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The Coat of Arms and the Object of the Fraternity
Did you know that the name "Phi Mu Alpha" and the Coat of Arms are based on the Object?
At Sinfonia's first National Convention in 1901, members from Alpha, Beta and Delta Chapters met in Boston to organize the national Fraternity and draw up a constitution. On that occasion the Fraternity's founders crafted a statement that would express the Fraternity's mission to future generations:
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The Object of this Fraternity shall be for the development of the best and truest fraternal spirit; the mutual welfare and brotherhood of musical students; the advancement of music in America and a loyalty to the Alma Mater. |
Because the Object (known at various times as "the purposes") was changed several times during the Fraternity's history, many generations of Sinfonians never learned that the name "Phi Mu Alpha" and the symbols in the coat-of-arms are actually based on the statements in the Object. In fact, these connections were rediscovered only as recently as 2001. |
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"The best and truest fraternal spirit" and "mutual welfare and brotherhood of musical students" gave us FRATERNITY, represented in the coat-of-arms by the clasped hands. |
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"The advancement of music in America" gave us MUSIC, represented in the coat-of-arms by the pipes of pan. |
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"Loyalty to the Alma Mater" gave us...you guessed it – ALMA MATER, represented by the lamp. |
Most importantly, the statements in the Object (FRATERNITY – MUSIC – ALMA MATER) were not ordered arbitrarily. In fact, the placement of "Fraternity" first was deliberate to express the idea that Sinfonia is unique among all music institutions as a society that advances music and develops loyalty to music institutions by building men of high ideals with a true fraternal spirit. |
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