Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES • SUMMER 2017 • sai-national.org 2 Dear Members of Sigma Alpha Iota, I nspired! From the very first page of this edition of Pan Pipes was absolutely amazed at the creativity, enthusiasm, and outreach of our members! Pan's Cottage at the MacDowell Colony is truly a place for inspiration! As we continue our national campaign to support our beloved cottage, you will see what a remarkable experience Dr. Andrea Clearfield had as a composer in residence at the MacDowell Colony. If you have yet to make a donation to our Pan's Cottage Campaign, I encourage you to include this important event in your fiscal planning for the year. What could be worse than losing your voice right before a major singing performance? One member of the Beta Alpha Collegiate Chapter at Florida State University took that moment of "bad luck" and turned it around to a significant advantage for her as well as her chapter by using her skills with American Sign Language to bring another aspect of performing to this concert! SAI Philanthropies, Inc. gives away over $80,000 in scholarships and grants to our members annually. Talk about making a real difference in our members' lives as well as giving back to our communities! If your chapter has not considered applying for an SAI Chapter Outreach Grant, you will certainly be motivated to do so this upcoming Fraternity year after reading the article on our chapters who received an Outreach Grant! On a sad note, we will miss the presence of IAMA Composer/ Judge Dr. Daniel Brewbaker at our 2018 National Convention. He was such a strong supporter of SAI and of our IAMA Competition. Even as his health started to decline, he was an active participant at our convention in St. Louis, always ready to talk about music! Thankfully, his music will live on and remind us of his special contributions to SAI and the world around him. This Founders' Day we also celebrated the 12 th Anniversary of the official opening of our National Headquarters building in Asheville, NC. You will find a reprint and pictures of that special event which will take you "back in time" to our "home away from home." Ruth Sieber Johnson and I had the distinct privilege of performing at the dedication — evidence of that collaboration has been included by our Pan Pipes Editor. If you are planning a trip to the east coast, you should add National Headquarters to your travel itinerary! I hope all of you will enjoy your summer and use this edition of Pan Pipes to inspire you to do great things with music on your campus and/or in your community! Fraternally, Leslie Odom Miller, National President A WORD FROM THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT F rom February, the SAI National Executive Board announced a new fraternity-wide effort to renovate and maintain Pan's Cottage at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, offering an example of how chapters can show their support for the SAI-sponsored cabin at the artist's retreat. From left, standing, National Vice President, Ritual and Fraternity Education Tracey Wygal Withrow; National Vice President, Extension Beth Lopez; National Vice President, Collegiate Chapters Jessica Chichester; National Vice President, Fraternity Development Christine Hall; National Vice President, Finance Jennifer Zerangue Mistretta; Executive Director Ruth Sieber Johnson; and National President Leslie Odom Miller, DMA. Seated, from left are Chairman, Board of Directors, SAI Philanthropies, Inc. Heidi Frankson; and National Vice President, Alumnae Chapters Sue Bermann. For information on the current Pan's Cottage campaign, please see page 16.

• Cover