For many singing groups, choir practice means spending hours slaving over chorales by classical composers such as Haydn or Bach.

For Off the Record, Iowa State’s 13-member vocal jazz ensemble, choir practice means slaving over arrangements of songs by popular groups such as U2 or Seal.

But that’s not the only thing that sets Off the Record’s music apart from other groups.

“It’s a different sound,” Jamie Dimond, senior in chemical engineering and tenor for the group, said. “We do more contemporary music with jazz. You get to do more of your own interpretation of the music.”

Some of the songs planned for tonight’s performance at Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall include Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the ‘A’ Train,” John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “Back in the USSR,” U2’s “MLK” and Seal’s “Kiss by a Rose.”

The songs performed at tonight’s concert are representative of all the pieces the choir has been working on all year.

During the 1998/1999 school year, Off the Record, directed by assistant professor of music Lauren Fowler, has performed at ISU’s annual Holiday concert, Valley High School and Southwestern Community College.

The choir’s Spring performance is the only concert that features Off the Record exclusively.

“At this concert we’re going to do songs we’ve been learning all year,” Dimond said.

The 13-member choir is made up of six girls and seven guys, but the gender of the group members doesn’t necessarily decide how many singers perform each part.

“On each piece, it depends on what we want,” Dimond said. “If we want more bass in the song, we put more people on the [bass] part.”

And ideas of what the choir wants come from listening to what other groups have done with different songs.

“A lot of singing techniques come from listening to other people to get ideas to expand your knowledge,” Dimond said. “Feeling the back beat and the swing is another thing you train yourself to do.”

Off the Record will give its annual Spring performance tonight at 7:30 in the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall. Admission is free.