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Happy New Year from the
Sinfonian
Tatller Staff!
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
Frank Miles, Tattler Editor
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Welcome to the winter and 2007’s first issue of the
Tattler. Among the usual suspects brought to you by the Tat, there are two
VERY important matters that need your attention.
First, there is an effort underway to make some
revisions to the one thing that all of us as Sinfonians
have in common: the Initiation Ritual. Please take this consideration
seriously and research the proposed changes. Make your opinions known as
there is nothing more important to us than the “R.”
Second, make plans to travel to Tuscaloosa the weekend of Jan. 12-14.
Province 34 will be holding its annual workshop and there is much to
discuss, much to enjoy and, of course, much to sing. History will also be
made at the event, so don’t miss it! Read on for more details.
Stay warm and see you in Tuscaloosa!
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New
Coach Not All That is Coming to Tuscaloosa
John Mitcham, Province 34 Collegiate Province
Representative
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Greetings Brothers,
I write this article from the 2006 CPR Convocation in Evansville, Ind.
This week, the collegiate leadership from across the nation has been busy
planning the legislative issues for the next triennium. However, my mind
is upon other things. On the weekend of January 12, 13, and 14, the
Province 34 Workshop will be held on the campus of the University of Alabama
in Tuscaloosa.
This year’s workshop will focus on the creation, rehearsal and
performance of brotherhood music. The province has recruited Iota Nu
alumnus Rob McFarland to present a special clinic that educates
collegiate brothers on the various aspects of conducting music
rehearsals. After spending an entire day rehearsing various songs, Bro.
McFarland hopes that this work will be enjoyed by others. On Saturday
night, there will be a special public recital. In this performance, the
diverse talents of the Province chapters will be showcased, ranging from
barbershop quartets and piano concertos to a Chicago cover band. In addition, the
full ensemble of Sinfonians present will
perform selected choral arrangements.
 It
is my sincere hope that alumni brothers in the area will flock to this
Province Workshop and Recital. If you are interested in attending all day
(there’s no registration fee!), then feel free to join us on stage. If
not, I strongly encourage you to attend the concert on Saturday night. In
addition to an outstanding musical production, the Province will be
presenting Bro. James R. Bennett (Epsilon Nu) with a national Signature Sinfonian Award. This will be the first ever local
presentation of this new award by ANY province. Bro. Bennett is the
current Alabama Commissioner of Labor and has served in the post of
Secretary of State as well as in the Legislature. He is also the current
chairman of the Jacksonville State University Board of Trustees. Please
join us for this very special event.
Here is a schedule of events:
Friday Night: Ritual Music
Workshop, 8 p.m.
Initiation
Ritual
Location
TBA
Saturday:
Choral Clinic, Alumni Workshop,
Lunch, and Rehearsal starting at 8:30 a.m., University of Alabama
(Editor’s Note: The Alumni
Workshop will be held in the afternoon, so don’t worry if you can’t make
it in the morning. FM)
Saturday Night: Province 34 Recital and Awards
Presentation
7 p.m., Calvary Baptist
Church (The address
is 112 Paul Bryant Drive,
Tuscaloosa, Alabama,
35401. It is on
the corner of Paul Bryant
Drive and 13th Avenue, directly behind the
stadium.)
Saturday Night: Professional Hypnotist Show
Following
the Recital at the University
of Alabama
Sunday Morning: Province 34 Business Meeting
University of Alabama
(Ed. Note: Alumni, you are not
required to be in attendance for Sunday’s meeting, but we would love to
have you.)
Brothers,
If you feel the desire to join a group of Sinfonians to once again sing and revel in
brotherhood, please join us all weekend. If you are prevented from this
by time constraints, please consider attending the Alumni Workshop and
Recital. Bring your family, bring your friends, bring your coworkers, but
most importantly, bring yourselves.
Hail Sinfonia!
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If
We Build It… You Know the Rest
Frank Miles,
Province 34 Alumni Coordinator
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When I first took on the challenge of Province Alumni
Coordinator, I knew it would be a difficult task to bring alumni back
into the fold. I have a job and a family, so of course I understand the
demands that life makes on all of us. But I also understand that I took
an oath; I promised I would be a Sinfonian for
the rest of my life. Guess what? So did you.
When the province meets in Tuscaloosa Jan. 12-14, I would love to
see as many alumni brothers there as collegiates.
I don’t know that this is true, but I would bet that is something that
has never happened before. When you think about it, the alumni of Sinfonia outnumber the collegiate membership by a
ratio of about 20 to 1, so it shouldn’t be too much to ask that for one
day we have a meeting where the ratio is only 1 to 1. As I liked to say
in college, “bring it, meat!”
The time has come to answer the call of Sinfonia and come together as products of the past to
build the foundation for the future. The collegiate brothers ignite the
flame, but it is up to us as alumni to ensure that it is never
extinguished.
Much has happened in the Fraternity since many of you
crossed over, and you should know how it affects you and all who come
after you. Come to Tuscaloosa
and let’s talk about it. We have made it as simple as possible for you to
squeeze this event into your schedule. There is no need for you to spend
the night so you don’t have to make hotel reservations or find other
bunking accommodations (though you are certainly welcome, of course, and
encouraged to spend the entire weekend with us). All we are asking is one
afternoon (to strategize) and one evening (to enjoy the sweet sound of
music). Your only cost will be gas and dinner in between these two
events, and you could certainly bring something to eat.
Come make merry with us and be present for the
historic presentation of the province’s first Signature Sinfonian Award. So let it be!
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There
is But One Constant...
Travis Bryant,
Tattler Staff
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...change.
Back in late December, Ryan Ripperton,
our Fraternity's executive director, posted a memo to Sinfonia.org
outlining a proposal to modify our Initiation Ritual.
As this single experience is the one chord that unites
us all, extra measures have been taken so that all Sinfonians,
alumni and collegiate, have a voice in its development. We all know what Sinfonia meant when we all went through and we all
need to make sure that it’s the same for generations to come. Otherwise,
where's the unity?
Three brothers (John Mongiovi,
Mark Lichtenberg and Ryan Ripperton) drafted
the proposed changes and are embarking on a crusade to educate the
membership on their merits. We hope you'll take the time to read through
the documents and let your voice be heard on this very important issue.
For as accurate and truthful as these proposed changes may be, we need to
be sure that the Initiation Ritual doesn't become something based on a
small group's "take on things."
Fortunately, this is a fact that brothers around the
country and in Evansville
have picked up on. That is why the three authors of the proposed changes
are going on tour! The three brothers have split up the country and are
making their case heard in every province. One of the three will make his
way to Province 34 sometime in the 2007-08 academic year.
We're not sure when or where, but you can bet we'll keep you posted.
You can view the resolution that kick-started this
move here, at Sinfonia.org.
http://sinfonia.org/news/SN-2006-12-22.asp
And if you want to read through the changes and see what's being added
or deleted to your Initiation Ritual, you'll have to log-in to MyDesktop. If you need help getting in, just let us
know and we'll get you in touch with the right people or you can contact Lyrecrest directly.
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Q&A: Ashley Waller, IN ‘94
Frank Miles, Tattler Editor
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When you hear someone yell, “Rehobeth,”
who do you think of? OK, I don’t hear that very often either, but it was
the first thing I thought of when I was pleasantly surprised to hear from
Ashley Waller.
 Tat:
Where are you now and what are you doing?
Ashley: I’m
living in Plano, Texas,
right now but we are moving into our new house next month in Frisco, Texas.
Tat: How is
family life treating you?
Ashley:
Real well. My wife and I got married Feb. 14, 2004, in Cozumel, Mexico.
Neither one of us really wanted a big wedding. The only bad thing I would
say is my mom passed away from lung cancer on April 13, 2005, after an
18-month battle. I would say that has to be the hardest thing I’ve ever
had to go through. My mom and I were so close. I really felt like I lost
a piece of myself when she passed away. Especially since she passed away
two months before my son was born. So, for all you smokers out there,
beware. Be so thankful those of you who still have your mothers. There is
nothing
stronger than your mother’s
love. I never realized that ‘till now.
Tat: Are you
involved with Phi Mu Alpha at all? Do you get to do anything musical?
Ashley: I’m
not involved with Phi Mu Alpha at all. Work
keeps me way too busy. I travel all over the entire state of Texas: Austin, Houston, College Station
and Waco
just to name a few. The first couple of years in Texas I was in a small orchestra at my
church. I’m trying to get back involved but I’m just traveling so much
right now. Maybe that will change next year.
Tat: What’s the
music scene like in Dallas?
Ashley: The
music scene in Dallas
is really different. It depends if you’re talking Fort Worth, which is the Country music
side, or if you’re talking Dallas/Greenville side which is very
alternative. There are a couple of jazz clubs which is nice especially
since they are real close to my work.
Tat: Are you a
Cowboys fan? Mavericks?
Ashley: As
always I’m still a huge basketball junkie. I love the Mavericks and
totally hate the Heat and Dewayne Wade after last season, but we will be
back. GO MAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m always at games entertaining clients. I
probably went to 10-20 games last year.
Tat: Who was
the last Sinfonian from Iota Nu you talked to?
Ashley: I
guess it was you Frank.
Tat: Any
shout-outs for alumni brothers?
Ashley:
Heck ya yoooo yoo yoo to all the pledge
class of ‘94. It really seems like a lifetime has passed since those
days, but I guess that’s what happens. I just never thought I would do
anything like I’m doing these days.
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Notes in the Key of Troy
Lance Holman, Iota Nu Alumni Relations
Officer
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Ending Another
Semester
Well, another semester has ended here in Trojan
country with a great year for the football team and a big bowl for all of
us. Now we begin settling into to the grind of the Spring semester. We
are really pleased with this year’s probationary class. We are already
set and ready to school them in the ways of our great fraternity. We
ended the semester on some really good notes. We are in the black
financially, and we left this semester feeling that we have truly done
our part advancing music in America.
The Upcoming
Semester
Our upcoming semester will be a very productive one.
We will start off by meeting at the Province Workshop. Then we will jump
right into teaching the probationary period. We have several clever ideas
for fundraisers for this semester and plan to use them as effectively as
possible. We also will have our annual “Battle of the Bands.” We hope we can
get the music department to let us rent the Crosby Theater for free. We
will also be singing at a senior citizens’ complex. I hope that this
semester will be as fun as it’s shaping up to be. We also appreciate any alumni
support we can get both socially and financially. We need to keep this
chapter living up to its tradition!
HAPPY NEW YEAR
From IOTA NU!!!
Iota Nu Chapter Officers
President – Martin Sager
Vice President – Jamie Gray
Treasurer – Lance Holman
Secretary – Chris Hall
Alumni Relations Officer – Lance Holman
F.E.O. – Jamie Gray
Warden – Aaron Slayback
Historian – Robert Lee
Music Director – Scott Sexton
Faculty Advisors – Dr. John Jinright,
Ray Smith
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Down Memory Lane
with Frank Miles, IN ‘88
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I wanted to travel down the Lane this month with a
special memory of my own in honor of Troy’s first-ever bowl win. Of course,
I’ve never actually played football in a bowl game, but there were those
Sundays during the autumns of my collegiate years that it sure felt like
it.
No matter how late we may have been up after the game
on Saturday night, a bunch of band mates (mostly Kappa Kappa Psi and Phi Mu Alpha brothers) from the Sound would congregate in
Memorial Stadium (yes, you could get in back then) on the natural turf
that had been torn up by the Trojans and go toe-to-toe. We didn’t need no stinkin’ flags. This was mano-e-mano, no holds barred, un-refereed football.
We had to be hush-hush about it, because of course the faculty didn’t
want us getting hurt. But no one held back, and those were some of the
best times of all my college years.
Speaking of getting hurt, I’ll never forget a certain
brother who would always show up in pads, and would always be the first
one to get hurt. I won’t tell you his name, but he plays trombone and
always represented the Dolphins or the ‘Noles.
Sorry, Dennis, I had to!
But the best part of it all was that it was never KKPsi v. PMA, never brass v. winds, never seniors v.
freshman, it was just a bunch of geeks being athletes for a couple of
hours. I know in all of our imaginations, we were wearing the Cardinal
and Silver, and winning that first-ever bowl game. GO TROY!!!
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Travis Bryant ,
Tattler Staff
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Welcome to da’dump! Each month Tattler
staffers scour the web and lurk in dark corners to find cool and fun
stuff. From here you’ll get a glimpse into what is going on and who is
doing it. And anything and everything is fair game. So if you know of
something cool and neat that folks should check out send it to us and
we’ll see if it fits the program! Email Travis
Bryant with your cool link.
Happy New Year! It's 2007
and we have just cleaned out the dump!
That's right, our bin is
bare and we're stoked about getting to fill it up all over again through
the coming months.
As it's "out with the
old and in with the new" we trolled the net looking for some
interesting retrospective-list-type-thinger-majigs,
but with a slight slant.
So pop on over and check out
this list of the Top 50 music videos.
Of course, Gnarls Barkley
and Ok-Go are on there, but there were some cool tunes that hadn't
permeated to the depths of the Dump and were fresh to our ears. Plus,
there's a link from this list to a lifehacker
app that lets you save YouTube videos to your
desktop.
Think of it as a late
Christmas gift from our home to yours. Bonus!
http://docopenhagen.blogspot.com/2006/12/top-50-music-videos-of-2006.html
Here's another neat list and
one that is VERY subjective. It's the Top Twelve Appearances of Band in
Movies. I can't really agree or disagree with some of them since I
haven't seen all the movies. Plus, I'd like to compare this list to one listing
every movie with a band cameo. Or maybe someone could compile all the
snippets and post that to YouTube. Gotta love the Internet!
http://www.cityofsound.com/blog/2007/01/music_for_films.html
And this little tidbit is
just great food for thought. It really drives home the impact of digital
music and the changing music scene.
This article ran in the NY
Post and highlights just how few albums artists have to sell to be
"chart-toppers" these days. Back in 2000, chart-toppers were
selling 7 to 8 million albums a year. Last year the best of the bunch
sold between 3.5 and 5 million. Times are a-changing.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12272006/business/
worst_seller_business_peter_lauria.htm
Happy New Year everyone! And keep the
Link Dump suggestions coming. We love hearing from all of you!
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Scott Erb , Tattler Staff
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January 8th – First day of classes
January 12 – 14th – Province Workshop
January 18 – 20th – AMEA
Regular Meetings are on Sunday.
8:00 pm Music Rehearsal
9:00 pm Business Meeting
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