Monday, Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the Student Union, The Omicron Lambda Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha begins Phi Mu Alpha week with a music education informational session called “115 Degrees of Music.”
The Phi Mu Alpha brothers chose that name because this year marks the 115th year of their organization, and the brothers thought the name would be trendy.
Opening up the program was Jarell Miller, a graduating senior music education major from Brooklyn, New York, also a member of the Omicron Lambda Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha for 7 months.
Miller performed the Italian piece “Per La Gloria D’Adorarvi” by Giovanni Battista Bononcini.
At the end of his performance his Phi Mu Alpha fraternity brothers and the audience applauded, and respectfully acknowledged the talent, skill, and practice it took to perform such a piece.
Miller said, “We practice on music at least twice a week, and this event will be our first performance event of the semester.”
The Grambling State University choir director Natoursha Davis attended the program and was there to explain that the piece “Per La Gloria” can bring a sense of drama, and the vocalist performing the piece can often put their own twist on it.
“Being a part of The Omicron Lambda Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha has changed my college life drastically, because I have learned to look at music in a totally different aspect, said Miller.”
During the “115 Degrees of Music” program the Phi Mu Alpha brothers discussed different presentations of music eras such as the presentation of classical, romantic, and the 20th century.
Carlos Birdsong, a student trombonist performed a few examples of romantic period music.
Birdsong explained that romantic period music is more so emotional, expressive, and dramatic. He also shared that the well-known composer Beethoven was given credit for bridging the gap between the classical and the romantic period.
For an example of a romantic period piece, Birdsong allowed the audience to listen to “Swan Lake”, a technically and emotionally challenging classical ballet from the production “The Nutcracker”.
The manner that the Phi Mu Alpha program was conducted in and the calm atmosphere of support and dedication portrayed their true brotherhood.
“What brotherhood means to me is, every brother being on one accord reaching a common goal”, said Miller.
Every day is memorable to the Phi Mu Alpha brothers because they get to spend those days together enjoying, performing, and sharing their true love for music.
“Making music is always a positive, and the negatives don’t matter because the great music supersedes all”, said Miller.
At the closing of the first Phi Mu Alpha week event, the brothers of Phi Mu Alpha called up all young ladies and sung them a song entitled “A Serenade to a Girl.”
The Omicron Lambda chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Professional music fraternity for men was chartered May 27, 1996 at Grambling State University in Louisiana. It is the 13th chapter founded at a historically black college.
In the year 2013, The Omicron Lambda chapter of Phi Mu Alpha is still representing their purpose to encourage and actively promote the highest standards of creativity, performance, education, and research in music in America.
The Phi Mu Alpha brothers want to see the brotherhood continue to grow, and to develop the truest fraternal spirit among its members, and to instill in all people an awareness of music’s important role in the enrichment of the human spirit.