Royal Purple

Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Photo submitted The members of Phi Mu Alpha sing for residents of the Fairhaven retirement home on March 1. The performance was part of their Mills Music Mission, a national philanthropic event.?

The Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity of UW-Whitewater is helping to serve the community through their music.

Vice President Tom Applegarth believes that his fraternity "betters the lives of not just music people, but everyone."

This past month, this close-knit group of men did a Mills Music Mission at Fairhaven, a nursing home in Whitewater. It is the Phi Mu Alpha's national philanthropic event that honors the fraternity's founder, Ossian Everett Mills.

The men go around to different nursing homes and hospices to take music to patients who otherwise have no opportunity to hear live music. The main goal of the Mills Music Mission is to uplift souls of the less fortunate with the beauty and power of music. Phi Mu Alpha still has two more Mills Music Missions coming up. There will be one in Platteville as well as one in Madison before the spring 2008 semester is over.

The organization also helps out with the charitable events of other members of UW-Whitewater's Greek community. Phi Mu Alpha helped the sorority sisters of Sigma Sigma Sigma with a charity event called "Rocking for Robby."

They also helped Alpha Sigma sorority sell ribbons in order to raise money for those families whose homes were hit by the tornado that swept through Kenosha County this past winter.

"The fraternity works for the benefit of music in America," said President Matt Volden. At the same time, they work to "make life better, happier and fun," Volden said.

Phi Mu Alpha is also the only fraternity on the UW-Whitewater campus to give a scholarship to a specific major. As you might have guessed, their scholarship goes to music majors. It is an endowed scholarship that is currently up to $10,000. The purpose of the scholarship is to help music majors achieve their goal of graduating from the university with a music degree.

The organization currently has nine active members and three probationary members, who are looked at as members of the fraternity, but can be terminated at any time. The numbers are small, but Applegarth said it's a close-knit group.

"Right off the bat you get to know everyone, and well," said Applegarth. "We may not have the numbers, but our brotherhood is strong for that reason."

Something that might come as a surprise is that not one of the nine active members of the Phi Mu Alpha fraternity are music majors, and only one probationary member is a music major. Since the fraternity has no prerequisites, Volden said anyone can join as long as they have a love for music.

Phi Mu Alpha plays a large role in the community. Whether it is by singing to brighten up someone's day or by helping out other Greek organizations or the university in general, they are always there to lend a helping hand.

"Through music, we make ourselves better as men," Applegarth said.

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