I am a sister of Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Service Sorority. Whenever I announce that, I inevitably get a barrage of strange looks and at least one person asks, “How are you even in a sorority?” At that point I have to give of a history lesson about my sorority and how it became co-educational in the 70s.
Tau Beta Sigma (TBS) changed my life. I became a membership candidate in the spring of 2013, during my second semester at the University of North Alabama and first year in the university bands program. My time as a membership candidate allowed me to find order and time management skills that, as a junior in college, I had yet to foster. It was a maturation period wherein I completely overhauled my perspective on how I present myself and those organizations to which I am attached.
The ideals that my sorority strives for - knowledge and development of [my] physical powers in the quest for good health and bodily perfection; recognition and development of [my] intellectual potential; appreciation for and the maintenance of the highest moral standards; achievement of and the personification within [myself] of lofty spiritual ideals; cultivation and maintenance of [my] emotional poise under all conditions – are ideals that I live by daily, as most sisters of any Greek organization with ideals do.
My chapter, Eta Beta, was chartered in the 1980s. Eta Beta didn’t have a male member until the mid 2000s; the membership of the chapter is now roughly half men, half women. I share a bond with the men and women in my chapter that will be life-lasting. We have had many late nights organizing events for our chapter, the Pride of Dixie Marching Band, and our community. Through our hard work, we have established a bond in our sisterhood that enables us to speak freely with each other, as well as ourselves. I have found a family on campus. They are the people I call one when I need help – with anything.
Being a sister of TBS has given me the opportunity to experience being a part of something that is bigger than myself. Throughout the nation, there are chapters that work just as tirelessly as mine does. To know that there thousands of sisters that have the knowledge of our secrets is a humbling experience. When we gather, something amazing happens. The love and understanding for one another’s experiences becomes a tangible force when we sing our songs and read from our history together.
Tau Beta Sigma has given me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of servant leadership. Servant leaders lead from the back. They help their peers by setting the example and getting just as sweaty, sunburned, hot, and dirty. Being a servant leader in my sorority, and thusly the Pride of Dixie Marching Band, has given me the opportunity to know what it feels like to be responsible for the success of a large group of people.
Being a sister of Tau Beta Sigma has changed my life. I repeat that throughout this piece of writing because it is simply true. Before I became a membership candidate, my life was without purpose, or cause, or moral value. Tau Beta Sigma has given me standards and guidelines on how to conduct myself in my everyday life, and I will carry them with me until I join the Great Sorority in the Sky.
