By HARRY MITCHELL, BYAs is usual during marching season, the Psi chapter did almost all of its service either for or regarding the band this quarter. The first thing we did was fix the steps leading up to Gordon’s tower. This actually started back in Spring, but some logistical issues meant it got done over the course of the summer as well and was completed in early September. We didn’t touch the metal frame, but Gordon spent this season walking up all new planks to the tower. Some other things we did before band camp were more aimed at welcoming new members to the band. These included sending postcards to all of the incoming freshmen in late August and then stationing people on the hill during their move-in times to help with any questions they might have. Our big summer project, however, was mostly unrelated to UCLA’s marching band: volunteering at local high school band camps. Towards the start of break, we sent some people over to Venice High to help out with their newly restarted program; and later, in August, we had some brothers and sisters help out at Long Beach Poly’s camp. Once school started, our service focus continued to be mostly on the band. Starting with band camp and running all the way until daylight savings time ended, our organizations provided the band with water coolers at almost every rehearsal. Even before band camp, though, we got started on snack packing for visiting bands. This year, bands from Fresno State, Washington, Utah, USC, and Stanford visited the Rose Bowl, and all of them (except SC) got goodie bags courtesy of Psi and EK. Most of those schools have chapters of KKPsi or TBS, too, so we got a lot of pictures with their chapters. We also sent snacks to our band at the USC game (which may have propelled our team to victory), and to Yell Crew towards the end of the Stanford game just as a thank you for their strong respect for our work and a gesture of our respect for theirs. Our final band-related activity was the second annual band food drive, led on our end by Nathan Cai (BT). After a month of collections, we ended up with over 50 donations to take to a local women’s shelter. Outside of band-related service, we still managed to have a productive quarter. We performed at the Lab School open house once again, and ended “Mighty Bruins” while a pair of stilt walkers juggled over the head of drum major Jacob Hambalek (BT). We also operated two concert receptions for the School of Music wind bands, and two brosters led a campus tour for a high school band visiting UCLA for a clinic with Dr. Cross. Our one off-campus project was volunteering at the Bands of America SoCal Regional. Brothers Tia Liu (BT) and Harry Mitchell (BY), and Talia Fossa and Daniella Hernandez of EK, left campus at 6 a.m. for Van Nuys, then arrived to find minimal other help and all did the equivalent of 3 people’s work each. We had to leave early for a gig, but we hope to be able to send a larger cohort next year. Now that marching season has ended, we look forward to another exciting quarter of service in the Winter! Comments are closed.
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Marissa Pe
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