Band sorority recruits talent

Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority is recruiting.

The sorority is part of a co-ed national organization and exists for philanthropy and to help bring college bands together, President Bethany Wendt said.
 
Wendt said recruitment will end in two to three weeks. After recruitment, the houseless chapter will have an interview process and will vote on to whom to extend bids.

“We’re a group really interested in helping IU band and community outreach,” Wendt said. “We take members interested in music and usually already in music.”

Ideal members like to help in the community and want to be more involved with bands at IU and music in the community. Every member is also expected to be in an ensemble each semester.

Wendt said they have done events with the Jacobs School of Music band department, Marching Hundred and Girls Inc. Recording secretary Paige Dalrymple said they focus on helping women in music.

“We did a musical petting zoo at Girls Inc.,” Wendt said. “The girls got to touch and play some of the instruments. It was nice to promote music and band.”

Beyond philanthropy, Wendt said they do sister activities every second and fourth Friday. One sister event was to teach each other their special talents.

“One of our sisters is a Kelley student, so she taught us how to structure résumés, while another sister taught us how to sound like a Wookie,” Wendt said. “We made flying paper cranes that actually looked like they were flying, and someone else taught one-handed card tricks.”

Vice president of special projects Elizabeth Szymanski said they have meetings every Monday to talk about philanthropy events. They also do their sister events, which include anything from dinner to a trip to Build-a-Bear.

“It is a nice balance of social and service,” Szymanski said.

Currently, Tau Beta Sigma has 17 members, including one male. Szymanski said having him is a little different because they have not had a boy member in a while. She said they used to have a Disney princess night, which they do not do anymore. Wendt said it is the biggest the sorority has been in a long time.

“The past few years have only had like two people,” Szymanski said. “We are now focusing on reaching out, but we are more focused on quality than quantity.”

Szymanski said spring recruitment is expected to be slower because it is bands’ off season. However, she said a lot of their work is in the off season.

“We hold receptions after every band concert,” Szymanski said. “We make Sigma punch, and it is open to all of the performers and the people who go.”

Szymanski said being a member of Tau Beta Sigma is a good niche to have. She said they are all working toward a similar goal of making friends and enjoy helping out.

“We are at a good point,” Szymanski said. “We are expanding a lot, and we are headed toward bigger and better things.”