Editor’s Note: Our Common Connection

Our Common Connection

Life as we know it took a detour just about the time I was starting to organize the contents for this issue of The Triangle. Like many of you, I have been glued to the news, watching helplessly as COVID-19 spreads across the globe, closer and closer, day by day. Not allowing myself to be derailed by the pandemic has been — well, you know. We’re all trying to figure out this bewildering new, albeit temporary, normal.

So how is our Mu Phi family coping? To find out, I reached out via social media and sent out some emails. Your response was immediate, with selfies that made me smile and stories of how you are adjusting to sheltering in place. Thank you for answering my call. Many of your contributions, so positive and resourceful, became the basis for this issue’s cover story, what caught on as #TheSelfieProject — an awesome title for a story! It begins on page 18.

With fewer face-to-face interactions, our written communications are more important than ever, so I hope you will consider the suggestions made by Julia Scherer in her article regarding the art of the email on Page 11. Now might be a good time to explore the Mu Phi Epsilon Music Library & Archives in our update to a previously published Triangle article with helpful tips from music librarian Wendy Sistrunk on page 12. And although

travel from the U.S. is on hold for the moment, it can’t hurt to dream about that European vacation and consider ways to incorporate some music-themed ideas into your future plans, courtesy of The Triangle Travelers of Mu Phi Epsilon on page 14.

Isn’t it ironic how the more sequestered we are, the more we feel the need to connect? Even in this reflective state of isolation, I find myself reaching out more, so this alone time is not a lonely one for me or for the people I care about. And I’ve been turning more and more to music for sustenance, inspired by the videos of people all over the world making and sharing music from their porches, backyards, and living rooms.

We all know music has the undeniable power to lift us up. It was our original connection to Mu Phi Epsilon that brought us all together. We are so fortunate that we can share our love of music with each other — and with everyone! Through music, we have an amazing gift — the ability to transcend situations that are largely beyond our control. All it takes, as Isabel Del La Cerda so aptly wrote for #TheSelfieProject, is “When you are feeling sad, just sing!”

Stay safe. Be well. Keep in touch.

To Infinity Convention –.And Beyond!

y the time you read this, most of the convention preparations will be in place: business and music delegates chosen, international competition finalists selected, workshops finalized, International Executive Board nominations submitted, travel and housing reserved. The work of Fraternity leadership and members at all levels will culminate in a grand celebration of Music, Friendship, and Harmony as we converge on Grapevine, Texas, to determine the direction of Mu Phi Epsilon and fellowship with each other.

Many alumni members, and some collegiates, have attended convention before. For first-timers, I hope it is an educational, inspiring, exhilarating experience. But when the convention is done, the closing gavel rapped, the banners taken down, and the last music cadence played … what then?

I do not have the answer to that question. But YOU do. It is you, the membership, through your delegates and leaders returning home, that will help determine where Mu Phi Epsilon goes after Grapevine.

Yes, the business accomplished at convention will provide the impetus for the Fraternity’s goals and work. True, the International Executive Board is responsible for setting the Fraternity’s priorities, its financial management, the creation and administration of policies, and setting the pace and tone for the next triennium. But it is you, the members — with guidance from your chapter officers and District Directors — who represent the Fraternity at the local level, who do community outreach, who recruit and spotlight high-quality members, who have the talent and ability to think outside the box, and who build and ensure Mu Phi Epsilon’s health and vitality in the colleges, universities, concert halls, and communities you know best.

For some chapters, this work and representation will involve a focus on building membership (e.g., recruiting and embracing music professionals other than performers). For others, it will be better connectivity between collegiate and alumni members. For others, it may be getting your house in order regarding finances and operations (as well as updating chapter bylaws and standing rules). Still, for others it may be new or better ways to serve the community. For some, it may be all the above.

Whatever the path (or paths) you decide, whatever your generation (Boomer, Gen-X, Millennial), know that, while we are all Mu Phis, and while Music, Friendship, and Harmony are our guiding principles, it is you who bring these fruits of love’s labor to the convention, drawing us together and launching us forward.

After convention, continue the good work you have done (and if you can only concentrate on one or two main initiatives, that’s okay). I encourage you to build upon the momentum generated at our triennial family reunion, so 2020 can not only be a year of Focus, but of Foresight, so Mu Phi Epsilon can grow and thrive in the 21st century.