The Love of the Bond

Sisters,

I cannot believe that Convention is so close! It seems like only yesterday that I was elected to serve as the Vice President for Membership for our wonderful district, and I could not be happier that I was given the chance to do so.

As we come closer and closer to the end of my term, I start to reflect back on my experience as a District Officer. I think back to the Summer Council Meeting, MER, my communication with people in different chapters, planning for Blocks, etc, and the one thing that is a consistent theme in each of these memories is the love I have received from my sisters, and the support I have received from the Bond.

These are the very reasons why I wanted to serve as a District Officer! From the beginning Tau Beta Sigma has surprised me. When I came to college, I was the person who was vehemently against rushing a fraternity (or sorority). In my head, I saw the stereotypical "Animal House" organizations that partied all night and didn't care about doing well in school. All of this changed when I was approached by the wonderful sisters and brothers of the Zeta Alpha chapter of TBS. It was during band camp, and the hard work these individuals put into the band program was apparent. They were the first people at a rehearsal and they were the ones who cleaned up after we were done. Honestly, they were an inspiration to me as a freshman because they made me strive to become a leader in the bands at ISU.

I attended two rush events, and knew that this was the place I was meant to be. The atmosphere was that of a loving family, and that is what I needed most: a family while I was away from home. These wonderful people became much more than that. They became my best friends, the people I went to for everything. They made me feel welcome in a world that I had never experienced before, and I am eternally grateful for that.

The most amazing thing that I discovered when I was rushing, was that it was through this love for each other, this Bond, that they served the bands. TBS had taken a common passion and made it into something so much more. The Bond helped them serve and as I began to understand it more, it helped me serve.

Trust me there is a point to my rambling. There is more to be taken out of this blog other than Anthony is a giant sap! It is easy for us to forget what we are about. We can get so stuck in the rhythm of "business" that we forget why we do what we do. We love the music and bands with everything that we have! We have decided to serve the bands because of this passion.

Do not forget this passion! Do not forget the Bond! It is true that our purpose is to serve the bands. This should be held above everything else within the Sorority. However, the Bond and our passion for the bands help us to serve and to grow closer to the people around us. When appropriately applied to the Sorority, these two aspects inspire us to do so much more than we could ever dream of. I know that they were what inspired me to serve the bands back in the Fall of 2010.

So, as we get closer to our wonderful Convention, remember what TBS is, but most of all, remember why TBS is what it is. It may change your perspective and make things a little brighter.

We come together one and all, with music in our hearts.
In TBS we serve the bands and always do our part.
We're TBS and friends to all and we care what we do.
So, sing out loud and we'll be heard. To you we will be true.

I love you all and look forward to seeing you at Convention!

MLITB,

Anthony

The NCDIB Experience

Happy Sunday Evening Sisters!

The NCDIB at Convention 2012

Have you thought about participating in the North Central District Intercollegiate Band?? Well, you should! The NCDIB is the only of its kind in all of the districts of Tau Beta Sigma, so it is an experience you shouldn’t pass up! This year our guest conductor is Dr. Alicia Neal, from Eastern Illinois University. More information, including the application, can be found at: http://www.kkytbsncd.org/ncdib.html.

This experience can be a great resume booster, especially for music majors. It also highlights one of the 8 & 5: A mutual interest in the art of music, in its performance, and in the aesthetic qualities it can project to others. College Bands is what we are all about. We serve the bands, and the NCDIB is another way to do just that. You get to meet many other sisters and brothers, and share in an experience you will be sure not to forget!

Below are some personal accounts of past sisters who have participated in the NCDIB. I hope you find their stories interesting and will inspire you to join them in participating in the North Central District Intercollegiate Band.

Mackenzie playing Oboe

Mackenzie Ziegler- Epsilon at Butler University

I attended my first convention just last year and I really wanted to make the best of it, so I decided to join the NCDIB. This was honestly one of the best decisions I have ever made and I would sincerely recommend any sister to join the NCDIB. I was able to meet so many new people from all over the district and I still keep in touch with many of them today. Not only did I meet new brothers and sisters, but I was able to work with a new conductor and gain so much knowledge from him.

During the weekend we rehearsed here and there, but we were still able to attend everything else during convention. The flexibility of the schedule was so great and I didn't feel left out of anything during the convention. After hours of rehearsing, the NCDIB performs a concert open for everyone to see and it is a great feeling when your chapter cheers you on for all the hard work you had put into learning the music so quickly. I plan on applying again this year and I would be extremely pleased to see many more join this year so that they can experience all the fun that it has to offer!

MLITB,
Mackenzie Ziegler

Rebecca and Ashley

Rebecca Wagner- Alpha Delta at Ohio University

Hello NCD!!

Something that people overlook when coming to Convention is performing with the North Central District Intercollegiate Band! The main idea that brought all of us into Tau Beta Sigma was the “mutual interest in the Art of Music in its performance and in the aesthetic qualities it can project to others.”  So why not take part in the NCDIB?

This past year, I took part in this wonderful experience by performing with sisters and brothers from our wonderful district.  What you may not know is that we are the only district to have an Intercollegiate Band, which is quite the accomplishment.  This shows how dedicated we are to our purpose as an organization.  It was an amazing experience to get to know other brothers and sisters in the NCD and to perform beautiful music together.  We started rehearsing on Friday morning of convention weekend with Dr. John Madden from Michigan State University (a plus for music majors: it’s really a great experience to be a part of different ensembles with conductors from other universities!). We rehearsed throughout the day on Friday and Saturday and performed Saturday night before Banquet.  It wasn’t too time consuming; we still got to attend workshops and have meals with my sisters and I still got to be part of the Membership committee. 

We played a wide variety of pieces such as:

A Slavic Farewell by Vasilij Ivanovitj Agapkin, arranged by John R. Gourgeois

Carmina Burana by Carl Orff

Metroplex by Robert Sheldon

Loch Lomond for Concert Band by Frank Ticheli

American Barndance by Richard L. Saucedo

El Relicario by Jose Padilla, arranged by Robert Longfield

It was a really great educational and musical experience and it was very enjoyable to play with many talented musicians within our district.  The concert was amazing! At the end we received a really beautiful certificate for taking part in the North Central District Intercollegiate Band!

What startled me the most, however, is when we started talking about what chapters and organizations made up this great ensemble.  A majority of the ensemble was comprised of members of Kappa Kappa Psi and a small number of the band were sisters.  When I looked around and saw the small number of hands raised for being sisters of the North Central District, I couldn’t help but feel that sisters weren’t told of how great of an experience this could be.  There’s definitely nothing like making beautiful music with sisters in the Bond.  So why not try something different this district convention?  It is really a rewarding experience and you can still take part in many of the convention activities to bond with more of your sisters.  Let’s not forget that music is what brought everyone into Tau Beta Sigma and will influence your life even after your Active days are over!

MLITB,

Rebecca Wagner

Vice President of Membership at Alpha Delta

So! Moral of the story? Apply for the NCDIB! You'll have a great time, still get to enjoy convention and learn from a great guest conductor!

MLITB,

Carrie Lund