The Accent - The Western District » Kappa Kappa Psi | Tau Beta ...

Have a Big Project or Festival
in Mind?
Raymond “B.P.C.” Aflakian
Kappa Kappa Psi WD Member at Large
Jessica “Diva” Parsons
Kappa Kappa PsiWD Sec/Tres
When trying to prepare for big
projects, there are some universal
aspects that must be taken care
of first. The annual Lionel Hampton
International Jazz Festival is
hosted at the University of Idaho
in Moscow, Idaho (only 8 miles
away from WSU). Every year,
the joint chapters of Iota Gamma
and Theta Delta volunteer at this
festival that brings thousands
of middle school, high school,
university, and professional
musicians together from around
the nation and further. The first
thing we always have to do in
order to help out is CONTACT
THE HOSTING LOCATION. If
you don’t receive an answer, it’s
alright to wait a few days, but
don’t forget to call back because
the people you need to contact
simply may have forgotten. The
second thing that must happen is
that you must be able to give the
hosting site AN EXACT NUM-
BER OF VOLUNTEERS that you
will be able to provide. Third, you
must be able to give the hosting
site the EXACT HOURS THAT
YOU CAN SUPPLY THE VOL-
UNTEERS.
After all of these bases have been
covered, it may be necessary to
attend a training session in order
to have your crew of volunteers
prepped and ready to get the job
done. There are frequently moments
during music festivals
where the hosting party may
become overwhelmed and may
ask you to take on more obligations
than you expected and/or
were prepared for. Due to this,
the fourth task that must be
taken care of is that you will need
to BE WILLING AND READY
TO TAKE ON ANY TASK THAT
IS REQUESTED OF YOU. This
will make the entire operation
run much more smoothly and in
turn, create a better environment
for everybody at the festival. The
joint chapters of Iota Gamma and
Theta Delta have done everything
that has ever been asked
of us at the Lionel Hampton Jazz
Festival from acting as guides
for competing band programs to
simply getting coffee for the site
managers...whatever it takes!
The fifth thing that must occur is
that you must STAY FOR THE
ENTIRE TIME YOU SAID YOU
WOULD BE THERE. As simple
as it sounds, some groups do not
do this and it makes them look
terrible. We brothers and sisters
are above that and must always
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adhere to our promises.
If your chapter is looking for
a similar event, seek out your
college/university, local schools,
and area to see what events will
need a helping hand in order
to pull off their gig with great
success. In the event that you do
not find one, seriously consider
forming your own. Several of
our chapters have created field
show competitions, band days,
and district events at the drop
of a hat. If we can do that, then
why not consider forming another
event for your local jazz bands or
similar groups? If you need any
ideas, consider contacting some
other chapters from the westside
that have already volunteered
at events such as these and see
what advice they have for you!
Best of Luck!