Bieber’s vocals are good, as always, but the melody is repetitive and too melancholy. “I Would” is a solid effort, but “Nothing Like Us” is the best song on the album. A piano serenades Bieber as he tries to persuade his ex-girlfriend to come back to him (Selena Gomez?). The beautiful melody brings out the best in Bieber’s voice.

To all the Bieber haters, if you are still with me, you may have thought it was creepy how he sounded like a girl until a couple of years ago (I know I did.) And you may not like that he seems determined to be the prettiest pretty boy on Earth (guilty, again), but you have to respect the talent. The Biebs has a killer voice. Period.

Matter Park/Eugene “Beaner” Linn Park
If you’re up for adventure, there are several local opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. Matter Park in Marion boasts more than a hundred acres of playgrounds, shelters and walking paths. Additionally, the Eugene “Beaner” Linn Park in Gas City sits on the Mississinewa River. Take a walk along the water, check out the playgrounds, relive your childhood.

Swayzee Antique Mall
If you’re a shopper, try the Swayzee Antique Mall. You never know what treasures you might find as great mementos of your day together. Look at the new items and old antiques, from books to toys to furniture to jewelry to Coca-Cola memorabilia. It’s certainly not your average trip to Wal-Mart.

CSA Art Gallery
If you enjoy the finer things in life, such as art, check out the Community School of the Arts Gallery. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Here you can view the talents of local artists. The Marion gallery features a different artist every month. This month, view Dayne Bonta’s photography from Ireland, Scotland and England. Go to www.csa-marion.com for further details.

Walnut Creek Archery
If you saw “Hunger Games,” which we know you did, you might want to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow like Katniss. At Walnut Creek Archery in Upland, visitors can shoot on both indoor and outdoor ranges for less than $10. It’s not open on Valentine’s Day, but is open the next weekend for a possible post-holiday date. Check out www.walnutcreekarchery.com for the details and location.

Members of the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra, musicians from Taylor University and Indiana Wesleyan University’s Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo and Chorale are putting on a Valentine’s Day ball Feb. 16 at the STAR Financial YMCA. It will take place in the gym from 6:45-9:30 p.m., according to Todd Guy, IWU Chorale director and Music Division chair.

Inspired by the October 2011 ball in which attendants wore masks and dressed up, MPO, IWU and Taylor musicians started planning for this event a year ago.

“[The Masquerade Ball] was so widely accepted and it had such great attendance,” said Guy. “We wanted to do something similar to that theme and still use the YMCA.”

The Valentine weekend ball will feature pieces from artists like Duke Ellington, Indiana artist Cole Albert Porter and a piece or two from “Les Miserables,” according to Chorale alto singer Rebecca Roy (sr).

Soprano and jazz vocalist Laynee Day (sr) added that Chorale will end the night with “Make Our Garden Grow” from Leonard Bernstein’s operatic adaptation of Voltaire’s “Candide.”

Guy said the dessert reception and first half of the concert, featuring the IWU Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo and Chorale, will start at 6:45 p.m. Payne’s Restaurant and Café from Gas City will provide gourmet desserts and coffee. Even though tickets for all 30 tables are sold out, Guy said anyone can still come and enjoy the performance during that time.

The MPO part of the performance will officially start at 7:30 p.m., which he said “includes all kinds of swing dance music – very romantic music for slow-dancing, or however you want to do it.”

“I think it’s a great date night,” Day said. “Myself personally, I’m bringing one of my friends from Chicago. We’re both competitive swing dancers, so we’ll be dancing all night long.”

“We have all this great electronic, digital music, but there’s nothing like experiencing something live, where you’re feeling the vibrations of the music,” Guy said. “The music just surrounds and engulfs you. It’s quite a bit different experience than just listening to it through a set of headphones. Students should really experience this type of music live.”