The Southeast District of Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi
The Eighth Note (mini edition) November 2018
Table of Contents
About the Cover.......................................3 Summer B Band.......................................4 The Importance of Our Bonds...................6 Night of Musicianship................................8
About the Cover
The Theta Zeta chapter of Tau Beta Sigma at North Carolina A&T pose on its campus plot. KeAsiah McLaughlin, the chapter president, is pictured in the front.
Summer B Band By Adriana Ortiz Tau Beta Sigma, Beta Xi
This summer, students at the University of Florida had a new kind of class offered to them during the Summer B semester. For the first time ever, the university was offering both a summer orchestra and a summer band. The classes were part of an initiative by the Office of the Provost to increase more participation in creative classes among students. The “Creative B� program, which has been in place since 2010, presented band students with the option to play their instrument over the summer in an organized group setting. The band ensemble was conducted by the associate director of bands and director of the Gator Marching Band, Professor Jay Watkins. The group met twice a week for six weeks, for an hour and 15 minutes each day. The sixweek semester ended in a concert exhibiting the work the members had been putting in. The concert had a great turn out, and the
audience enjoyed every piece that was played. The ensemble was open to students from any major and background, as well as high school students and adults of the Gainesville community. There was even a past UF Band director playing the trumpet! As a non-music major, I especially appreciated this. It provided a way for me to practice my instrument before the start of the Fall marching season without having to drag myself into a practice room. We played fun songs, which ranged from West Side Story to The Incredibles to Star Wars to The Wizard of Oz. The repertoire also included some more traditional pieces such as America, The Beautiful, The Fairest of the Fair, Variations on Barnacle Bill, and Sundance. If I were to describe the class in one word, it would be fun. The atmosphere was very relaxed and positive.
The Alpha Eta and Beta Xi chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma had 12 brothers and sisters participate in the band. Not only did this expand all of our musicianship skills, but it also fostered fellowship. The brothers and sisters often hung out together after practices, along with other members of the band. The Creative B Summer Band provided multiple opportunities for students, community members, and brothers and sisters to bond together through music.
The Importance of Our Bonds Amber Ponder Tau Beta Sigma, Gamma Epsilon
Coming from a big city, Atlanta, Ga, I was no stranger to hard work and dedication. The aromas of success and self-fulfillment are always rich in the hot air so I had no choice but to follow suit. My last two years of high school, I attended a Magnet Performing Arts school where I was in the dance department. It was there that I got a taste of what being a part of a band and dancing alongside them was like. It was simply amazing! I felt free to express myself and do it in front of hundreds of people, while performing to live music. There was nothing like it. There was a sense of family and a community that I was so fortunate to be a part of and it made dancing in the band one of the greatest experiences of my life. During my time there, we endured numerous long days and nights practicing and performing and cheering on our football and basketball team. We put in
a great deal of hours, of hard work, sweat, and tears and I can honestly say I would, 100%, do it all over again. There is nothing like the rush of adrenaline you feel when all eyes are on you, as the band plays your favorite tune and it’s your moment to shine. I felt on top of the world, and I believe that had a great impact on my decision to continue pursuing my dream of dance, not only as a hobby but as a career too! I had no idea that the University of Miami Frost Band of The Hour would be the next step in that dream. Although, a different atmosphere between my high school band and college band, the culture is still the same. My fellow bandmates lift me up and help me succeed in unimaginable ways and they make my experience in the band worthwhile. We put in countless hours
TOGETHER and we strive to be the best band we can be no matter what. Since joining TBS, I have deepened my love for music and the band in ways that I didn’t think were possible. The commitment and service is what I live for and with my sisters and brothers, I am truly best. We are a family. We are a community. We are one!
Night of Musicianship Josiah Evaristo Tau Beta Sigma, Epsilon Theta If you’re reading this, then you are in KKPsi or TBS, and therefore, a musician in college. You might be a music major, practicing hard to unravel the minute intricacies of the soundwaves we piece together to please the ears. Or you may be performing in an ensemble in your limited free time as you pursue a completely different subject. However, no matter which category you fall into, you most likely play music for a particular purpose, such as to impress and entertain others. Whether it is for football fans, concert-goers, or professors, you practice and perform pieces with the approval of your audience in mind. Although if I were to ask most of you why you began to play music, you would not respond with “to please others!” While there are always those “Wonderwall” party guitarists, because you are still playing music in college, it is safe to say that your dedication to musicianship is not that shallow. Rather, when you first picked
up your instrument, first played in front of an audience, and first practiced tirelessly on a few troubled measures and perfectly nailed them when the moment arrived, you experienced the joy that can only be found in playing music. This is why we are musicians; at one point in our lives, we learned to love the craft and began to play for our own entertainment and happiness. Now even though you love to play music, when was the last time you actually played your instrument for fun? For most of us, it probably has been a long time. And it is because of this answer that talent shows, like Iota’s “Night of Musicianship,” are vital to our culture. Yes, the audience enjoys the show, but the performers get so much more out of it. Every time NoM comes around, I rediscover my love for my instruments in preparing and performing pieces I want to play. I can’t help but admire the pure joy I see on the faces of the people playing with me who are also embarking on
the same pilgrimage back to our roots. “Night of Musicianship� reminds us of the fundamental reason why we decided to stick with our instruments, why we chose to dedicate many many hours to practice, and why we decided to become performers: for ourselves. The next Night of Muscicianship is December 4th at 7:30 at Georgia Tech.
Thanks for Reading!