ELIGIBILITY
The 2012 National Convention Small Ensemble Competition is open to acoustic instrumental ensembles and vocal ensembles. The ensemble must consist of at least 2 members. All ensemble participants must be Sinfonians in good standing. The ensemble may not have more than one piano. No individual may enter/compete in more than one ensemble, including the first round. Fraternity Delegates (PGs, CPRs and NEC members) and staff members are not eligible to participate.

APPLICATION
An entry application must be submitted for the ensemble with a postmark no later than March 31, 2012. The application shall identify each member of the ensemble and the instrument played.

AUDITION CD
The application must be accompanied by 3 copies of an audition CD of the ensemble. The CD shall have a total playing time of approximately 15 minutes duration and shall contain at least two works. The composer and title of the works performed must be written on the CD, including the specific movements or pieces. The name of the ensemble or its members must NOT be on the CD.

PERFORMANCE COMPETITION
The applications will be evaluated to select the ensembles that will be invited to participate in a live performance competition held before an audience at the 2012 National Convention on Friday, July 13 at 1:00pm. Each selected ensemble shall be prepared at the competition to perform a program of its choice. The competition program for each ensemble must be no longer than 15 minutes. While it is anticipated that three ensembles will be invited to participate, the number of invitations shall be solely at the discretion of the Fraternity. From among the ensembles selected to perform live, three winners will be selected with prizes listed below. Competing ensembles are responsible for their own travel and accommodations. The Competition is unable to accommodate ensembles that require more than five minutes set-up and tear-down time (i.e., numerous percussion instruments, complex electronic set-ups, etc.). The ensemble is responsible for bringing their own instruments and music. Competition participants must register for at least the Weekend Registration Package for the 2012 National Convention.

PRIZES
1st Place: $2,000
2nd Place: $750
3rd Place: $250

QUESTIONS/ENTRIES
Entries should be sent to the National Headquarters at:
10600 Old State Rd.
Evansville, IN 47711

Or contact us at the headquarters with additional questions about the contest. This contest has the opportunity not just to provide prizes to deserving brothers, but to contribute meaningfully to the musical experience at our National Convention. Good luck, and have fun!

Perhaps it is appropriate that I sit to write this today.  Today I was able to spend roughly 8 hours on the drive back from CPR Convocation to consider what I want to say to those who will find themselves reading this post.  I realize however, that what I want to say to you and what I have been listening to, learning and experiencing over the last week must be the same thing – love.  I say “must” because it couldn’t be about anything else.  It has to be about love.

A brother whom I grew to respect immensely challenged me with a quote from Father Mills – ‘Are Sinfonians any better for being Sinfonians?  Do they leave our portals physically, mentally, morally stronger, cleaner, purer – in fact more worthy men than when they enter?’  If not, then the Sinfonia Fraternity has no excuse for existing and for making such large drafts on our time, our energy and our means.

His challenge to himself was that by the end of the semester, he wanted to feel that he had given of himself so extensively, so absolutely that not only would Phi Mu Alpha have made substantial drafts of his time, energy, and means but in fact, drained him of those resources entirely.  He challenged me to do the same.  By the time he had finished, he had been hospitalized from exhaustion, made significant contributions to struggling brothers’ dues woes, and had collected boxes filled with his entire collection of Phi Mu Alpha related materials.  Not only did he offer the absolute entirety of his life to the group, but when he felt as though that offering had fallen short, tried to sacrifice himself for the betterment of the chapter. He believed that the purpose of the group was greater than the interests of himself.

I was reminded of this as the CPRs sat in a circle with no light other than that which shone from a single candle placed in the middle of the group.  As each person had his chance to speak, the candle continued to burn.  It was then that I realized that we, not only as collegiate leaders but as brothers in Phi, Mu, and Alpha, were not responsible for carrying the light to those in darkness but rather, our true challenge is to do what my chapter brother had challenged me to do ­– be willing to allow yourself to become completely devoured by something greater.

In our recent years, we have rediscovered Sinfonia’s identity.  We have been provided the candleholder so that we may stand straight and burn long.  Now we must be willing to work.  With our national convention just around the corner, I ask that you challenge yourself the same way that my chapter brother challenged me.  What will you sacrifice of yourself so that the flame of Sinfonia may continue to shine?  Will you give your extra (or only) trumpet to a small child so that he may develop a sense of discipline instead of a drug habit?  Will you give up your late Friday nights so that you can offer your early Saturday mornings helping the local community choir?  Will you sweat to earn money at a job that wont give you vacation time for convention?  Will you put in that same work to help pay for a brother in need to attend Convention?  Be a candlestick for the light of Sinfonia and let us gather together so that we may create a light so bright that brotherhood and music in America will never again be left in darkness.

Fraternally,

Ian

The Mills Music Mission has become an integral part of our overarching mission as a fraternity.  By advancing the Object in such a personal, musical manner, brothers are able to feel the Power of Music for themselves while bringing that gift to others in the process.

Depending on when brothers were initiated, the MMM can take on different meanings.  Brothers initiated before it became our official philanthropy may not be familiar with the history of the Mission, and how it relates to our ideals and Ritual as well as to the restoration of many ideas and symbols that the Fraternity has experienced in recent years.  And collegiate brothers may be looking for ways to improve their chapter’s MMMs, or expand on what they do currently.

Brother Mark Wilson, Delta Eta (Youngstown State) ’03, Director of Communications on the National Staff, will lead a breakout session on the Mills Music Mission at this year’s Convention.  It will aim to include discussion on a variety of topics pertaining to the MMM, so that all brothers will be able to benefit from candid talks that will deepen our understanding and appreciation of the Missions – what they mean and what they can become.

Perhaps nowhere is the theme of this Convention more prominent than in Mills Music Missions.  We hope many brothers in are able to attend this session, both to learn and to share their own experiences about what the MMM is and what it means on a personal level.

Dear Brothers,

While seeing the fraternal spark in the eyes of our chapter brothers is a joy like no other, imagine the feeling that comes from seeing that same care for you from hundreds of brothers, most of which you haven’t yet met.  That’s one of great memories I have of the last convention.  Nearly any hour of the day I could go to the convention hotel’s restaurant for instance, be welcomed at almost any table where I saw someone wearing letters, and eat and have fellowship with my brothers.  Even though I hadn’t met them until that point, I would nevertheless have an instant kinship and would have plenty to talk about as I ordered breakfast and laughed with them.

The feature of convention that tends to strike the participant the most often is that overall feeling of being a part of a larger body of brothers than we anticipated before going.  Our Fraternity has a unique mission among all organizations; it has teachings that take years to understand and talk about.  At a convention, we can expect to have meaningful conversations about our teachings with our brothers.  Through participating in the ensembles and other musical functions, we can expect to share in the power of music by making it together.  I know that as a result of these conversations and experiences I feel I left the last convention an improved man.  And i know that coming to convention will make you a better man as well.

Convention is a short paradise, where our true goal of “harmony among men” does happen for a few days. It allows us to see for ourselves what the world could be like if we all could learn to look for the best in others, care for their wellbeing, and learn the lesson that music has to teach us.

Fraternally,
Andrew

Brothers,

I would like to say I am honored to have the privilege of sharing my feelings about the importance of attending fraternity events like National Convention.  My first convention was in Orlando for the 2009 National Convention.  One of the greatest things about that week, and national events in general, is the brotherhood.  While it might sound obvious or cliche, it was a week of exalted experiences that I will never forget.

The resort at which the convention is being held is amazing.  The place where a countless number of memories occurred would be at the pool every night.  I remember huge groups of brothers that gathered in and around the pool to meet brothers from across the nation.  As with most events involving a gathering of Sinfonians, there were groups of brothers sharing their chapter songs with brothers from other chapters and provinces.  So whether you’re listening to a story, singing a song, getting to know a brother for the first time, or taking part in another event, it will be an unforgettable experience.

Fraternally,

Josh

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Brothers,

Let me begin by stating how humbled I am to have been asked to write a series of entries concerning the upcoming convention.  Thanks to my tendency to overindulge in social networking sites, I’ve developed an appreciation for having an economy of words. Anything lengthy seems to turn most of us off nowadays; and while I can’t promise to stay under 140 characters, I’ll try to use the least amount of your time with the greatest resolve.

Any good communications or English class will teach you to preface your writing or speech with a series of qualifying statements – why should the reader believe anything you have written? Why would you expect your listener to believe anything you say? Having not met every brother who is sure to read this entry, let me take the first of these opportunities to do that for you.

While I was a probationary member I traveled to Lyrecrest, my province’s workshop, and numerous other out of chapter and out of province events. The week I was initiated, I saw three rituals at three different campuses.  Since the time I was a PM in the fall of 2007, I have never known only the four walls of my chapter. There is a beauty of Sinfonia that is seen outside of your chapter room and you will only experience it when you step out of that door. I’ve slept on brothers’ floors states away and I’ve hosted them just the same.

I’ve been to two of the three Fireside Conferences, Leadership Institutes, Ritual Education Workshops, Sinfonia Homecoming, CPR Convocation, and more. What I have NOT been to is a Phi Mu Alpha National Convention. I understand the incredible nature and the immense importance of attending national events but can relate to the excitement and anxieties of your first National Convention. I hope I can relay some tips and stories from my traveling experiences that will encourage and assist you in making the trip to Florida.  And hopefully, by the time July 11 rolls around, I’ll see many of you there and can greet you with a true brother’s greeting.

Brothers are encouraged to add their own reflections, either here on our Convention website, on our facebook page, or among their fellow brothers in chapters and alumni groups.

__________________________________________________

The Power of Forms

Music takes numerous forms, too many to list or recite.  But many of those forms can be said to have similar purposes and powers.  And to me, there are two great powers of music: the power to create aesthetic arrest in an individual and the power to create change.

Of the former, James Joyce writes that is when “the mind is arrested and raised above desire and loathing.”  Such music might be better described as music for the sake of itself.  It requires no motive, no context, simply the individual that perceives it.  Its intrinsic beauty is the only purpose.  It is wonderful, for example, to watch veteran jazz performers play together.  They may have never played the piece together before, and undoubtedly never the exact same way, but they are attuned to one another and the music.  The experience is an end unto itself.  Many of us have experienced such moments as musicians and artists.  And such moments suspend that which envelopes the rest of our lives.  As Joseph Campbell puts it, “the original biological function of the senses, to seek out and identify things to eat and to alert the mind to danger, is for a moment, or (in the case of a true artist) for a lifetime suspended, and the world (beheld without judgment of its relevance to the well-being of the observer) is recognized as a revelation sufficient in itself.”  And music allows for this, as few other endeavors do in life.

Not all music induces such rapture, but can be said to be of this variety.  Music that simply makes you “feel good” is of this nature, though less intensely so.  In fact, any music that appeals directly to our empathic responses is of this kind.  So, when combining, say, the divine complexities of Bach with the latest Top 40 pop hit that you enjoy, it can be odd yet comforting to realize that they often serve the same role in our lives.  Odd because of the types of music that can produce similar responses, and comforting because it’s a literal example of the timelessness of music and its hold in our consciousness.  Convention 2012 will feature many different kinds of music, and while they may be toward our greater fraternal goals, they are first and foremost simply great music.  The variety and depth of music that you will be able to experience at Convention is something that knows few equals in the music world.

The second power or purpose also knows no time or place, and is equally as universal.  Sometimes music, or any form of art, that is intended to create change is looked down upon.  Pop-up internet advertisements are, technically, a form of art trying to create change.  In this case, it’s to try to get you to buy some product or other.  Most people rarely take kindly to such solicitations.  But, now sing your favorite commercial jingle.  The “Mr. Clean” song came to my mind first; my mom used to sing it occasionally while cleaning.  “Mr. Clean gets rid of dirt and grime and grease in just a minute / Mr. Clean will clean your whole house, and everything that’s in it…”  Its goal was the same, to sell me something, but I don’t scoff at its presence in my life.

But these are basic goals.  They aren’t what we as musicians and lovers of music are normally concerned with.  This power to change, though, goes much higher in the “purpose spectrum.”  Songs and symphonies have been created to espouse political or philosophical ideologies.  This was true hundreds of years ago, and is true today.  Some music is written to glorify God, or to glorify some person or accomplishment.  Music has induced riots, accompanied revolutions, and endorsed every philosophy known to Man.  This is the power to change, subtly or drastically, and is any time the music exists for something beyond itself.  It is neither good nor bad, but a means toward an end that can vary based upon the end being achieved.  We create change through music by singing and playing for causes, be it a Mills Music Mission or other philanthropy, and also to bring greater honor and awareness to music in America.  These are noble goals, and help us to create the change that we work toward.

The earliest members of Phi Mu Alpha understood these forms.  How else could they have realized the intense power music has over men’s souls (aesthetic arrest) and want to use that power to create bonds of brotherhood that could unite both our organization and the world around us (the power to change)?  I was recently able to read into the life of Percy Burrell, and specifically into his work directing community pageants.  And in no uncertain terms, he outlined that pageants were a way to create lasting change through art – and in his case he was instilling patriotism, idealism, and social responsibility through his words, music, and performances.  His goals were a reflection of the “changing” power of music, and show that the desire to create lasting, positive change has been a part of our organization since its inception.  That is why when I think of the power of music, like many of us I think of specific pieces of music or individuals that have touched my life through music.  But I also realize that the implications of “The Power of Music” encompass nothing less than the entirety of my thoughts and emotions, and the entirety of humanity.  It is, at once, as personal and all-encompassing as that.

So when we say Convention is a symbol of these things, that it represents The Power of Music, it is not said lightly.  Such a gathering of brothers is perhaps the best way I can think of to exemplify this power, and why I am humbled and excited to be part of such an event – Convention 2012 – and such a brotherhood as Phi Mu Alpha.

Dr. McGrannahan has served on the music faculty of the University of Nevada since 1975, and assumed the position of Director of Bands in 1979.  During his tenure as Director of Bands at the University of Nevada, the band program has matured greatly in its level of musical excellence.  The University of Nevada Wind Ensemble, under Dr. McGrannahan’s direction, has appeared at music conferences and conventions throughout the western states, and is a regular attraction at the Western/Northwestern Division Conference of the College Band Directors National Association.

In 2008, Dr. McGrannahan was elected to membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.  Active as an adjudicator and guest conductor throughout the United States, he is a past President of the Nevada Music Educators Association and the Western Division of the College Band Directors National Association.

In addition to his professional duties, Brother McGrannahan serves as both faculty advisor and province governor in Province 11.

The 2012 Convention offers an unprecedented opportunity for brothers to participate in and enjoy a variety of musical experiences.  We hope to see you in Orlando in 2012, where we will all be witness to The Power of Music.

To apply for participation in the Wind Ensemble, click here.

Click Here for more.

If you have any additional question, please feel free to contact the National Headquarters using the “Contact” tab at the top of the screen.

1.  Go to sinfonia.org/winds and fill out the application survey.

2.  Download the Blind Recommendation Form, by clicking here.  The form should be given to a private instructor if possible, or a friend or colleague who is familiar with your musical ability.

3.  The form should not be returned to you, but should be mailed directly to the headquarters once filled out.  Additional instructions are located in the form itself.

Once the application deadline has passed, the National Headquarters will contact you regarding the status of your application.  Please note that all requirements of application must be met for you participation to be considered.  We want every brother to be able to take part in an ensemble.  Once ensemble registration is closed, the headquarters will contact all applicants on the status of their application, and will fill out ensembles based on total applicant numbers and musical skill.  Please note that brothers may only take part in one major ensemble, to ensure that as many brothers as possible are able to perform at Convention.