Sigma Alpha Iota

Summer 2021 2 P A N P I P E S A WORD FROM THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT Dear Members of Sigma Alpha Iota, W ith the onset of the pandemic, many of our musical endeavors and outlets had to be cancelled or postponed for the health and wellbeing of both the performers and the audience. At the time, we may have been despondent about not making or listening to live music, but we rallied and became quite adept at being creative in how we shared our music – from Zoom meetings to pre-recorded videos to socially distanced outdoor concerts. How true is the statement – when life or the pandemic in this case – gives you lemons, make lemonade! As you will see in this edition of PAN PIPES, our members did not let a worldwide pandemic stop them from making music! From composer Tania León, an SAI National Arts Associate, being awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music to chapters such as Eta Delta adapting online platforms to make music together. If you haven't already done so, be sure to put the dates in your calendar for our 50 th National Convention to be held in Greensboro, NC. I was quite intrigued with the timeline included in this issue that maps out all of the times that our annual convention has been delayed, postponed, or cancelled. By postponing our 2021 National Convention to the summer of 2022, we hadn't done anything "new" in fraternity history, but we did have a new reason for doing it. Many of us have experienced the teamwork and camaraderie of participating in a music ensemble at some point in our life. The relationships between members of an ensemble create lifelong friendships just like membership in SAI does. Along these lines, three of our sisters have worked together to write a book about bands on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) titled The HBCU Experience: The HBCU Band Alumni Edition. Be sure to read more about their experiences and how being an HBCU member has impacted who they are today. When the pandemic changed the world in March 2020, I was committed to staying home, teaching online, and keeping my family and myself safe and healthy. The decision to stay home also included not performing with my local orchestra, although the orchestra was taking precautions to protect the instrumentalists. For me the concern of becoming infected outweighed my desire to make live music. Fast forward to March 2021, when I was able to get vaccinated along with others in the country. In April, I finally felt comfortable enough to perform with my orchestra in a Pops Concert that would be held outdoors. That first rehearsal was an epiphany for me. It wasn't enough for me to hear music from my students or online or on the radio – I needed to be making music. With that first rehearsal, I realized just how empty my soul had been without making my own music. I am now feeding my soul on a regular basis and I hope you all are doing the same! Fraternally, Leslie Odom Miller, National President The NEB is happy to announce that Catherine Chandler has joined the staff at SAI National Headquarters as Assistant Executive Director this summer. Cathy was initiated by the Theta Beta chapter at Jacksonville State University (JSU), where she played percussion and clarinet. Cathy holds a B.S. in English from Jacksonville State University, a Level II non-Profit Management Certification from the University of South Alabama, and is completing a Masters in Business Administration in Project Management from Grantham University. Cathy has served on the Board of Directors for multiple nonprofit organizations, most recently with Empower Youth in the Performing Arts, Inc., whose largest program is Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps. An officer on the executive board there for five years, she served on the Member Safety and Scholarship committees. She also served as an active volunteer for the corps during their competitive seasons. She currently serves as the secretary for the board of Drum Corps in Alabama, a supportive non-profit organization for drum corps throughout the southeast, including Southwind. She says: "I'm proud to be affiliated with the marching arts - my husband Dennis and I originally met as members of Southwind the summer of 1992 before attending college together at JSU. We have been married for 23 years, and we have a 12-year-old son, Colin. In the past, I served as a parent advocate for both the Gulf Coast regional board of the March of Dimes and for the Sonny Callaham School for the Deaf and Blind, causes near to my heart as the parent of a former preemie with special needs." A founding member of the SAI Mobile Alumnae Colony, Cathy expressed her appreciation for the element of wisdom found in the SAI Chorale: "Music is, indeed 'a kind and truthful speech', and it's something we all share as sisters that can help us remember we are never alone in uncertain times." New Assistant E xecutive Director Catherine Chandler, a New Assistant E xecutive Director Catherine Chandler, a Theta Beta initiate. Theta Beta initiate. New Assistant Executive Director Named

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