Just days before spring semester classes commence, some students at Stevenson University spent their Sunday evening back at school. But not a book or laptop was in sight as a band began playing “Brick in the Wall” while students gathered into the Rockland Banquet Hall.

A select group of 120 residential advisors and student organization leaders were invited to return early to the Owings Mills campus this weekend to participate in various team-building and leadership activities. The events were part of a leadership retreat organized by the campus Student Activities Committee. School resumes Tuesday.

On Sunday, the retreat called for a live karaoke night. As a way of changing it up from the regular instrumental tune played on a CD or DVD, students were able to pick from a long list of hits as performed by Springfield, Mass. band Maxxtone.

The list, which included hits by Alanis Morissette, Jimi Hendrix, the Spice Girls and Kanye West, was placed around the room for students to pick from and take over the mic while Maxxtone played.

The event was a good change of pace for Diane Swale, who got up several times to sing duets with her friends, and even mustered up the courage to sing “House of the Rising Sun” solo.

“At first no one was signing up, so I thought, 'I might as well,'" she said. "But once I got up for the first time and got over jitters, it was easier to go up again and again.”

Swale said she went to karaoke nights and band performances with her mom when she was younger and wasn’t new to the karaoke scene. She said she liked performing with Maxxtone.

“You feel like you’re actually performing with the band,” she said. "CD karaoke you’re expected to perform along to the CD, but live you can improvise.”

The event was organized by Stevenson Student Activities coordinator Hope Miller Miles as a way of bringing students informally for the leadership summit. Both students from the conference and commuter students in the area were in attendance.

“This is our last chance to break out before the semester starts,” said Stevenson University SGA president Jessica Swing. Swing joined friends in singing Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" and a rendition of the “Pokémon” theme song.

Stevenson Honors Council Co-President Nicole Lee belted Katie’s Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” before her classmates and peers.

“I was pumped (for the event) because I knew it was going to be fun.” Lee said.

Maxxtone first connected with Stevenson University when Miller Miles attended a National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) conference in Lancaster, Penn., this past October. The conference allowed a variety of different acts to market themselves to college campuses.

The group performs regular concerts, but also does a lot of their touring on college campuses up and down the east coast, especially for karaoke concerts. Their next performance is at the University of Memphis Thursday before they return to the Mid-Atlantic Saturday for a show at Longwood University in Farmville, Va.

Getting 'Hitch'ed
Earlier in the day, Stevenson students heard speaker David Coleman, “the real-life ‘Hitch,’” discuss overcoming issues in both life and in love. Although the leadership retreat happens every semester, students found Coleman to be a refreshing change to past speakers.

Swing felt that Coleman was “really funny and he took into consideration what students wanted from the event.”

 “It was an amazing retreat — it was my favorite so far, by far," said student Eve Langley. "(Coleman) took the chance to have the audience get to know him so the students could connect with him.”

Langley, who is director of the “Saturday Night Life” events for the Mustang Activities and Programming Board, found herself letting go of inhibitions while in the company of friends on Sunday night. Nothing stopped her from sharing a duet with friend Diane Swale.

“I don’t usually perform, but there’s a rush from it!”

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include a correction.