They're relaxed and informal, standing comfortably in jeans and T-shirts, shifting occasionally from foot to foot. Then the music starts. A jazz organ comes to life with an energetic, syncopated bass, and the group's attention turns to the reason they're here. As the guitars begin a trial riff and the drums explore a rhythm, the energy in the Ebeneezer Baptist Church shifts to electric.

The Black Voices are preparing to rehearse.

This is not your ordinary gospel music. This is a move-your-body, clap-your-hands, raise-your-arms, put-a-smile-on-your-face, let-it all-loose, sing-your-heart-out gospel. The 45 young people who make up Black Voices work hard at their music, and they believe in their song.

"This song has a purpose," they sing, "to prepare us for worship." Their movements perfectly choreographed, they move and sing as one. "I have learned how to sing through all the pain. We cry 'holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty.' . . . I thank you for my song."

Those listening can't merely be passive observers. No one who hears the Black Voices can sit still for long. Bodies begin to sway. Feet begin to tap. No one can fail to feel the power of the song.

The group began with three friends who lived in Critz Hall and enjoyed singing in the showers. It was 1972, and one of them thought the young men should sing for Black History Month. They enlisted the help of a few female friends, and Black Voices was born.

"Originally, we were part of African American Plus (AA+) at Mississippi State," notes Carroll Washington, who, as a graduate student in 1972, joined the group as pianist. "A few years later, we applied for standing as a campus organization."

Nearly 30 years later, Black Voices-which is a primarily self-supporting organization-still functions as an official MSU group, Washington said. Retired from the Starkville Public Schools, he serves as the group's alumni adviser, while Daniel Webb, instructor in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Sport, is the group's faculty adviser.

Washington estimates that more than 3,500 students have been associated with Black Voices over the past three decades. Among them: Tamikia Whitfield, Mississippi State's first black homecoming queen and now a teacher; and Allen Golden, a guitarist with Mississippi Mass Choir.

"We have a strong tradition," said Jason Minor, the group's minister of music. "We work hard to uphold our tradition as one of the premier choirs in the area."

Membership is not for the faint of heart. Members are selected by audition, and they commit to twice-weekly, two-hour-or-longer rehearsals. The choir maintains an active weekend performance schedule, including three or four major concerts a year.

"One of our goals is to record a compact disc," said 2000 president Willie Sanders, a sophomore psychology major. The group also is proud of its Chicago tours, where it has sung at the home church of gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Typically, it accepts 15 or more Mississippi engagements each year.

With members from around the United States, one might think that the group's varied musical tastes, backgrounds, and academic demands could create tensions. Black Voices members say that, to the contrary, a distinguishing feature of the group is its family environment.

"We have people from all over the country in the choir," said Sanders. "But it's amazing how all the differences cease to matter when you have one goal."

Ed Hardy, a civil engineering graduate student from Jackson, said that the group is characterized by its close relationships.

"I'm amazed at how well we've come to know and trust each other," he said. "Being in the choir has helped me get to know other people, and it's helped me during good times and bad times."

Sophomore fitness management major Alicia Riley describes the choir as "a source of strength."

"I've applied the words of our songs to many of the situations in my life," she noted. She auditioned for and was accepted into the choir her freshman year, an experience that helped her make the transition to university life.

"I have a lot of friends in the choir," she said. "As a freshman, you're not involved in many activities, and this has been a great experience."

Kenzaki Jones, a free safety with the MSU Bulldogs football team, joined the choir during his second semester at the university and has sung with the group for the past four years. His participation in football and music have some striking similarities, he said.

"On the football field, you need aggressive energy to be effective," he said. "Here, you may have to reach down and find energy you never knew you had to hit a high note as a tenor. I've also learned that teamwork and loyalty are important whether I'm a member of the choir or a member of the Bulldogs."

Even with the demands of football practice, he has maintained a commitment to regular Black Voices rehearsals.

"During football season, I'd leave practice around 6 p.m., rush to get something to eat, and be anxious to get to rehearsal," he said. "When you come to rehearsal, there's always a sense of relief, regardless of what else may be going on."

A typical Black Voices rehearsal begins with a business meeting and a devotional time. During business sessions, the group annually elects officers that include president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian, minister of music, and director.

Some of the members read music and others don't, but all work side by side to reach a level of satisfaction with their work. Rehearsal times can last several hours, with warm-ups, vocal training, and other exercises.

"We promote excellence in every area of our lives," said president Willie Sanders. "We want members to excel musically and academically." In addition to musical workouts, members often get academic workouts by acting as tutors for others in the choir, he points out.

The group describes its music as contemporary gospel, with a mixture of traditional gospel and spirituals. "We sing music written by famous artists, and also traditional spirituals," said Jones. "But we make it our own. It speaks to older and younger people."

Black Voices members describe the choir as a transforming experience for them.

"It's helped me learn to prioritize," said civil engineering graduate student Ed Hardy. "It's taught me the importance of commitment, and it's helped me become more organized."

For the hundreds of students who pass through Black Voices, the choir always is a learning experience, says Washington.

"Being in Black Voices prepares students for leadership roles," he observed. "They're often very active in campus and community organizations."

The group has performed for Minority Achievement Day activities on campus, as well as for a meeting last spring of the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop, which attracted more than 1,000 participants from around the region.

"The choir is a very strong recruiting tool," Washington said. "Black Voices inspires others." Sanders says the inspiration starts with every individual who becomes a part of the group.

"Our music is exciting," he said. "We love what we do, and it shows when we perform. The audience seems to feed off the choir's energy."

The choir is confident that participating in a Black Voices performance leaves the audience-as well as the performers-changed.

"There's a strong feeling for all of us," Sanders said. "There's no doubt you will be touched."