Stephen Svatek, a University of Texas civil engineering junior and member of music fraternities Kappa Kappa Psi and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, says his experience in the organizations has helped to round out his time in college and keep him in touch with a passion for music.
“It makes me feel a lot more fulfilled,” Svatek said. “In high school, you could easily just focus a lot more around band, because school work wasn’t so intense. So, it’s just a way of getting back into that.”
A Taylor, TX, native, Svatek played trumpet in his high school’s band and now plays the baritone horn in Longhorn Band and Longhorn Pep Band at UT. He said that Kappa Kappa Psi focuses its efforts on the Longhorn Band, doing service for it including helping to load instruments for game days, set up equipment and organize water breaks. Svatek said that Phi Mu Alpha focuses its efforts more on music in general, with a large emphasis on singing. He said that the organization regularly sings at its events, along with UT and community affairs. He said in the past the organization has performed in the office of UT President Bill Powers, in front of the Tower and during rallies before football games.
Svatek said in comparing his time in high school band to college that he actually finds Longhorn Band to be less intense; the fraternities, meanwhile, help to supplement that music intensity.
“It’s not near as intense as Texas high school marching band is,” Svatek said. “Longhorn Horn Band is a lot more relaxed, so I’m not getting as much as I did in high school.”
He said he has a good time with his organizations and the fun is what prompted him to first join Kappa Kappa Psi in December of last year. “I thought it’d be fun,” Svatek said. “I saw everyone else in it and everyone else was having fun … I would say it is fun to be in.”
Svatek said he likes to keep his college experience varied and his time in the fraternities help with that. “I like to be active,” Svatek said. “I think soccer is probably my favorite sport, so I play that often. I’m getting more into frisbee. I run from time to time, go to the gym. College takes over a lot of your life, but I try to keep it as even as I can.”
Svatek said that after college, he would like to pursue a master’s degree in civil engineering. He said that he wants to ultimately pursue a career in engineering, while keeping up his work in music, specifically with a gig in a band as a guitarist.
