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Frank Miles, Tattler Editor
frank@sinfoniantattler.com
Scott Erb, Tattler Staff
scott@sinfoniantattler.com
Phil Wilson, Tattler Staff
phil@sinfoniantattler.com
Tommy House, Tattler Webmaster
tommy@sinfoniantattler.com
Not Pictured:
Travis Bryant, Tattler Staff
travis@sinfoniantattler.com
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The
Downbeat
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Frank
Miles, Tattler
Editor
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April showers bring May flowers, and the April Tattler
is raining once again with news for Iota Nu’s
alumni. This month, we’ll follow
some voices from the Sunshine
State as they travel
to the other side of the ocean. A
little closer to home, we’ll found out what one alumnus is stirring up in Atlanta. And the Sinfonia
Education Foundation has a new Web site that will make it easier for you to
support the Fraternity’s mission.
But most importantly, your presence is requested at the
annual Slash. Read on for details!
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Second Annual “Slash” to be Held at Oak Mountain
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John Mitcham, Province 34 CPR Elect
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In cooperation with Province 34 Alumni Coordinator
Frank Miles, I would like to invite each of you to our annual Spring
Council Meeting “Sinfonia Slash.” A meeting of
all the chapters in the state, this event will be held  Saturday,
April 8, at Oak Mountain State Park,
Bluebird Pavilion, in Birmingham.
Events will include a BBQ, social activities (i.e. football, Frisbee,
canoeing, etc.) and a short business meeting. Following the Slash, there
will be an initiation ritual at the University
of Alabama’s Omicron Phi Chapter
in Tuscaloosa.
And of course there will be festivities to follow --- wine
have we, and honey, and fair flesh for feasting! The active brotherhood at Iota Nu will
be attending the ritual at Alabama
and will be staying at Bryan Reeves’ and my apartment. Any alumni are
also welcome (BYO-Sleeping Bag).
As part of a wider national outreach to alumni,
Province 34 is making every effort to incorporate alumni interests. A
‘milestone’ in this process was the naming of Iota Nu’s
Frank Miles as Province Alumni Coordinator in the summer of 2005. Frank
will be present at Oak
Mountain to discuss
some of his exciting visions of future alumni relations throughout the
state that include participation from all chapters. This is excellent
opportunity to not only visit with old Iota Nu bros, but friends from old
rivals such as Jacksonville
State! If you share
an office with a brother from another chapter, spread the word. I hope to
see many people from the Birmingham
area present.
Current plans are to meet at Oak Mountain
at noon on the 8th. Each individual chapter is bringing their
own food and drink, so please make plans to provide for lunch. The
Province will be supplying charcoal, plates, napkins and condiments.
If anyone has any particular questions, or would like
to be informed of the pavilion number when it is finalized, please feel
free to email me at john_C_mitcham@hotmail.com,
or the Alumni Coordinator Frank Miles at pac34@sinfonia.org or Deputy
Province Governor Scott Erb at
scotterb@bellsouth.net.
Hope to see everyone on the 8th!
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SEF LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
Frank Miles,
Tattler Editor
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Okay. So you’ve been reading the Tattler for a while
now, and your veins are coursing red, black and gold. You’ve just got to
find a way to pitch in and help the cause. Here’s a suggestion:
http://www.sinfonia.org/SEF/
The Sinfonia Education
Foundation has launched a new Web site to make it easier for you to
ensure that the generations of Sinfonians who
follow in your footsteps have the same opportunities you had and even
better ones.
 Matthew Garber, Director
of Development for the SEF, says the new site has increased content
dramatically to give collegiates better access
to the programs offered to them as well as donors an easier way to
support the Foundation. It also gives a glimpse into the lives of Sinfonians receiving support from the SEF, as well as
biographical information on the members of the board who represent the
donors.
When the Fraternity made the move to restore the original
object, the Foundation followed suit by restating its mission to reflect
an emphasis on educational support for the Fraternity and its members.
Since that time, the Foundation has reaped the benefits of increased
alumni interest and support.
According to the Web site, the SEF received 1,065
gifts from 1,011 donors that totaled $50,640 in FY 2005. That’s a 51 percent increase in the
number of gifts and a 34 percent increase in dollars contributed from the
previous year.
For more information on how you can help enrich lives,
please contact Matthew Garber, Director of Development at (800) 473-2649,
ext. 110, or garber@sinfonia.org.
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Q&A: Rob Grice
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Phil Wilson, Tattler Staff
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 The
world of music has been deeply affected since the arrival of Rob Grice
onto the scene. His many compositions appear on state, national and
international music lists and have been performed worldwide. He continues
to teach in the Enterprise
area as he composes his masterful compositions on the side. All Hail Bro.
Grice!
http://www.nemusicpub.com/meet.html
Tat: What year were you initiated into Phi Mu
Alpha?
Rob:
1985
Tat: What attracted you to
the fraternity?
Rob: We had a
group of friends that all decided to pledge at the same time. (Maybe
it was peer pressure... because we were all so "cool"!!)
Tat: While at Troy, did you hold
any offices in the fraternity?
Rob: Yeah, I was Prez!
Tat: Where are you
currently employed? How many years have you served there?
Rob: I teach
at Dauphin Jr. High School in the Enterprise City School
System (9 years) and the Enterprise-Ozark
Community College
(7 years).
Tat: I understand that you
are a very accomplished composer. As a matter of fact I "Googled" you and found this site http://www.fjhmusic.com/composer/rgrice.htm.
What inspired you to compose music?
Rob: I have
always been attracted to the idea of creating music. Teaching
music and writing music coexist with me. I have had incredible
experiences writing music for my bands to perform. My
students always enjoyed having a "unique identity"
performing music that was written just for them.
I'm very proud
of some of my former students that were in those bands. Shay Watson has
built a successful music writing/performing career in Nashville. Sean Weiler will graduate
this semester and I'm sure he has a great future ahead of him! Last year
I had students in the Troy University Band, Jacksonville State
University Band, University
of Alabama Band and
Auburn University Band (several are music majors and are
members of Phi Mu Alpha at their schools).
Tat: Currently, how many
publications have you written?
Rob: When the
new 2006-07 publications hit the market I will have around 65
publications in print. With more on the way!
Tat: It must be some
feeling to attend conferences, contests or other concerts and hear your
pieces being played?
Rob: It
actually is an awesome feeling! I remember the first time I had
music played at Midwest Clinic in Chicago;
it was kind of an "out of body" experience. I was sitting close
to the front because the composer is always recognized after the
band performs their composition. Sitting close by in the
audience were James Curnow, David Shaffer, James Swearingen and Roger Cichy. We all had music being played on that
concert. I felt like "Wow... I can't believe I'm sittin'
here with these folks?!" It was a pretty incredible moment!
I regularly
hear from directors from around the United States as well as
other countries. Last week I received an e-mail from the director of the
Society of Wind Instruments in Baden-Baden,
Germany.
He e-mailed me to inform me that "Dark Fortress" had been
selected to be performed at their annual concert and wanted me to
send program notes for the performance. Robert W. Smith judged a
contest in Australia
a couple years ago and he told me that "Pinnacle" was one of
the most played compositions at the festival. In March I'm flying to Loveland, Colo.
to premiere a new composition - "Thunderbird: A Mystic
Legend" - with Conrad
Ball Middle
School, directed by Lenny Kellog. So my composing career has definitely headed
into a new territory for me. Publishing companies are very
interested in publishing my new works. I stay very busy as a writer
trying to keep up with the demands.
Tat: As I continue to
search your name with "Google" I see that you also have a
business contact with one of our very own, Allen Gray. How did you come
to work and sell your music in his company?
Rob: Allen
promised me a year round pass to ALL Disney parks (and a private meal
with Mickey and Minnie). Who could pass that up??! Actually Allen's a
great guy that I've enjoyed working with. He just bought MATRIX
PUBLISHING....so he is definitely "The Man." The fellow that
owned MATRIX was also named Allan (spelled differently). I published with
MATRIX and JALEN before Allen bought MATRIX. I had to be very
careful when I e-mailed them to not get the "Allen or Allan"
mixed up! (Just an inside look at the complexities of the world of
publishing!)
Tat: Any alumni Sinfonians you wish to "shout-out" to?
Rob: I need
to remind Rob Ivey (my little brother) that he needs to finish my
paddle! (It's just 20 years late!)
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One Man’s Flame that Never Got Extinguished
Scott Erb, Tattler Staff
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If you want something done, you have to do it
yourself. That is what Jerome Williams is doing. Jerome (IN ’96) lives in
Decatur, Ga. He has felt a void of Sinfonia in the Atlanta
area and feels the need for alumni involvement. He says the main reason
he wanted to start the alumni interest group is because he feels that
many alumni brothers have lost contact with the Fraternity.
“Living in Atlanta,
which is one of the largest cities in the South, it only seems
logical to have an alumni association,” Jerome said. “Many
brothers settle in Atlanta
or its surrounding areas. It saddens me to see so many brothers in
one area with no direct connection with the Fraternity – locally or
nationally.”
Jerome looks back at his days at Iota Nu and remembers
them fondly. He thinks of all the memories that he has shared with the
brotherhood.
“I feel that Atlanta
is a cornucopia of brothers from chapters all over the nation. Why not
organize and once again live for the purposes/object that we swore an
oath to uphold?”
Jerome is thinking realistically and only striving for
an interest group at the moment. He hopes that over time it can turn into
an alumni association. He started with a small band of brothers that he
knew in the area, and it grew from there.
“I contacted Lyrecrest and
the National Alumni Director to get a database of brothers in the area,”
said Jerome. His next step was to use e-mail and word of mouth. He is
still in the first phase of organization and interest.
If you live in the Greater Atlanta area and would like
to help Jerome start an association, please contact him. He can use all
the support you can offer.
“The purpose and the scope of the association are not
hammered out yet; however, we will always uphold the Purpose and Object
of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.”
Jerome Williams
P.O. BOX 3073
Decatur,
GA 30031
(404) - 447 - 5106
www.myspace.com/magik8ball
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Florida Voices International Tour
Phil Wilson,
Tattler Staff
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It has always been a dream of mine to one day perform
at the Sydney Opera House or even stand and sing at the La Scala in Italy. I am sure I will get
the chance to visit, but I know I will never be performance ready for
such a concert (partly because I don’t think Italy is ready for my R&B
version of Cantate Domino).
Kirby Sanders is ready, though, and as a member of The
Florida Voices he will get the opportunity to share his musical talent
with Scotland and Ireland.
Made up of residents of the Sarasota/Bradenton area,
the not-for-profit Florida Voices are made up of 18 trained singers who
are selected through a strict audition process, says Sanders.
“The eclectic ensemble specializes in a cappella
singing and performing literature spanning a broad spectrum of styles
from Renaissance to Contemporary, including vocal jazz,” said Kirby. “The
group is celebrating its 10th anniversary season this year.”
The Voices present three major performances during
the year - one in the fall and two in the spring. Additional performances
include the annual Sarasota Arts Day Festival and local concert series.
This year’s fall concert was a collection of texts from Shakespeare
entitled “Much Ado about Shakespeare.”
And now the group will travel “across the pond” – a
little closer to where Shakespeare actually worked.
In May, the Voices will embark on their first
international tour to Scotland
and Ireland
where they will perform in a variety of venues, from castles to
cathedrals.
“Some of the venues include: Kylemore
Abbey in Galway, the Bray Festival in Dublin,
Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle,
St. Andrews Cathedral in Inverness, and
St. Giles in Gaslow,” Kirby said.
The 10-day tour is in conjunction with the Riverview
High School Center Stage Concert Choir tour. The choir is under the
direction of Betty Mullett who is also the
director of the Florida Voices. As a conductor, five of Mullett’s choruses have performed eight European
tours. The tour runs from May 26
to June 7. We salute you Bro. Sanders and the Florida Voices on your
international concert tour!
Listen to the Florida Voices Here!
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Down Memory Lane: Craig Spoto, IN ‘96
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Phil Wilson,
Tattler Staff
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 Alright, so I received a request from Phil Wilson one
day, about a month ago actually, requesting that I participate in this
section of the Tattler, and of course I agreed. Well, due date
is today and I am just now writing. The truth is I have so many
fond memories of Troy
and PMA that I just don't know were to start. It seems that every
pledge class tries to get away with that one stunt with the
brothers and well, as you know, eventually gets caught and is
ultimately praying to God that the night will just end. I guess I
will go with the one that stands out the most and I am sure that all of
you have already heard about this and what we did back in ‘96.
The fondest memory that I
have comes from a night during pledge quarter. It seems that
everyone has that one memory from pledging that just stands out the
most. We were out and about participating in a function; I believe
it was a hunt for particular items and of course the clues that led us to
our destinations throughout the night. We were all very surprised at
how quickly we found clues, gathered items and completed the
tasks. I believe it took us around an hour to finish. Our
last clue stated that we were to return to the stairs at the band room
upon retrieving our last item. Well, we decided that since we did things
so quickly that we had time to grab a bite to eat, relax, reflect and try
to figure what was to come. I am still not sure whose suggestion
that was but I will find you. Anyway, as we are grabbing a bite we hear
this voice in the background asking us "What do you think you are
doing?" Naturally the nine of us are scared to look up so we just
look at each other and tried not to move. Again we hear
"What are you doing?" As we slowly looked towards the door
we see all the HOUSE OF BEEF residents with Scott Grossman standing in
front with arms crossed. As we are staring at him with the deer-in-the-headlights
look on our faces he simply and calmly says "I suggest all of
you get to the band room as soon as possible." Well, scared to
death we were afraid to move and all just looking at each other like this
was a band dream when all of sudden he yells "NOW!" We
left our food on the table and ran like hell. Oh what a night.
I do have one more special
memory that I would like to share with you. I still get chill bumps
when I relive the night that I became a brother of PMA at the national
headquarters in Evansville,
Indiana. I have seen
many rituals since that night and I must say that one was the best. It
was a great night and the best night of my life. I
love PMA and I realized that night when I was initiated that I was
willing to do anything to be part of the fraternity and the Iota Nu
brotherhood.
The days of PMA and good ole
T-ROY replay in my mind daily. I find myself daydreaming about all of the
wonderful memories and times that I spent with all of you. I hope to
see you all very soon and relive these memories, share some laughs and
catch up with all my brothers but until then OAS, AAS, LLS!!!!!
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Notes
in the key of Troy
New officers
President – Eddie
McFarland
VP/ FEO – Martin
Sager
Warden – Ronnie
Echols
Sec. - Chris Hall
Treasurer – Adrian
Smith
Alumni Sec. – Lance
Holman
Historian – Scott
Sexton
Music Director -
Scott Sexton
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 Brothers,
I
am pleased to announce that on March 27, 2006, a future Sinfonian was born.
Bryson McDougal Grantham was born weighing 7 lb 8 oz and was 20
1/2 inches long.
Proud
Sinfonian and father (again),
Bradley
Grantham IN '94
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Scott Erb, Tattler Staff
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School of Music
April 1
Opera Ensemble, 7:30
p.m., Crosby Theatre
April 3
Choral Chamber
Concert, 7:30 p.m., HAL Hall of Honor
April 10
Gospel Singers
Concert, 7:30 p.m., Sorrell Chapel
April 13
Concert Band, 7:30
Crosby Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
April 20
Concert Band Outdoor
Concert, Amphitheatre, 6 p.m.,
April 25
POPS! Extravaganza,
7:30 p.m., Crosby Theatre
April 29
Alumni Band Laurel
Banquet, HAL Hall
April 30
Troy Symphony
Orchestra, 3:00 p.m., Crosby Theatre
Phi Mu Alpha
April 8th – Province Council Meeting/ Slash – Oak Mountain
State Park, Birmingham, AL
April 14th – Iota Nu Battle of the Bands – The
Front Porch
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