"It is an Honor to be Selected to Serve."
Membership in Kappa Kappa Psi is extended to outstanding bandmembers as a reward for technical achievement and an appreciation for the best in music - it is by invitation only. The Epsilon Kappa Chapter has one class per academic year, which takes place during the Spring semester. Bids, or invitations to join, are distributed in December.
Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma are co-ed organizations, and we both recognize outstanding men and women in the band with invitations. If you recieve a bid from both organizations, we encourage you to join the group that you feel more comfortable or "at home" with. Ultimately, when you join either organization, it is cause for both organizations to celebrate.
Being worthy of a bid for Kappa Kappa Psi means that you go above and beyond merely participating at the level that is expected of every member of the band. To be selected for a bid, bandmembers must demonstrate several character traits that set them apart as being outstanding. These are character traits are also an important part of our Membership Education Program, and as such are important character traits for all of our members. Here are the "Keys to Active Membership" as outlined in our MEP:
Musicianship: Since musicianship is what makes a band great, this is a key trait to be exhibited. Musicianship entails not being the worlds greatest, but rather persistence and patience in the practice room.
Respect: This is a take on the golden rule: “respect others as you want to be respected.” This means that members must respect their fellow man and brethren in music. Without respect, how is a band going to be taken seriously? Without a mutual respect, how can we take each other seriously on our goal of “Striving for the Highest?”
Integrity: One must always be truthful. Integrity is a trait which shows pure devotion. Also remember, “Honesty is the best policy.” It is better to be third chair and honest than leader of the section and full of deceit and lies.
Leadership: Without solid inner leadership a band cannot function. A leader is not always sitting center stage, but more often is hidden behind the scenes doing what others forgot. There is a mammoth difference between being a manager and a leader. Being a manager means you are often in charge and have no sense in which direction the band needs to go, causing it to stay stagnant. Being a leader means that you are in charge and know which direction to take the band, allowing it to reach new heights. That also means that at times you follow the trail another musician blazes. Being in Kappa Kappa Psi requires that you learn and practice the difference.
Dedication: Dedication is the main key to “Striving for the Highest.” Without dedication one cannot function in any organization much less a band. This also means that no matter how bumpy the road we must stay the course if it is in the best interest of our chapter and the band. We must dedicate ourselves to fulfilling the purposes of our illustrious organization.
Duty: Without a sense of duty, the band will suffer. Doing the right things without being told exhibits a good understanding of “duty.” Being told to do something and following through also demonstrates a sense of duty.
Brotherhood: Brotherhood is more than just friendship. It is a bond that we all share to exemplify the love that we have for one another, music, and the band. Brotherhood is more than just a pin and a fancy pants certificate. Brotherhood is being there for your fellow brothers and band members.
If you demonstrate these character traits throughout the Fall semester, you will likely be recognized with an invitation to join our fraternity. The chapter also hosts band social activities as well as recruiting events throughout the Fall semester. While we do our best to befriend everyone in band, it is sometimes difficult to get to know every single person, especially considering the demands of academia. Therefore, while you are not required to attend these events in order to be considered for a bid, it is recommended that you attend these events so that we have a better opportunity to get to know you, for you to get to know us, and for you to get to know your fellow band members. Besides, who wants to pass on free food and fun?
The Membership Education Program
After accepting a bid to join and having completed the Ritual of First Degree, band members become Kappa Kappa Psi Candidates and Brothers of their own Candidate Class.
Your Candidate Class should be treated similarly to how you would treat any other class. During this time your priorities are: 1) Academics, 2) Band, 3) Kappa Kappa Psi. However, the MEP is set up to be similar, if not slightly more challenging, than a typical college course.
The candidate process typically lasts eight weeks. Each week candidates meet with their educators to be instructed in the operations and lore of Kappa Kappa Psi. There are tests over this material each week. In addition, candidates are required to perform a service project, have Big Brother and Big Sister activities, Candidate Class meetings (to stay organized as a class), Candidate Class activities (for study or for fun), design a Candidate Class t-shirt, and more. It is a busy eight weeks, but we are constantly evaluating our MEP to ensure that it is challenging and adequately prepares you for Active Membership, while at the same time not being so much work that it will have a negative impact on your grades. This is an important point to us. While any member will agree that the process is a challenge, almost all of them made it through without experiencing any negative impact on their academic classes.
The goal of the MEP is to prepare you for Active Membership in the fraternity. This means that while you're learning the fraternity's history and operations, you're also developing leadership, communication, time management, and organizational skills that will serve as a foundation from which you can further grow during your time as an Active Member.
Of course, you'll also develop a strong sense of family among your Candidate Class. Many members of Kappa Kappa Psi reflect on their candidacy as being one of the most rewarding experiences of their college careers. You will spend a lot of time working and bonding with you Candidate Brothers, which then sets you up to become part of the Brotherhood of Epsilon Kappa. While candidacy can be a lot of work at times, it is also meant to be a lot of fun.
Finally, we must also emphasize that there is NO HAZING in our MEP. Hazing is not tolerated in this chapter, whether it's an Active Member hazing a Candidate, a Candidate hazing another Candidate, or even a Candidate hazing an Active Member. Kappa Kappa Psi has a very strong anti-hazing policy, and this chapter decided years ago to become a leader in stamping out hazing from its activities. Not only is hazing pointless, but if one member is involved in hazing, it puts the entire chapter, and the entire national fraternity at risk. So you should rest assured that you will go through a process free of hazing. If you happen to be one of those crazy college students that wants to be hazed, go look somewhere else!
There are so many opportunities that await you as a member of Kappa Kappa Psi! If you have any questions about membership, the fraternity, or the MEP, don't hesitate to ask a Brother.
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