This semester’s annual Combo Music Fest “Bop till You Drop” concert Tuesday acts as a final examination for 60 music students.

Jazz Studies Coordinator Anthony Garcia said, “This is an exam performance for these musicians because all 60 of them are part of a music class which practices for a minimum of two hours per week,” he said.

“Bop till You Drop” is a fitting theme for the free concert considering a group of three to eight different musicians will be performing, Garcia said.

Tenor saxophonist Russ Nolan said the grade he receives for the performance is of minimal importance. He said he enjoys the opportunity to perform and have a good time in a relaxed, non-pressured situation.

Garcia said this concert is an opportunity for students, faculty and members of the community to hear a little music in an informal atmosphere. “It’s a good study break,” he said.

“This will be a very flexible concert, it will run like clockwork, which will encourage the audience to come whenever they can and stay as long as they wish,” Garcia said.

Each combo, ranging from a trio to an octet, will include a drummer, bassist and piano along with other instruments, Garcia said. All of the performing musicians have performed in at least two other concerts, he said.

Saxophonist Tom Link, who will be playing in the first combo, said, “The combo fest gives musicians who don’t play a lot the opportunity to perform, and it is the audience’s chance to hear some really great combos. NIU has top-notch performers.”

Trumpet player Dave Morehead said the small size of the combos gives musicians the chance to be more creative. He said, “Big bands have less freedom and individuals have less room to experiment.”

Combos represent an excellent opportunity to practice improvisation in front of a live audience, Morehead said. “And that’s what combo fests are all about,” he said.

There will be 10 half-hour combos which will perform “around-the-clock” with 10-minute breaks in between them, Garcia said.

Groups will begin to perform at 4:30 p.m. and will continue until 11 p.m. Groups will peform electronically- and acoustically-orientated tunes of their choice in the Music Building Recital Hall, he said.