Service

In the Department

Gamma Mu helps the Virginia Tech Department of Music with various service projects every semester.  Some examples of service projects include helping with music major auditions, building a ramp for percussion equipment, and polishing brass. You will regularly see members ushering and stage managing the many departmental concerts and student recitals held each year.

Beginning in the spring of 2004, we began holding the David R. Widder Student Soloist Competition.  This competition was named after Dr. Widder to honor his 30 years as director of the University Symphonic Wind Ensemble.  This competition allows high school students to display their musical talents.  The winner is awarded a prize, and his or her name is engraved on a plaque, which is displayed in the music department office.

Often Gamma Mu holds a fundraiser for a music scholarship.  The scholarship is awarded to an incoming freshman who is majoring in music. 

Also, every January, Gamma Mu joins the Virginia Tech chapters of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma to assist with the Virginia Tech Honor Band.  Members spend an entire weekend guiding students throughout the Department, providing directors with assistance as needed, and ushering and stage-managing the final performance.  

In the Community

Not only does Gamma Mu help on campus but off campus, too!  Just because we are a music fraternity doesn’t mean that all members are music majors.  In fact, we have membership from various majors from Biology to English to Apparel Design.  Gamma Mu takes advantage of this variety of majors and offers tutoring services. 

Every year we hold a concert at Warm Hearth Retirement Village.  We usually spend about an hour singing for and interacting with the residents.  This is a great way in which we give back to the community, and everyone loves us being there.

In 2009, Gamma Mu participated in The Big Event for the first time.  The Big Event is a campus-wide community service project.  Students form teams and go out into the community to help people with various projects ranging from painting to yard work for residents in the surrounding communities.  This is Virginia Tech’s way of saying thanks to the New River Valley for their hospitality nine months out of the year. 

Gamma Mu also participated in its first Relay for Life in 2009.  Members come together as a team to help raise money for cancer research and awareness of cancer prevention and treatment.  Relay is a great outlet for giving back to not only the community but also the nation and the world. 

We have also participated in benefit concerts for various charities.  Some previous charities Gamma Mu has donated to include the Montgomery County Christmas Store, the Humane Society, and Goodwill.  We have even contributed to VH1’s Save The Music Foundation.  This non-profit organization is dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in American public schools, which is one of the core values of Delta Omicron.