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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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While the temperatures outside have cooled a little, the
Tattler is staying hot thanks to some well-earned candles:
Happy birthday to
you,
Happy birthday to
you,
Happy birthday
dear Tattler,
Happy Birthday to
you!
Believe it or not, we’re starting our third volume with
this issue. My how time flies!
Though they haven’t looked like a bowl team lately, we
haven’t given up on the Trojans and neither should you, especially now that
they are entering the part of the schedule that really matters. We’ll tell
you how you can keep up with the team no matter where you are on Saturdays.
Also, we’ve got some province news to report and a call
to action for alumni. Who among you will step up to the plate and hit one
out for Sinfonia?
And if that’s not enough, we’ll catch up with one
brother, reflect with another, and look forward to Homecoming by looking
back on a legend’s career as he talks with generations of students on the
air. So help us blow out those birthday candles and enjoy this edition of
the Sinfonian Tattler.
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Get Your Game On
Travis Bryant,
Tattler Staff
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The Trojans held their own during their first road
game against Florida
State! It was one
tense game that no Trojan fan should have missed. If you weren't Brother
Royce Robinson, Scott Erb or Frank Miles you may not have made it to Tallahassee. But
there are other options for those of us less fortunate. And just like the
meal plans at SAGA, some cost more (but give you more French fires) while
others are cheaper, (but are plenty to keep you full in the belly).
If you have the cash you can always go the
Pay-Per-View route. The package is $129 for the entire season and comes
through one of the gazillion ESPN channels cable operators have now.
Or you could check out the Yahoo! network. This is a
service that the University is pushing through its website and http://www.troytrojans.com.
It costs $4.95 a month (for a School
Pass) and you get Troy's game info
streamed to your computer via Yahoo!. No real-time
video I'm told. But you do get a bunch of real-time stats and graphs.
Think fantasy football on steroids.
But, what about... for FREE!?!?!? Well fear not
brothers!
Frogee.com, a Troy-based internet hosting provider is
streaming audio from each game for free from their servers! All you need
to do is download WinAmp. It's kinda like Windows Media Player, except better,
because you don't have to look at all the ads. To download go to one of
these two places:
The Official Site: http://www.winamp.com/
The Frogee Mirror Site: http://troydownload.frogee.com
Once you have WinAmp
installed click here http://troy.frogee.com,
click "ok" in the
pop-up to launch the game stream in WinAmp,
then pop open a cold one!
The audio is taken straight from the Troy Sports
Network. The network broadcasts the games over 16 radio stations covering
Alabama and the panhandle
of Florida.
So if you're in listening range you can get the games on these stations:
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Province Council Meeting Highlighted by Large
Turnout, Music Mission
John Mitcham, Province 34 Collegiate Province Representative
Greetings, Brothers!
The Tattler staff has graciously allowed me to report
on the recent Province 34 Fall Council Meeting and Mills Music Mission.
So Here ‘Tis.
 This
semester’s gathering proved to be one of the largest and most productive
in recent memory. Almost 40 Sinfonians gathered
in Birmingham
to provide music for the residents of Somerby
Institute. Under the direction of Iota Nu alumnus Bryan Reeves (’01),
this ensemble sang several selections from the red book. At the
conclusion of the performance, we experienced something that rarely
occurs at Music Missions. Our receptive audience of more than 60 elderly
residents kept us a further twenty minutes for a question and answer
session. The question of “Who is Phi Mu Alpha,
and why do you do this” was repeated several times. A worthy beginning
for a great afternoon.
On a personal note, I was very proud of the Iota Nu
Chapter for having the largest turnout in two different categories.
Despite returning home in the wee hours of the morning from a near upset
of Florida State,
the brothers from Troy
still managed to have the largest collegiate showing of any chapter in
the province. However,
it was the Iota Nu alumni who really came through. Kudos to Bryan Reeves
(’01), Terrance Cobb (’97), John Phillips (’00), Scott
Erb (’96), and Jim Brasher (‘80) for making an alumni
appearance and helping out the collegiate brothers of the province.
Following the Music Mission, we relocated across the
street to Samford University.
A short synopsis of the meeting follows:
Legislation passed during the
National Convention was discussed. Highlights include
- Legislation:
- Per
Capita Taxes increase by $6/year, with a $1/year decrease in
corporate liability, for a total of $67/year
- Increase
in Initiation fee by $3/candidate
- Office
of Alumni Secretary renamed “Alumni Relations Officer”
- Initiations
of unaffiliated persons – Individuals unaffiliated with the
sheltering institution must be approved by the Province Governor
before initiation. Applications for each unaffiliated individual
should be submitted to the Province Governor prior to initiation.
- Minimum
GPA – Brothers must maintain the minimum academic standards of
the sheltering institution to remain in good standing with the
Fraternity (Overall GPA).
- Chapters
are strongly encouraged to register with their sheltering
institution.
Fraternity has officially
adopted the mission to completely eradicate hazing in all forms within
the organization.
For Province Events, Bryan Reeves (Iota Nu alumnus) was appointed Province Music Director
Alex Feldman (Omicron Phi/University of Alabama alumnus) was elected as Assistant
Collegiate Province Representative.
Risk Management – Delta Beta (Alabama State
University) has
been expelled for seven years for hazing probationary members.
2007 Province
Workshop to be held at Omicron Phi (University of Alabama)
tentatively on January 14.
 Finally, Province
34 is instituting several Province Awards. Awards will include Most Outstanding Collegiate Brother,
Most Outstanding Faculty Advisor,
and Most Outstanding Alumni Sinfonian. Alumni
Sinfonians are more than welcome to submit
nominees for these awards, and more details on the awards follow.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at Homecoming.
Hail Sinfonia!
P.S. Following the province meeting, brothers from
Iota Nu joined Province Governor Tony Cowan for an excursion to Mr.
Wang’s Super-Mega-Buffet. But that is another story…
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Province
34 Honors Those Men Who Strive On and Ever Upward
Scott Erb, Tattler Staff
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Province 34 has started a new tradition. After hearing
about other provinces awarding deserving men for their hard work and
dedication, Province 34 jumped on the band wagon.
“We felt it was time to recognize the outstanding
achievements of our Sinfonians throughout the
state at the collegiate, academic and alumni levels,” said John Mitcham, CPR. “These awards will not only highlight
deserving brothers but make others strive on and ever upward as a Sinfonian.”
There are three different awards. “We wanted to make
sure we that covered every aspect of our province – collegiate, alumni
and advisor,” said Bro. Mitcham.
John worked diligently with Deputy Province Governor Scott Erb (IN) and Province Alumni Coordinator
Frank Miles (IN) to create the
first slate of awards to honor these brothers, listed below. The awards
will be posted on Province 34’s Website as well, http://www.mysticcat.org/~province34/.
If you know any brother that fits one of the criteria below, please
nominate him so he can get the recognition he deserves.
Outstanding Collegiate Brother Award
Qualifications/ Criteria of Award:
- Awarded
to a Collegiate Brother “In Good Standing”
- Honors
that brother who through his thoughts, words, and deeds, exemplifies
“The Object” of our founding fathers.
- This
Sinfonian goes “On and Ever Upward”
towards Dedication and Service, whether it be in brotherly service
to his chapter, alma mater, the province, or the community
- This
individual is truly a brother’s brother, a manly musician, and a musicianly man.
Outstanding Alumnus Award
Qualifications/Criteria for Award:
- Must
be an alumni brother in good standing.
- Recipients
of this award must be: 1) an
alumnus of a current or past chapter of Province 34 residing
anywhere, or 2) an alumnus of a chapter outside of Province 34, but
resides in Alabama.
- Continues
to uphold the Object of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia after the end of his collegiate
experience.
- This
Sinfonian is worthy of praise because of
his service to a chapter, a school, and/or province, or through his
professional activities.
Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award
Qualifications/ Criteria of Award:
- Active
Advisor or Co-Advisor of a Chapter within Province 34
- This
person ceaselessly upholds the Object of Phi Mu
Alpha through his service to the Chapter and School.
- This
individual has selflessly dedicated his time to assisting collegiate
Sinfonians, and has gone beyond the call
of duty.
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Down Memory Lane with Travis King (IN ‘97)
Scott Erb, Tattler Staff
 I
remember when I came to Troy
(State) University in Fall 1995 for band camp and my section leaders had
on these frat jerseys, not knowing that one day I would be a part of that
fraternity. That fraternity became more and more dear
as I got to know many of the Sinfonians. That
fraternity became Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a professional musical organization. I had
some great experiences as I was a probationary member of Phi Mu Alpha. I can remember the Alpha Delta Delta Beta – we had some many hard times as well as
good times. One of the greatest moments was when our class released our
pledge class song. I also remember the night my pledge class really got
to know each other without the help of brothers. I think we all cried
with Weston for a couple of hours... I wouldn't trade any of these
moments for anything else. Last by not least, my big brother Chuck
Harrison. I was really happy when I found out that he was my big bro. We
already had a wonderful friendship because TROMBONES/BARITONES SECTION
ROCKED!!! He and many other brothers are the reason I'm a Sinfonian.
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The Time Has Come to Give Back
Frank Miles, Tattler Editor
Province 34
Alumni Coordinator
 Stop
for just a moment and reflect on all of the lessons you have learned and
all of the things you have accomplished. Think about how much of that was
made possible because you are a Sinfonian, and
think about how much of that was made possible because other Sinfonians took you under their wing and taught you a
few things.
Now it’s your turn.
“I
beg you not to let your interest in your fraternity or alma mater lag or
grow cold… avail yourself of every opportunity to fraternize with each other.”
– Ossian E. Mills, 1902
With the restoration of the Object and the new focus
of the Sinfonia Educational Foundation, alumni Sinfonians have never been more important to the
success of the organization. Unfortunately, they’ve also never been so
scarce.
So many of us believe we are acting as true Sinfonians through the
day-to-day-activities of our lives – at work, at home, at play. And for
the most part, that is probably true. But when was the last time you
truly did something for Sinfonia? When did you
help your province organize and publicize a Mills Music Mission? When did
you donate to the SEF? When did you help your chapter purchase
instruments for an under-funded band program?
More importantly, when did you hang out with a
collegiate brother? For that matter, even a fellow alumnus?
“Onward
is our watchword; the future is our field.” – Mills
It’s been a long, difficult, somewhat costly and
near-futile task for the Fraternity to locate lost alumni and bring them
back as active and supportive pieces of this harmonious puzzle we call
Phi Mu Alpha. And for so many of the ones that
do come back, the perception is that Sinfonia
is not what it was “when they were brothers.”
See the problem?
 Let’s
take advantage of the ones that have come back and realize that Sinfonia is now what it always was – the development
of the best and truest fraternal spirit.
Here is the challenge: Give back to Sinfonia all that has been given to you. By doing so,
you strengthen the future of Phi Mu Alpha by
encouraging today’s collegiates to stick with
it after their college years are over.
“The
scope of our mission is national, and before many years have passed the Sinfonia Fraternity will be known and its influence
felt from ocean to ocean and from lake to gulf.” – Mills
Is it? Is our influence felt? Are we known? Coca-Cola
is known. Microsoft is known. Okay, that’s a little unfair. But if you
want truer comparisons, ask a man on the street if he has heard of
Knights of Columbus, Shriners, or even Elks.
I’ll bet he has. And while these are all noble organizations in their own
right, they don’t have the deep knowledge, understanding and love of the
one thing that can influence millions of people across the nation –
music.
Let’s get the ball rolling here in Province 34. I am
asking alumni  relations
officers to form alumni clubs at their respective chapters. In doing so,
I believe we will find the most dedicated and interested alumni who can
step up and form alumni associations here in Alabama.
At Iota Nu, without anyone really even knowing it, the
first steps have been taken. Successful events such as Brasherfest and the 1st Annual Alumni
Reunion showed that we do have alumni who still care.
I challenge any Iota Nu alumnus reading this to take
the next step. Take charge and organize an alumni club. Don’t be scared.
The beauty of starting with a club is that there are no dues, no
mandatory meetings or any of the other things that ask brothers to make
too big a sacrifice. With football season in full swing, now is the perfect
time. Many brothers are already going to football games. Set up a tent
and publicize it so we can tailgate together. And please contact Lance
Holman, Iota Nu’s alumni relations officer, for
help. It’s his job, and he his eager to do it.
Also, let me take this opportunity to invite you to
the Province 34  Workshop
in January. I would like to see as many alumni as possible gather from
around the province. We are planning some things that will be of great
interest to you (more details later). But even if we weren’t, isn’t it
time you got back in the swing of things? I have a mini-van and I will go
on record today: Any alumni who would like to go but don’t want to drive
can hitch a ride with me. I have room for six passengers (or five larger
ones), a DVD player and XM radio. Let’s go to Tuscaloosa and show ‘em how it’s done!
Phi Mu Alpha needs you now
more than ever brothers, and now more than ever it’s great to be a Sinfonian!
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The quotes used in this article were
taken from The President’s Message,
Sinfonia Year Book, March, 1902. To read the entire text, click here. I strongly encourage you to do so. FM)
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Q
& A: Tony Pearson
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Tommy House, Tattler Staff
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 TAT:
What year were you initiated into Phi Mu Alpha?
Tony: 1992
TAT: What offices did you hold while you were
active? Which was your favorite and why?
Tony: I was co-music director along with
Dallas Burke one year. I probably wasn't the most qualified , but I had so much fun. That is the year the we did the Double Chorus with the Collegiate
Singers and the Elaborate American Music Concert and Christmas Concert.
We were very fortunate to have such amazing talent in the Brotherhood.
Just think of the guys that were there then and what they have now
accomplished musically.
TAT: What were your fondest memories of Troy/Sinfonia/brothers etc.?
Tony: My Favorite memories will probably
always be when everyone would come over to our house on Three Notch and
sing on the porch and cut up. I think Burt went through a box of Bubba
Burgers every night. That was FUN. Oh and the time I got road
tripped for a date was fun--Thank you SALLY--ehehe.
I always felt like I was around family. I was fortunate to be a brother
with you in the chapter room and recall many fun and not so fun meetings.
TAT: What is your greatest memory of the Chapter
room?
Tony: I always enjoyed the Ceremonial Songs
and the planning of upcoming events. We really took on some big projects.
I think that we accomplished a lot in the name of music and its
advancement.
TAT: What have you been doing since you left Troy? Where are you currently working and living?
Tony: After Troy, I attended
Belmont University
in Nashville
for a couple of years studying hospitality entertainment. Then, I worked
seasonally for a few different entertainment companies such as Paramount
Parks Entertainment, B'Teck Ice Skating
Productions, Molyneaux Entertainment in associtation with Celebrity Cruises and several other
events or projects from doing voice-overs for TV commercials, to stage
shows, to awards shows, to musical direction, to managing haunted houses,
to music videos, to whatever--hehe can't hold a
solid job-hehehehhee. Now, I am an auctioneer
and hold antique & estate auctions in Cairo, Ga.
My web site is www.pearsonauction.homestead.com
TAT: How has your training in the fraternity
influenced you in your career?
Tony: I think my training in the Fraternity
allowed me to be creative. I was able to experiment with ideas and try
them out. Everyone was always willing to help me.
TAT: What's the music scene like in your neck of
the woods?
Tony: WEDDINGS & FUNERALS hehehehehehehe.
TAT: Who was the last Sinfonian
from Iota Nu that you spoke to?
Tony: Mark Vanlandingham.
TAT: How has the
fraternity impacted your life?
Tony: I have life-long friends and memories!
TAT: Any Shout-outs?
Tony: Burt & Kelly-glad things are looking good!!!, Brad--"You gotta
get up, You gotta get up--hehehehehe"--no
seriously Brad where are you ????? Craig, call me again and let me know
when your church is, BOBBY Jr call me when you
get home for the holidays, Shay-I would love to catch up with ya sometime man, Shane call me sometime, Ed
& Sally think about you guys alot,
Charles--Keep up the good work in your ministry, Bradley where are ya?? I think someone in D'ville
needs to have a cookout--hint hint, there are sooo many
of you that I miss and think about. Jason Fountain--Any Good
movies??? I love this Tattler and
appreciate the hard work that goes into it. You guys do a GREAT
JOB! THANK YOU! Maybe I will see some of you soon.
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Dr. Johnny Long “On the Air”
Michael
Bird, Special to the Tattler
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Michael Bird (IN '94), band
director at Southside Middle School in Tallassee and DJ extraordinaire,
recently invited Dr. Johnny Long on his radio program to discuss his 60-year
career as a band director in Alabama.
Long was in Montgomery for a
Robert E. Lee High School class reunion, so the visit to WACV-AM
1170 fit nicely into his schedule.
Kerry Palmer, band director
at Catholic High School in Montgomery,
was also there to ask questions and play segments of music from Robert E.
Lee High
School and Troy
University bands.
 The
morning started out with a visit from The Montgomery Advertiser. The
news people took pictures of Dr. Long with Michael and Kerry, which were
prominently featured in the Sunday edition of the newspaper.
While the radio station is in
Montgomery, "there were just as many Troy people calling in during the show," said
Bro. Bird. "We really utilized our web stream for the first time at
1170wacv.com. We had calls from Chattanooga,
Valdosta, Niceville, and even Washington DC."
Bird said he had publicized
the event on several internet forums, such as soundofthesouth.org, to
gather interest in the show.
"It really surprised me
how many calls we got," Michael said. "All five open lines were
ringing, and as one caller would finish, another would take its
place. In three hours, we probably had 40 or 50 phone calls, which is very unusual on a Saturday morning."
Some of the music selections
played during the show included Chicago Tribune march, Precious
Lord, Take My Hand, and Trojans One and All.
"To some people, we
never can do enough to honor Dr. Long; and then to others, they say it's
been done to death," said Michael. "I got the chance to return
to my alma mater, which is where he started the band. Kerry also taught
in Montgomery.
We both felt like a radio salute would be appropriate, since so many
people still live here [Montgomery] who
were touched by Dr. Long's years at Lee and at Troy."
Bird didn't rule out having a
similar program in the future.
"During a ratings
period, it would be great if Arbitron would
survey listeners in the markets we covered that day," he chuckled.
"Unfortunately, despite how many people were listening and all the
publicity we attracted for having Dr. Long in the studio, when the ratings
come out it won't show up."
Besides being a band director
and radio personality, Bro. Bird writes a weekly column in the Tallassee
Tribune (no direct relation to the aforementioned Chicago
Tribune). He also is active as a board member of the McCraney-Cottle Arts Council, Our Lady Queen of Mercy
School Board, and is the choir director at Our Lady Queen of Mercy
Catholic Church. He is married to the former Sena
Thibodeaux, a member of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra.
"Doing a show like
this helps all of us to follow that great Sinfonian
rule – to find the best in others for the good of all. I can't think of
anything more rewarding."
Click Here To Listen To The Show
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Notes in the Key of Troy
Lance Holman,
Iota Nu Alumni Relations Officer
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Iota Nu is
Gaining Momentum Once Again
With only thirteen active members at the start of the
semester and nine of those JABs, I feared that
this would be a rather INTERESTING year. But to my amazement it is going
awesome. My probationary class, which is most of the fraternity now, is a
very hard working group of individuals along with the already hard
working group of veterans we have. As veterans Martin Sager and Jamie
Gray put it, we have one of the strongest groups of executives in a long
time. Every brother is certainly doing their part and everything is
running like a well-oiled machine. So my hat is off to you brothers…
Great Job!!!
Another Office
Change
Due to unforeseen events, Adrian Smith had to step
down as Iota Nu’s treasurer. The chapter voted
and elected Lance Holman as their new treasurer.
Fundraising
We have quite a few interesting and fun ideas for
fundraisers this year. It is my goal as treasurer to pull us way into the
green by the end of this school year. We are looking into all sorts of
ways to raise money not only for this year but for future generations.
This year it has been proposed to maybe do a “Chili Cook-Off’ and a game
that I have simply named “Stuck.” I’ll explain “Stuck” at a later date.
I’m also looking into concessions as a means to raise money. We are
hoping it will be a rather profitable year for the fraternity. FYI: for those of you that know
Martin Sager, we shaved his head completely bald as a fundraiser. It was
certainly a sad day for him.
Rushing and Prospective
Members
Rushing is going well and we have had a good turn out
this year. About ten to fifteen people have come out in interest of our
organization. Plus you know there are always those that never go to rush
functions that randomly appear at the Formal Smoker. I see a lot of
potential in most of the people interested. They seem to hold music very
close to their hearts. They have a lot of rich personalities which we all
know definitely adds to the fraternity. So I hope to see them returning
to our rush functions and more coming.
Current
Officers of Iota Nu Chapter (Updated)
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 Advisor – Dr. John Jinright
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Travis Bryant ,
Tattler Staff
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.
Welcome
to the latest installment of The Sinfonian
Tattler's Link Dump! This month, the Dump is all about video. We have a
new 3.2567-month-old drooling all over our keyboard down here in the
Dump, which means we have been rolling camcorder tape like mad. Maybe
that's why we've gotten hooked on videos posted to the web, especially
music videos.
If
you find yourself in a weird alternative funk (with high-speed
internet) check out this site: http://www.neave.tv/ They
have some videos that are waaaaaay out there,
but if you click on the music tab, you can find some tunes you've never
heard before and some pretty inventive low-budget video effects and
editing. All set to music. If you check it out, make sure you watch the
Readymade FC video for their track "Only One." It's a pretty
well done video using found objects from around the house.
Needless
to say video is the new brown, which is the new pink, which is the new
black. That is to say, it's everywhere on the web. Most of it crap and
not worth the load time. But this site:
http://www.viralvideochart.com/
lists only the top movers and shakers on the web. They monitor YouTube, Google video and yes, MySpace,
to see which videos are "posted the mosted."
So you can click over to Viral Video Charts to see what's popular on the
web.
Arrrrrrrrgh! This last site will bring out the pirate
in you and it's one you have to check regularly. The site:
http://www.mouseindustries.com/gopher/
offers a MySpace app hack that allows you to
download videos hosted/posted on people's MySpace
pages. It's very simple to use, when MySpace is
slow to act. Most of the time the hack is only valid for 24-36 hours.
That's how long it takes MySpace to notice it
and plug the appropriate holes to keep it from working. Then about a week
later, a newer hack version comes out and the fun begins again. And it
goes on and on and on....
So
if you want to be cutting edge and download that video of the monkey
falling off a branch after smelling his finger, then this is one cat and
mouse game you might enjoy.
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October
7
CHHS Festival (Troy)
14
Troy vs. ULM
(Band Day) (Troy)
21
Valdosta Festival Exhibition – (Valdosta)
28
Troy vs. North Texas (Troy)
November
4
Homecoming
Iota Nu
Meetings are Sunday Nights
7:30pm
Exec. Meetings
8:00pm
Music Rehearsal
9:00pm
Business Meeting
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