Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • SPRING 2017 • PAN PIPES 5 MUSIC EDUCATION CONFERENCES provide unaffiliated sisters information about active groups in their area. Our president applied for and received a grant through National Headquarters, which paid for half of the cost of the booth. We asked the other Indiana Collegiate and Alumnae Chapters for a contribution of $25 each to help defray the cost. All chapters were asked to submit pictures and information about their chapter and activities, that would be displayed in the booth along with pamphlets from National Headquarters about our mission. SAIs were asked to fill out a small form with their name, phone number, and chapter affiliation, or if they were looking to affiliate and wanted more information. Fort Wayne members provided simple refreshments and SAIs were also given an SAI sticker to add to their conference badge for easy recognition. A large map of Indiana with the locations of the Alumnae and Collegiate Chapters was a great part of the display. — Jackie Hinsey, Fort Wayne Alumnae Chapter Editor Kansas The SAI booth at the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) Conference this past February was quite the success! It was located in a major thoroughfare of the exhibits, with excellent visibility. Over 60 SAIs from all over the state of Kansas stopped by to sign the roster. After acquiring the booth in a desirable location, an email was sent out to all Kansas SAIs asking for a monetary contribution towards the cost of the booth and for volunteers to work the booth for a few hours during the conference. A few members agreed to work the booth from our collegiate chapters; we received no financial response from chapters. We decorated with SAI mementos. It worked out rather nicely, and one of our members purchased chocolate kisses and a jar of gummy roses that our sisters could have as they walked by. Of course the stickers from SAI National Headquarters were a huge hit because we wear them on our name badges. I was so thrilled to see so many SAI badges being worn by the collegiates and the alumnae. Of note, two presenters at the conference from Wichita State University are also SAI alums: Jeanne Vance Shoemaker and Dr. Christina Castaldi. As a follow up, local attendees were contacted and one is going to affiliate. Others were thrilled to know we had an alumnae chapter, while others in small towns away from major cities were just glad to make the connection again. They were reminded to visit the SAI Website. — Jeanne Vance Shoemaker, Wichita Alumnae Chapter President Kentucky The Louisville Alumnae Chapter was once again able to host a booth at the Kentucky MEA Convention on February 9-10, 2017, thanks to the SAI Music Education State Convention Grant. This year the convention exhibits moved to the Galt House while the Convention Center is under construction. This meant that the exhibits were in a smaller space, and were divided by a large hallway. We were in a large ballroom with most of the "quiet" exhibits— fundraisers, several schools, the military, and a large sheet music store. All of the instrument dealers were across the hallway in the other space. Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, which has been close to us in previous years, was also over there. Our particular booth was right next to the sheet music store, which I feel may have brought us some degree of visibility we would not have otherwise had. Although it felt much slower, our overall traffic was on par with previous years. We gave away 84 stickers to sisters and Distinguished Members, with a roughly even split between collegiate and alumnae members. The overwhelming majority of visitors were initiated sisters who came by to grab a sticker and interact with us. We collected information from 9 sisters who wanted more information on alumnae chapters around the state, or wanted to be involved with collegiate chapters in their area. I received comments from a few non-members who were friends with SAI sisters, and one memorable gentleman with Above, the Phoenix Alumnae Chapter co-hosted a booth with the local Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia chapter at the annual Arizona Music Educators Association Conference. At right, members of the Florida SAI chapters perform at the Florida Music Educators Association Conference.

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