Have you created a video of your musicale performance and are looking for a way to share it? Look no further—here are some easy (and free) ways to share your video with a musicale or event presenter.

• If you have a Google account (meaning, you have a Gmail email address) upload your video to the YouTube account included with your Google account and share the link. Make sure your video is either public or unlisted so that the link can be accessed. Your presenter should be able to create a YouTube playlist and use the link to include your video.
  Note: Your YouTube account has no file storage or upload limits, but you will be asked a few questions as you prep your video for publishing.
  
  
• Also for Google account holders: upload your video to your personal Google Drive, set the sharing settings to “View” or “Edit,” and share the link. The presenter should be able to download your video from there.
  Note: if you have a free Google account, your Drive is limited to 15GB of storage.
  
  
• Dropbox accounts are free to create, and Basic accounts are free to use. You can upload your video to your Dropbox account and share your video with your presenter, who will be able to download it from there.
  Note: free, Basic accounts have 2BG total file storage available.
  
  
• WeTransfer is a service that allows you to upload and share files up to 2GB (per file transfer) free of charge. You can share a link or a direct invitation from WeTransfer with your presenter.
  Note: free file transfers expire after 7 days.
  
  
• Vimeo is a video hosting service that allows you to upload videos free of charge with the Basic account. You can upload your video and share the link with your presenter.
  Note: free, Basic accounts have weekly upload limits and total storage caps.

For the chapter’s January 2021 business meeting, conducted on Zoom, Vice President Ritual Keena Day developed and presented the following presentation on the Black pioneers of opera and how to virtually celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day (Jan. 18).

The Denver Alumnae Chapter is thrilled to be the 2019-20 recipient of the Annelle Chandler McAdams Service Project Award (Category 2)!

For the chapter’s October business meeting, conducted on Zoom, Vice President Ritual Keena Day developed and presented the following presentation on the founding of Sigma Alpha Iota, the Fraternity’s earliest activism measures, and prejudice in SAI.

We were thrilled to recently learn that we received the 2019 Sigma Alpha Iota Alumnae Chapter Achievement Award for Xi C Province!

(This post was updated on Oct. 21, 2020 to make a correction: This award is a Province award, not a national one. We’re still so thrilled and grateful to have received it!)

The Denver Alumnae Chapter affiliated one new member at the April chapter meeting!

Alyse Greenberg was initiated in to SAI in 1997 by the Eta Rho chapter at the University of Delaware. She served in officer and committee chair positions, but it’s been so long that she doesn’t remember which ones. She also served as a big sister. After college, Alyse joined the Central New Jersey Alumnae Chapter of SAI, where she remained active for about 7 years, and served as President, Treasurer, and Fundraising Committee chair. Alyse has been playing the flute for over 30 years, most recently with the Mile High Community Band in Denver. She is currently taking a break from Mile High, and will be rehearsing with the Highlands Ranch Concert Band this spring.

Professionally, Alyse has worked primarily in the environmental conservation field, in roles ranging from environmental educator to grant administrator. Alyse currently works for The Water Research Foundation, a global not-for-profit water research and technology innovation cooperative. As a member of the communications and marketing team, Alyse prepares research reports for publication, writes articles, and copyedits anything that comes across her desk. In her free time, Alyse hikes, does yoga, reads, and volunteers for the Denver Audubon Society.

The Denver Alumnae Chapter affiliated four new members at the January chapter meeting!

Keena Day is from Detroit, MI, and eventually received her B.A., and M.A., in English with education credentials from Tennessee State University. She has been an educator for 15 years, completing an educational fellowship situated at Yale University and subsequently opening her own educational consulting company and blog called The Savvy Urban Educators and is currently working for KippColorado Schools as the Director of Secondary Literacy grades 3-12. Keena is also a published author, freelance writer and journalist having written for newspapers and magazines in Nashville, TN and working in media while performing as a poet. Keena was initiated into the Kappa Iota chapter in 2003 at Tennessee State University; she went on to serve as Psi B Province Officer and Region 4 Officer while living in Tennessee. She is the mother of a graduating senior (Jimmy, III), a 6th grader (Jimari) who both play low brass instruments and her partner Jimmy, II is a member of Phi Mu Alpha and is Band Director at East Middle School and Assistant Band Director at Hinkley High School.

Jessica Kneiff graduated from Washburn University  in Topeka, Kansas in May of 2018 where she was a member of Theta Chapter. She plays the bass clarinet and the saxophone and graduated with a degree in public relations and a minor in music. Jessica moved to Denver in June for a marketing job at a software company. Her fondest memories of SAI are when her chapter earned the Katherine Becker National Collegiate Chapter Achievement Award in 2017 and when she attended the 2018 National Convention in Scottsdale, where she met some of her new Denver SAI sisters for the first time. Jessica volunteers with the Aurora Symphony Orchestra and is looking forward to finding new ways to bring music into her life through the SAI Denver Alumnae Chapter sisterhood.

Callie O’Buckley is from North Carolina and has recently moved to Denver, CO. Before moving, she graduated from University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a BA in Arts Administration. While in her collegiate chapter of SAI, she served as the Sergeant at Arms, Secretary, and President. Callie plays flute and she is looking for new opportunities in Denver to continue playing. She has recently accepted a position with the Boy Scouts of America, Denver Council as a District Executive.

Tina Phillips is a respected Jazz artist and songwriter based in the Denver region. Influenced most by Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughn, Charlie Parker and her dear friends Sheila Jordan and Art Lande, her style is versatile – including straight ahead, bebop, blues, and Latin Jazz. Her charismatic on-stage performance is the finishing touch. Tina, a Denver native, attended the University of Colorado as a vocal performance major. She is a highly respected vocal coach, clinician, award winning billboard songwriter and performs with internationally known jazz musicians.  Her music is played worldwide and she performs nationally. Respected Internationally known Jazz critic, Scott Yannow, listed Tina in his book The Jazz Singers The Ultimate Guide.

The Denver Alumnae Chapter was thrilled to affiliate three sisters at our meeting on Nov. 27, 2018!

Nicole Kobayashi was initiated into the Sigma Upsilon chapter at the University of Denver in 2014 where she held the office of Treasurer for a year and a half. While at the University of Denver, she studied clarinet with Dr. Jeremy Reynolds and graduated in 2016 with a BM in Music Performance. A few months prior to graduation, Nicole began working part time at a finance firm in Cherry Creek where she later accepted a full time position immediately following graduation. Since then, Nicole has been working in the financial services industry and is currently studying to obtain her Certified Financial Planner TM designation along with her Series 65 license. Nicole is from Honolulu, Hawaii and enjoys spending much of her free time outdoors in the Colorado wilderness.

Shelley McCluskey was initiated into the Epsilon Theta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota at Appalachian State University in April of 2013. There she held numerous committee chair positions, as well as served on the Executive Board for two years as corresponding secretary and president. Shelley completed her degree in music therapy in December of 2016. She is currently a Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) with the Child and Family Therapy Center of Denver, where she provides in-home and clinic-based services for children and young adults with developmental disabilities, life-limiting illnesses, and rehabilitative needs. A North Carolina native, Shelley now happily resides in Denver with her boyfriend, Ben, who is a 2nd year law student at DU, and their wonderfully weird cat, Teddy. Hobbies include eating delicious meals she didn’t cook, quoting “Gilmore Girls”, and watching each snowfall with her nose pressed against the bedroom window as if she’s never seen the stuff before. Shelley hopes to enroll at CSU to begin graduate coursework in music therapy next fall.

Ariana Olivero graduated from Florida International University in May 2018 with a Bachelor in Communication Arts and a minor in Global Media Communication. She initiated in Fall of 2017, and was part of the Fraternity Education/Ritual committee and Public Relations committee for the Lambda Omicron Chapter. An accomplishment she’s proud of while being in her chapter was being able to rebuild the entire website from scratch. Ariana is a mezzo-soprano vocalist. Her hobbies include DIY projects, exploring Denver, and writing in her bullet journal. Ariana was always involved in the arts from a young age through dancing, playing guitar/piano, singing, and even painting. Although she doesn’t paint or play instruments anymore, that is something she hopes to do again in the future. She loves SAI because it allows her the opportunity to connect with women from all walks of life that share the same love of music she has. Ariana recently moved to Denver to be an AmeriCorps member with City Year where she dedicated a year towards decreasing the amount of graduation dropouts. She also founded the first ever cheerleading team at her school in the 92 years it’s been open.

We received notice that Karen Kappler, one of our Active Members, passed away on March 3, 2018. May she rest in peace.

Karen was born July 19, 1938 in Maud, OK to Raymond & Verdena Edwards. She entered into eternal life with Jesus on March 3, 2018 at the age of 79. Karen had degrees from Denver University and a Master of Music from Colorado University. She married Sam Clifton, and together they had two daughters: Mary Louise Clifton of Seattle, WA and Catherine Sehorn of Shawnee, OK. She married Karl Kappler in 1989, and together they traveled extensively in the US, Canada, Mexico, and several foreign countries. She was predeceased by her parents and first husband. She is survived by her husband Karl Kappler; her sister Ramona Farthing; two daughters; five grandchildren; and one great grandchild. Karen was a member of the SAI Musical Fraternity, and the Gideous International Auxiliary.

More information is available here.

Active members, in good standing, of the Sigma Upsilon chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota are invited to apply for the 2018 Dr. JoAnne Kyhl Memorial Performance Competition!

Details and application can be found here.

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!

The Denver Alumnae Chapter has begun a service project with The Gathering Place in Denver. Founded in 1986, The Gathering Place is the only daytime drop-in center in metropolitan Denver that serves women, their children, and transgender individuals who are experiencing poverty, many of whom are also experiencing homelessness. The Gathering Place is a community of safety and hope where positive relationships, choice, and essential resources transform lives.

Members of SAI Denver perform in twice-monthly Lunch Hour Musicales for the members of TGP to provide outreach, community, and camaraderie through the power of music. Performers in December include Marion Talley on piano and Anna Maria Manalo on piano and violin.

Additionally, members of SAI Denver will participate in a Holiday Caroling Sing-a-Long at TGP on December 21.