Audiences will get a chance to hear a variety of music ranging from cover songs by Pink Floyd and Bob Marley to independently composed music when members of Rhythm and Brass visit Stephens Auditorium Friday night.

The group of six professors who form Rhythm and Brass are from different universities across the nation. They came together after meeting at several auditions.

“Eventually, we just ended up playing together all the time,” says Rhythm and Brass trombone player Wiff Rudd.

The group rehearses while they are traveling to shows and during the summer when they have extra free time. Most of the professors teach private lessons to keep their schedules flexible, says Rudd, professor at Baylor University. The experiences the band members get from touring are helpful for their students.

“Many of [the students] want to be performers, so it’s good for them to see us going out and touring,” Rudd says.

The group uses each individual’s background and experience to their advantage by playing several different styles of music for audiences. “We fashioned the group to all the musical talents of the members,” Rudd says.

The variety of music Rhythm and Brass chooses to perform classifies them as a nontraditional brass ensemble, says Sara Barr, director of marketing for the Iowa State Center.

“Traditional brass bands will play music like Beethoven,” Barr says. “This group doesn’t just focus on the classical aspect. They bring in different genres of music.”

Most members of the group were freelance musicians before they formed Rhythm and Brass in 1993. “It was through freelancing that I grew to appreciate music in all different styles,” Rudd says.

The group started out playing mostly R&B music and since then has explored a variety of musical styles. This growing and changing is part of the process of becoming a successful band, Rudd says.

“What we’re doing now is so different than what we did during our first concert 10 years ago,” he says.

Rudd says the group always includes some their original music in their performances. Rhythm and Brass has four composers in the band.

“[Composing] is just a natural extension of being a performer and composer,” he says. “It’s one of the marks of being a creative group that is out there doing original music.”

Rhythm and Brass has a history of performances around the globe. The musicians have performed in 48 states, Japan, the Middle East and Europe. Rudd says the perceptions of the band have changed over time. In the past, presenters have been weary of booking brass bands, such as Rhythm and Brass, because of their unpredictability.

“Presenters now trust us and know that we play for the audience,” he says.

Rudd says the band members have learned more than just music through their touring experiences.

“We’ve been forced to become business men and run our own business and all the principles that requires,” he says. “There’s no better way to grow musically than to actively perform.”

Who: Rhythm and Brass

Where: Stephens Auditorium

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Cost: $9.50-$13.50 students, $17.50-$25.50 public