Initiated in the Alpha Kappa Chapter, Pittsburg (KS) State University in 1957, Martha has been a part of the Denver Alumnae Chapter since 1986 and has held multiple positions in this chapter.

She was in office as President twice and has also held offices as Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor (2 4 year terms), and Chaplin. On a national level, Martha had the privilege of being the Tempo! Director for 6 years.

Some of her favorite parts about SAI include sharing music and friendship with other musicians. Currently, Martha is a retired private music teacher for piano, clarinet, bassoon, and oboe. How did she choose to focus on bassoon all those years ago?

“We had a piano, so I started on it at 5 years old. We also had an old metal clarinet that had been my brother’s, so I started on it at 7 years old. When I was in the 7th grade, my Jr. High band director asked if I would like to learn to play bassoon. I said, “Sure!” so he gave me my first lessons and the rest is history.”

To pass the time, Martha plays bassoon with the Denver Concert Band, The Show and Tell Band (a small band from within the Denver Concert Band which goes into schools to play and demonstrate instruments and encourage students to take up and instrument), and the Golden Eagle Band. In the summer, she also plays with the John Philip Sousa Band. Occasionally, Martha plays clarinet or bassoon with the Shrine Family Band for a performance and with other small ensembles for special occasions.

Fun facts about Martha and her fraternity involvement: “At the 1993 National Convention in Cincinnati, I sang with the “Strolling SAI’s” and helped invite attending members to Denver for the next convention by donning a cowboy hat and singing a song of invitation with Donita Banks, Ardice Garrels, and Dee Netzel. At the 1997 convention in Denver, I served as Office Manager, working along with Ruth Sieber Johnson and Paul Walker, Bookkeeper in the National Office. At that same convention, I presented, at the request of National President Brenda Ray, a seminar on how to get your music published. (I’ve written piano teaching pieces which were published by Myklas. Also, I was commissioned by the National Guild of Piano Teachers to write several compositions for the Allison Contemporary Piano Collection which is a set of books containing selections suitable for Guild Auditions.) At the request of Janet Nieburg, then editor of “Pan Pipes,” I wrote an article titled “Publishing Your Masterpiece” which appeared in the Winter 1998 issue of “Pan Pipes”. As “Tempo” Director, I was asked by then-National President Virginia Johnson to represent the National Directors on the Nominating Committee to nominate National Officers to be voted upon at the 2000 convention in Dallas. As part of the SAI centennial year of 2003, a songwriting contest was held.

The song I wrote and submitted was one of the winning songs, and was, along with the other winners, published in a new SAI Songbook.

The winners and their songs (which were sung by the Strolling SAI’s) were introduced one at a time, during the general sessions of the 2003 Convention in Dearborn, Michigan.”

We are so glad to have a sister as amazing as Martha in our chapter. Love and roses!