Daniel Rziha, Peter Harrison and Andrew Wiele, who study Communication Arts at Butler Community College, are producing “Changes Through the Ages." This documentary will give them practical experience for their upcoming careers.
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Butler Creative Television (BC-TV) is the student-run video production unit of the college, broadcasting everything related to the institution and local community. From athletic events to board meetings, working with BC-TV gives staffers hands-on broadcasting experience while also offering them educational financing.
On May 1 the Department of Mass Communications held an end-of-year celebration at Summit Park, El Dorado.All media students were invited to play games at the park, eat grilled brats and attend the department awards ceremony.
On April 29, SoPsyched, the sociology and psychology club for Butler, hosted an event on the Andover campus to raise awareness for people with autism.All Butler students were invited, and pizza was served to those in attendance.
It has been his passion since high school. It is a talent that he found much joy in. It is a career that he desired regardless of the lower compensation and hardships that could come with it. Vocal music is Ethan Quiring's dream. Quiring, a Butler freshman, aspires to become a choir director through an associate degree in music education. Every ounce of work that Quiring puts into his degree is worthwhile to him because vocal music is fulfilling and brings him joy. His zeal for singing began in high school when Quiring joined his school choir for his junior and senior year. Ethan Quiring aspires to become a choir director. (Photo credit: Josiah Rich) “I’d always love to sing in high school, and I found this hidden joy of singing my senior year,” said Quiring. Once he came to Butler, Quiring became a part of the Chamber Singers to continue his passion. Quiring finds joy in developing a deep relationship with fellow members of the Chamber Singers through their vocal training together. The Chamber Singers focus more on traditional vocal music. "Singing allows me to work with other people on a closer level," said Quiring. "You sing the same thing as everyone else, so you are forced to pay attention and to work in harmony with someone literally and figuratively." Quiring believes the Chamber Singers open a way for diverse people to work in unity. “The fine tuning of how you work through problems and bring a group, who come[s] from different backgrounds, from different experiences, who know nothing about a piece they’re working on, to create a coherent song is something beautiful to me,” said Quiring. The Chamber Singers provide an opportunity for Quiring to share his Christian beliefs while doing vocal lessons, which brings him much joy. "I love being in the group because I can sneak some Jesus into the conversation or into what I'm singing. It gives me more meaning behind each song," said Quiring. Meaning and fulfillment spur Quiring onward The Chamber Singers (Photo credit: Isaac Rich). towards his goal of directing a choir. "For me, for something to be worth it isn't the pay because music directors don't get paid what I think they're worth," said Quiring. "But apart from how much you make a year, apart from a salary, [is] the fulfillment you get from being a music director. That is what really motivates me." Some people are motivated to join Ethan in the Chamber Singers because of the Vocal Music scholarship. Students who pass the vocal auditions and join a Butler Community College ensemble receive a scholarship paying for tuition and books. Butler student Travis Mercier took advantage of this opportunity. "Free college. Free tuition and books...I'd like to do that,” said Mercier. Singing with a choir means committing over eight hours a week to practice plus vocal lessons. Mercier enjoys the challenge and finds it worthwhile. “It’s nice to challenge yourself,” Mercier said. “For people that like to sing, I think it’s definitely [a] worthwhile experience, especially since it pays.” This opportunity was well suited for Mercier because singing had already been a passion for him since seven or eight years old. During middle school and high school, he was a part of the school choir. When he joined the Chamber Singers, he was able to improve his talent even more. Mercier learned to control his breath, pronounce clearly and fluctuate his tone of voice to create a mood. He learned to blend his voice with other vocalists. “We [the Chamber Singers] were able to sound more unified and [we] blend[ed] our voices together, so we had a uniform sound,” said Mercier. Unlike Quiring, Mercier plans to make vocal music a hobby, not a career. He plans to possibly join a community choir and continue to sing for church worship for enjoyment on the side. Mercier strives to keep vocal music in his life because he loves the transformation the music pieces go through. “When you first get the music [and] sight read it, it’s a little iffy in some parts [and] people start going quiet Mercier (top second from left) with the Chamber Singers when they don’t know parts. Going towards a concert, (Photo Credit: Isaac Rich) you hear real music being played,” said Mercier. Whether being motivated by a future career, scholarship opportunities or the music transformation process, the Chamber Singers are driven to do their very best. Their enthusiasm gives them a special niche in Butler's Vocal Music Department.
Evan Sinclair, a junior at Butler, is a student broadcaster for the college’s only radio station 88.1 The Grizz. Every Monday and Tuesday, he comes on air as a DJ.
Butler’s dedicated percussion ensemble received the honor of performing in the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) workshop. This professional showcase will take place in Century II’s Performing Arts and Conventions Center in Wichita on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. Ensembles qualify for the workshop through a blind auditions process. Each group submits several recordings of their music to the workshop judges. The judges decide which ensembles should go to the workshop based on the content of each recording alone Kimberly Trujillo is co-director of the percussion ensemble. She was impressed with the students' perseverance in practicing for the auditions recording. “Approximately 20 one-hour long rehearsals took place, on top of the individual practice of each student and study during their private lesson,” said Trujillo. “It takes a lot of dedication to produce a recording that will be selected for such an honor.” “I’ve been inspired by [the ensemble’s] work ethic, as I hope they are inspired by mine.” Kim Trujillo, Co-Director of Butler'sPercussion Ensemble. (Photo credit Greg Patterson.) Brett Martinez directs the ensemble with Trujillo. His goal for the ensemble’s future keeps everyone on track for a successful performance. “We’re keeping our eyes on what the next thing is that we need to be working on, [what] we need to improve. And in the process, we should achieve excellence along the way,” said Martinez. “If they [students] are working hard because I’m making them work harder... as soon as we take the pressure off, everything falls apart. If they are working hard for the other people that they are performing with, that’s sustainable.” Emmanuel Trice plays drums and marimba in the Brett Martinez, Co-director of Butler's Percussion Ensemble. percussion ensemble. He values working with other (Photo Credit Josiah Rich). students in the ensemble as well. “Percussion ensemble is a big family because we are always around each other,” said Trice. Trice started learning drums at 2 and practiced daily throughout his entire childhood. He is motivated to improve his percussion talent to encourage others. “God showed me through my hands and how I play that I can change people’s lives and change how people feel at the moment…It makes me more motivated at the time,” said Trice. Trice says that this motivation allows him to push through a song, even if he makes a mistake during practice. Since he started the ensemble, Trice learned to write his mistakes down, read music proficiently, and to play entire pieces just from memory. These skills are necessary in the workshop performance.
Jon Cressler is Director of Career and Workforce Education.
It’s the time of year to say what you are grateful for and stuff your faces with food. Thanksgiving is the time to spend time with family and friends with laughter and stories from the past. Not a lot of clubs were able to do Thanksgiving dinners or lunches this year, but one club that did was ‘Campus Crusade for Christ’.
