Brothers:
I hope this October is treating you well as we all work through the fall and so many of you prepare yourself for even more papers, exams, recitals, concerts, championship games, and more. As a university administrator myself, fall is always a busy time and I’m counting down those days left until holidays as much as you are! As a musician, I am practicing every day for my own concert this weekend playing a piece I’ve wanted to play since I first picked up my trombone, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Yes, even your national leadership practices their instruments, fears those uncommon time and key signatures, and celebrates our love of music in our lives.
As your National Vice President for Programs, it is that love of music that’s on my mind as we get ready to celebrate our Month of Musicianship and our anniversary as a brotherhood. Month of Musicianship was created to expand our founding from just one day to an entire month focused on one of the true pillars of our fraternity. Chapters are asked to join the national brotherhood in finding ways throughout November to highlight music, musicians, and the improvement of musical performance.
This isn’t a private celebration; it is a public one! Every chapter is challenged to find FOUR new ways to celebrate musicianship, promote your bands and the musicians on your campus, and find sustainable ways to improve musical performance as a chapter. Maybe that’s an annual public recital as a chapter or working to pack every concert and recital in November to standing-room only. It could be setting a new chapter practice requirement or fixing up practice rooms and handing out treats when students are practicing late at night. It might be setting up a master class for all musicians or learning about the proper performance and maintenance of all the instruments in your ensemble. Will your chapter meet the challenge?
Throughout November the National Leadership Team will be using our own social media to promote efforts as a national fraternity to improve musicianship, highlight grants and awards that can be used to raise awareness, and feature some of the success stories of chapters from the past year to give you more ideas on how your chapter can support our Month of Musicianship.
Follow us on Facebook (search for “Kappa Kappa Psi National Fraternity”) and on Twitter (@kappakappapsi). But also use your own social media to promote the month using the tag #MonthofMusicianship. We want to repost your great work so the entire brotherhood can see, can learn, and can grow as musicians!
The National Council wish you the very best this Month of Musicianship. If we can ever be of assistance to you, do not hesitate to contact us.
National President – Jack Lee – lee.jack.d@gmail.com
National VPCM – Evan Thompson – evan@kkpsi.org
National VPP – Marco Krcatovich – mkrcatov@kkpsi.org
National VPSA – Zac Humphrey – zac@kkpsi.org
National VPPR – Dr. Douglas Stotter – dstotter@uta.edu
Chair, Alumni Association – Ali Beidler – alison.beidler@gmail.com
Chair, Board of Trustees – Dr. Rod Chesnutt – rchesnut@fgcu.edu
Your Brother,
Marco Krcatovich II
National Vice President for Programs