WD Leadership Conference 2008

The Brothers and Sisters of the Western District came together again to celebrate our bonds, meet new people, and ultimately grow as leaders so that we can make our Chapters stronger, thus making the service to our bands better!

The emphasis for the weekend was placed on Service, Music, and Leadership, every activity, every discussion, and every event was geared towards one of these three principles.

After a welcome from the District Council everyone in the room began to dance and move around, breaking boundaries and getting comfortable with each other, the idea being that this weekend was about growth and self-discovery as a leader. Starting with a discussion about what everyone hoped to get out of the weekend moved us into a time of sharing.

We started early with a Host Chapter provided Breakfast then went into a workshop with our District Advisors that combined discussion with activity as our membership learned about teamwork, variety in opinion, and utilizing everyone’s strengths when planning and serving. After the great workshop, we grabbed a quick lunch and came back to prepare for what was the largest service project the Western District has performed together.

We provided a Musical Education and Outreach service to over 200 Girl Scouts with their parents and troupe officials. We gathered everyone into one room and began with a rhythm activity that got everyone moving and thinking about music. After we got people moving and thinking about music, we performed a little “concert” for them with all the Brothers and Sisters playing the KKPsi Fraternity Hymn and TBSigma National Hymn on our instruments, conducted and prior mini-rehearsed by our very own District Governor, Chris Chapman. We then broke into groups that all the girls were divided into. Each group had a lesson/musical experience that they could share in, which included an Instrument Petting Zoo, a Make Your Own Instrument, a simple Singing/Note Learning, a Music from Around the World, and the most picturesque, a Marching and Marching Band Uniform group. We ended with a “what was your favorite part” session which was so cute and inspiring that many of them liked playing the instruments, which is what we liked to hear, after all, we want them to come to college and play in the band! We then asked them to sing a Girl Scouts Song for us, after which we sang our organizations songs for them. It was an awesome afternoon of music, musical exploration, and bonding with each other, it was such a success and we have not just the Host Chapter and Council to thank, but all 180 Brothers and Sisters that stepped up to make everything run smoothly and a positive experience for the girls. As a side note, one of the mom’s asked, “So, are you guys getting class credit for this?” To which we responded, no. “I just can’t believe that college students would give up their Saturday Afternoon for no credit or University recognition, we Thank You so much, this has been so great for the girls!”

Needless to say that the DLC Service Project was incredible and a great opportunity for us to share our love of music and band with all the girl scouts. We hope this is something that can be looked at for the Chapter Level, it was just cool to see it done on such a large scale, with so many people involved in one way or another!

After our Service afternoon, we had a nice dinner break to met new people and to share stories from each of our Chapters, a nice time just to relax. We then headed back to campus and attended 2 different workshops, depending on what you were the most interested in, the topic of Delegating or Selling Yourself for an Office or Job. When those completed, we headed over to Gammage Auditorium and shared in a Western District Joint Experience. A little ceremony mixed with some interactive group lessons and sharing, it was a nice time to come together in a more serious mind set and exchange ideas. After which we did our famous “PJ’s and Hot Chocolate” time, a time for everyone to share with each other and to reflect on the days experiences. After such an action packed day, it was time for some sleepy time.

On the last day, after a quick bite to eat, we broke into Officer Focus Groups. These groups were used to discuss issues, questions, and scenarios that were encountered while serving in these roles, or that could potentially be experienced should one serve in that role at some point, either on the Chapter or District level. Some great brainstorming sessions and ideas came out that were later released to the entire District to use and potentially bring a new idea to the Chapter. It was then time for another series of workshops. With 4 being offered, it gave all participants an opportunity to chose and get something out of what was being offered.

It was then time to spend with our separate organizations. KKPsi focused on presentations and discussions related to our Ritual and revealed points to ponder as we engaged in a Hazing presentation. These two topics are something the Brothers could relate to and bring back to the Chapters to continue the conversations started at DLC. TBSigma geared their time around their Ritual, a time that every Chapter could participate and bring elements of the Ritual done in their home Chapters. Sisters were able to see what others use and have an open discussion about making the delivery of Ritual something special.

Bringing another musical element to the Conference was easy when we broke into groups to learn the fight songs and alma maters of each others schools. The Fight Song Competition has long been a tradition of the Western District and this was an opportunity to highlight that and engage each other in another musical and school spirit venue. The end of the evening was a fun and vibrant time as we sung and chanted for each other, a true time of WD bonding and appreciation!

As DLC 2008 came to a close, it was a time for reflection and memory. The goal was to have Brothers and Sisters come in with one mind set and background, and then leave with a new set of tools and ideas to make their Chapters and Bands the best they can be. While exploring new concepts and thoughts, we mixed in a ton of fun, including the inception of a new WD Cheer! The Western District Leadership Conference 2008 was a great time for all in attendance, 180 Brothers and Sisters made the 10th Annual event a huge success and again laid the foundation for success and expectation in the future!

-Lance Coochyouma
Western District President