Tips for Trips! (episode 1)

In the past month or so I've done a good bit of holiday traveling. [Many families. Much food. Good times with all.] Not too long before that adventure began, I discovered an amazing podcast that has truly revolutionized my road tripping.

Freakonomics.

You may have heard of the book by the same name. I have loved it since junior high, but I love the podcast even more. They are economists that comment on anything and everything with episodes ranging from "Parking is Hell" to "The Curious Cremation of Stevie the Cat". (FYI: Both of those are awesome.)

Give this beautiful podcast a listen and I bet you'll enjoy learning as you journey as much as I do! 

Reality Check!!!

The Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season have been a little odd for me.

Neither of them have really turned out as I wanted. However, they were meant to pass that way.

The night before Thanksgiving, I was driving home to spend time with my family and ended up totaling my car in my first car accident. No one was injured in the accident, but I was definitely in a small state of shock. Right after Thanksgiving, I decided to chase on of my dreams and audition for the Boston Crusaders. I had one of the greatest weekends with the staff of that Drum Corps and learned many valuable lessons from that as well. It did not take me long to realize what I am thankful for during that season.

Once I came back, finals week dawned. Though my schedule wasn't too hectic, this was, by far, the hardest finals week I have ever had. I had to go out with a bang! Thankfully, I will not have to worry about final examinations for a while. I am now planning and organizing myself for student teaching! I will be at Early High School in Early, Texas studying under an alum of my chapter who has turned the band program around at this school in a matter of two or three years. Very exciting!!

The freedom of Christmas break then set in, but not for too long. I went to the cardiologist on December 19th, for I have a genetic heart condition, and was given some interesting news. They put me on a 24-hour heart monitor and I returned the next day. The doctor told me that I would come back the next Monday for another appointment and he would call if there was something urgent. Well, a few hours later, my father gets a call. Guess who?? The doctor informed my dad the day after my first appointment in three years that I would be going into surgery Monday morning at 10:00. Surprise!!! Though the surgery isn't major, I was still tested. Now, I have a pacemaker implanted. It is a small machine about the size of a quarter that keeps my heart beating a steady pulse. I am very thankful and can rest easy at night. I have one more surgery in a month to clear up the rest of my heart issues. I am ready to be beating normal again!! Until then, I will be teaching high school and middle school students the magic of music. What a great thing to do!!

It is amazing at how circumstances like these can really give you a reality check. If I hadn't have been in the car accident, I may not have ever realized how thankful I am for my friends, family, or how meaningful seat belts are. Its the small things. Like being able to wake up the next morning, which was almost question for me when my heart was so unstable. I am not one to talk about deep subjects like this for long, but I have had plenty of time to reflect on a few things. During your time off, do the same for yourself. You will be surprised what you find. See you all soon!!

AEA,
Allen Andrus

A glance back, a look ahead.

I will never march again. 

That's a strange, not-quite-completely-absorbed truth in my life. Though I didn't have the opportunity to march in (my teeny tiny) high school, college band has composed and influenced so much (realistically: all) of these last 5 years. Band gave me my closest friends, countless trips across the country, hundreds of dollars of per diem, 3 bowl games, innumerable sporting event admissions, some homemade memes, leadership experience, Kappa Kappa Psi, my Brothers, my Sisters, and memories that fill both Facebook albums and a lifetime.

Some Lambda Bros at my last Little Rock game

I think sometimes about calculating the hours I have dedicated to something like football games. But, that's harder that simple addition and multiplication. How can I account for the mornings we had to be at the pavilion at 6:00 AM because construction hindered our ability to unload the trucks the previous night? How do I consider the hours spent in traffic with all the band equipment on years we were good at football or to and from away games? Does the load/unload process count the same when conditions were miserable and when we were having a blast?

It was a lot of time, but it was unquestionably well spent. Nothing can replace the experience I've gained and the opportunities I've seized. I will never again wear that uniform, but I will always have a sense of place and identity in the RMB, and of course in this great fraternity.

I'm proud to have dedicated my utmost to the Razorback Marching Band and to have served in the Lambda Chapter.

And now, to look forward to a new chapter!

With the time-suck of marching season complete, I can really get cracking on the goals and plans within the SWD. I'm working with the webmaster for a new way to spread fundraiser ideas as well as post minutes from council meetings. We have some small fundraisers in the works to honor Dale Croston and his family. Most of all, I'm thrilled with my lighter school schedule that allows for traveling almost every weekend. I'm itching to get on the road! I'll be stocked up with homemade granola and awesome podcasts to keep me company and fill my brain.

So. Excited.

Comin' at ya, SWD! See you soon. ; ]

...Or what the future holds for me...

This semester has been a whirlwind of stress, adventure, happiness, and sorrow. I feel that more has happened from August to now than it has the past four years at Southeastern and as a member of KKΨ. I've had personal hardship, my chapter is going through this constant overturn, classes seem to keep adding projects upon projects, and the organization has gone through some major life altering events. Though the madness and the struggle, the love and bond of the brotherhood has flourished and continued to stay strong and I am so proud to be able to have seen it all. Though everything I've gone through so far this semester, I've had my brothers by my side. So, I guess my point of this post is for us as members of this great organization is to stay strong and persevere. We will get through anything, especially with the support of our brothers. I know I'm not the only person to be happy that 2014 is close than ever and excited for the new beginnings to come, but I'll never forget the ones who've gotten me here. 

Forever Striving, 

Helen

It Has Been A While...

Brothers,

I apologize for my long leave from the blog! This semester has sped by me. Since my last post, there is a long list of things that have come and gone. Here are a few highlights:

The weekend of September 28th, I traveled to The University of Arkansas with my sister, Emily Murphree, TBSigma SWD Sec/Treas. We woke up early Saturday morning and journeyed to Fayetteville to watch the Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Texas A&M Aggies and, of course, listen to the band perform! Though the day was a little rainy, the game was a blast and the Psi and Lambda chapters were fantastic hosts!! :)

After the game, Emily and I began our drive back to stay in Durant, OK. We owe a big thank you to Andi Gregory and Taylor Walker from the Eta Nu chapter for housing is for the night.

Unloading the HPU Band Trailer with some brothers.

The next weekend was Howard Payne University Homecoming!! As we all know, homecoming is a band members craziest weekend. We had a choir concert at 9AM, a parade at 11AM, and exhibition at 12PM, then we had the game. We played Louisiana College, an undefeated ranked team at the time. For those who do not know, football at HPU has had a hard time the past few years. We haven't had the best seasons. However, this year, HPU began to show promise. We played this team all the way to the last play. LC lead by three and we were lined up for our last play. It was a long field goal and the wind was for us. Once we kicked, however, it was clear we had lost. Though it was a bummer, that was the best HPU football game I have ever been to. 

During our homecoming halftime performance!
I am the furthest in the back.

After homecoming, Zeta Beta and Delta Upsilon worked the next two Saturdays on a large service project. We were asked to run an help host a marching festival and the UIL Region Marching Contest held at Early High School. We were guides for the band, helped with concessions, supplied water for the bands, and tended to the judges in the press box. These events helped us bond and serve together. We had a wonderful time! Besides that, Zeta Beta has hosted three rush events and has been actively recruiting new members! We will host our last and formal rush on the 25th of November. 

Outside of the fraternity, I have been slaving away to prepare for my senior recital. My hearing was on November 1st and went very well!! I passed and will perform my recital in two days!!!!! It is scheduled for November 16th at 2:30. If you are free, come hear some great music on Howard Payne Campus.

Workshop season in coming up soon and I hope to see a lot of brothers representing their chapters. Keep striving and never settle for mediocrity. Finish out the semester strong!

AEA,

Allen Andrus

SWD VP

October Report

Hello SWD!

I hope you are all having a productive and fun semester so far! I know that as our university band programs start to get busier and our personal work loads also increase, that this is always a good time for a pep talk to get you through to the end - KEEP GOING! Whenever you start to complain or remember that you are tired, just keep in mind that someone is always watching! We truly set the example for not only our chapter as a whole, but for our bands. As always, remember that school is your first priority. Study hard and succeed like champions today! I hope that you can just keep these few things in mind as you prepare for academic and service excellence in the remaining months of the semester!

This fall I have been given several opportunities to visit with brothers and sisters from around the SWD. Though my personal travel has not picked up yet, I will be traveling to THREE different chapters in the month of November.

Last month, Helen, Allen, and Vanessa (along with Erika Pope) came to Norman for the OU v. Tulsa football game and we had a great time getting to catch up! A couple of weeks ago, Meridith and Scott joined the Delta TBSigma chapter for the OU v. TCU game. Not only did they get to go to the game, but they also stayed over night with us and we got a surprise visit form none other than heather McGowan!

So far I have been able to visit with brothers from TCU, UT, and West Virginia. I am traveling to the University of Kansas this weekend and will then get to see brothers from Alpha Omicron the following weekend!

In addition to visits, I have skyped with numerous chapters and will continue to do so this semester! Please feel free to e-mail me if you would like to set up a Skype chat! As a council we have been working on several projects including a new musical endeavor at District Convention, a district YouTube page, area workshops and more. Keep an eye out for the New Alto which will be released on November 15th by the chapters at Texas A&M Commerce!

With that, I hope you all have a great day!

AEA,

Josh

Starting on the Left Foot

Well, its back to the ol' grind! A month of school has already past like the speed of light. After CLC, I rapidly prepared to work the Ozona High School band camp in west texas. It was a small school with a band of about fifty people. I love getting the chance to help out high school kids and help give a glimpse of what music is like. Plus, I am a complete marching band freak!

After I taught the camp, I had two days to pack all of my stuff and head back to start summer band camp for the Howard Payne University Yellow Jacket Band. We gained almost twenty new band members to hold our band at around seventy people (which is pretty good for a university of our size). Marching fundamentals, early mornings, stand tunes, and show music ran my life once again. Oh, how I missed it! Once our band camp ended, we had a few days of relaxation and then school began on the 19th of August.

This semester, for me, will be one heck of a ride. With my senior recital, being president of the Zeta Beta chapter, and a full load of classes, I am pretty busy. Plus, I have the multitude of certification examinations this semester and next semester. However, things are not as bad as I would have suspected. I am having a great time thus far and am so happy to be where I am.

Here is a picture of me in the first performance of our DCI Hits show for the 2013 season.

Yesterday, September 14th, I had a fantastic opportunity to experience. After being invited by Josh Stickney, Helen Moore, Vanessa Delgado, Erika Pope, and I all traveled to Norman, OK to experience what it is like to be in the Pride of Oklahoma. We were their guests for Game Day and I cannot express how much fun I had. This was my first Division 1 football game, first large college band performance to watch, and I had an amazing time in fellowship with my brothers and sisters. You can't really ask for more. Both Delta Chapters were welcoming and very hospitable. I have now become a sooner fan. :)

I hope you all are off to a great start to the year. Keep remembering what our fraternity stands for and hold yourself accountable! Hope to see you all soon. 

AEA,

Allen Andrus

SWD Vice President