Crescendo: A Musical Youth Initiative
| Crescendo, a common musical term for a gradual increase in loudness, comes from the Italian and Latin words meaning “to grow or increase.” The “Crescendo” program addresses the Tau Beta Sigma purpose “To promote the existence and welfare of the collegiate bands and to create a respect and appreciation for band activities and achievements among the listening public everywhere.” The program’s purpose is to focus on the increase/growth of college band members by encouraging younger musicians to continue playing and performing as they make the transition to college.
The first incarnation of this program titled “Scouting for Music” was first introduced during the 2007 – 2009 biennium. For such a young program, chapter participation developed quickly with a little under half of all chapters having reported participation in the program’s first few years. The initial program sought to connect Girl Scout USA (GSUSA) troops with Tau Beta Sigma chapters. Although many chapters still work in conjunction with GSUSA, the focus on partnership with GSUSA became too restrictive for the program to reach a larger audience. At the 2015 National Convention the national delegation determined that rebranding the program as “Crescendo” would allow Tau Beta Sigma to include all local schools and youth organizations and would encourage all chapters to participate in it each year without issue. For more information about this program, see THE TAU BETA SIGMA PROGRAMS GUIDE. |