Post on 25-Mar-2016
description
Tau Beta Sigma National Program Guide
Scouting for Music
Kevin Earnest, NVPSP
with contributions from 2011-2012 District VPSPs
Marlee Newman, WD
Jaclyn Smith, SWD
Nathan Tendick, MWD
Belinda Baker, SED
Elise Mahr, NCD
Alana Leeti, NED
All information about the GSUSA and their programming (including all tables and graphics) are assembled from
their website (www.girlscouts.org) and their 2012 edition of “Volunteer Essentials” publication. Copies can be
obtained from all council offices or websites such as http://www.gs-top.org/volunteer-essentials.
Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................................................... 2
Brief Overview of Tau Beta Sigma ................................................................................................................ 2
Mission ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
Program Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 3
History ................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Girl Scouts of the USA ................................................................................................................................. 3
Scouting For Music Program ........................................................................................................................ 4
GSUSA Organizational Structure ..................................................................................................................... 4
National Organization and Worldwide Sisterhood ..................................................................................... 4
Councils ......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Troops ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
Campus Girl Scouts ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Program Development ....................................................................................................................................... 5
GSUSA Programming Structure................................................................................................................... 5
Leadership Journeys ......................................................................................................................5
The Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting ................................................................................................7
How to Earn Badges ......................................................................................................................7
Developing Your Chapter’s Program ................................................................................................................ 8
Who To Contact ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Starting Your Program .................................................................................................................................. 8
Resources ....................................................................................................................................................... 8
Make a Plan ................................................................................................................................................... 8
Finances ......................................................................................................................................................... 9
Follow-Up ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Appendix A – Other Important Information ................................................................................................ 10
Adult-to-Girl Ratios ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Safety Guidelines ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Appendix B – Sample Email to Council Contact .......................................................................................... 12
2
Introduction The purposes of the Program Guides are to better define the National Programs of Tau Beta Sigma,
provide an accessible resource for members interested in executing programs on the chapter and district
levels, record goals and histories of our programs for future development and growth, and provide a
resource for those not involved in Tau Beta Sigma to learn more about projects that are important to our
organization.
All the information in this guide can be a valuable resource. We suggest that you read it in its entirety at
least once before attempting to implement the program. Even the most experienced members may find
new and helpful information. After familiarizing yourself with these guides, you can use them as a quick
reference when needed. The national program materials serve a vast and diverse community of members.
To help implement the programs, we sometimes provide suggestions about what people across the country
are doing that might spark interest and ideas. At Tau Beta Sigma, we know that not every example or
suggestion we provide will work for every chapter or university.
If you have questions that aren’t covered in these documents, be sure to contact your District VPSP or
National VPSP. Remember that your leaders are always willing to assist you and answer questions.
Brief Overview of Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma is a co-educational national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college and
university bands. The Sorority numbers over 3,500 active members at more than 140 university campuses.
Tau Beta Sigma operates primarily as a student service and leadership recognition society whose chief aim
is to assist the Director of Bands in developing the leadership and enthusiasm that they require of their
band. Our goals are not only to provide the band with organized and concentrated service activities, but to
give our membership valid and wholesome experiences in organization, leadership, and social contacts.
The honorary nature of membership is based on our premise that "it is an honor to be selected to serve"—
this band, its department of music, its sponsoring institution, and the cause of band music in the nation's
colleges and universities.
3
Mission
We provide exceptional service to collegiate bands and promote equality and diversity, including
empowering women in the band profession. We cultivate leadership, educational achievement, music
appreciation and community development.
Program Summary One of the cornerstones of the initial development of Tau Beta Sigma is the participation and integration
of women in music. This includes equal access as a student and equal representation professionally. This
cornerstone continues to be a steadfast mission of Tau Beta Sigma as only a small fraction of music
educators and musicians are female. The beginning of the development of women in this field begins
with getting young people excited about music.
By using developed organizations such as Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), we can create an excitement
for music at a young age. The “Scouting For Music” program encourages this partnership to develop
between local chapters and GSUSA’s council offices.
History
Girl Scouts of the USA
Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low assembled 18 girls from Savannah, Georgia, on March 12, 1912, for a local
Girl Scout meeting. She believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically,
mentally, and spiritually. With the goal of bringing girls out of isolated home environments and into
community service and the open air, Girl Scouts hiked, played basketball, went on camping trips, learned
how to tell time by the stars, and studied first aid.
Within a few years, Daisy's dream for a girl-centered organization was realized. Today, Girl Scouts of the
USA has a membership of over 3.2 million girls and adults in 112 councils, a significant growth from its
modest beginnings nearly a century ago. In fact, more than 59 million women in the U.S. today are Girl
Scout alumnae.
4
Scouting For Music Program
The “Scouting For Music” program was first introduced during the 2007 – 2009 biennium. For such a
young program, chapter participation has 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 troops and
chapters. Today, the program seeks to create a lasting relationship with the council office in order to have
the ability to work with multiple troops in the future.
GSUSA Organizational Structure
National Organization and Worldwide Sisterhood
The national office of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), located in New York City, employs roughly 400
employees. GSUSA is member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).
Global Girl Scouting ensures that girls have increased awareness about the world, cross-cultural learning
opportunities, and education on relevant global issues that may inspire them to take action to make the
world a better place.
Since 1925, USA Girl Scouts Overseas (USAGSO), a division of Global Girl Scouting, has helped ease the
transition for American families relocating overseas by offering the familiar traditions and exciting
opportunities of Girl Scouting to girls abroad. USAGSO now serves thousands of American girls living
overseas, as well as girls attending American or international schools. Through Global Girl Scouting,
members participate in World Thinking Day on February 22, visit the four WAGGGS world centers (see
the “For Travel Volunteers” appendix), participate in international travel, promote global friendship and
understanding by supporting the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund, and take action on global issues.
Councils
Girl Scout councils are chartered by the national office to establish local responsibility for leadership,
administration, and supervision of Girl Scout program, and to develop, manage, and maintain Girl
Scouting in a geographic area. The national office provides support materials to all councils to ensure that
the Girl Scout experience is nationally consistent.
5
Troops
Troops consist of a small group of girls of the same age that are registered members. The Troop is
registered with the Council. After girls join, they team up in the following grade levels: Girl Scout Daisy -
grades K–1, Girl Scout Brownie - grades 2–3, Girl Scout Junior - grades 4–5, Girl Scout Cadette - grades
6–8, Girl Scout Senior - grades 9–10, Girl Scout Ambassador - grades 11–12.
Campus Girl Scouts
Young adults who attend an institute of higher learning may join or start a Campus Girl Scout group on
their campus. While Campus Girl Scouts are full adult members in Girl Scouts and do not form a troop
or sell cookies, joining Campus Girl Scouts allows them to get involved with their campus community and
beyond. They may lead troops, volunteer for Council events, help with paperwork or the cookie sale,
complete service projects- their activities are driven by the members of the group. These individuals can
be great allies in assisting with the logistics of working with your local council. Seek them out, they may
be on your campus!
Program Development
GSUSA Programming Structure
The National Program Portfolio has two main parts – the National Leadership Journeys and The Girl's
Guide to Girl Scouting. Complemented by the Girl Scout Cookie program, Girl Scout travel and Girl Scout
awards, the National Program Portfolio is designed to help girls develop as leaders and build confidence
by learning new skills.
Leadership Journeys There are three different Leadership Journeys series: It's Your Story – Tell It!, It's Your Planet – Love It!,
and It's Your World – Change It!. Each series has separate books and awards for each grade level and a
corresponding adult guide. On every Leadership Journey, everything girls do—whether it's performing
science experiments, creating art projects, cooking simple meals, or learning to protect the planet's water
supply—is aimed at giving them the benefits of the Girl Scout "3 Keys to Leadership": Discover, Connect,
Take Action.
6
A girl Discovers her special skills and talents, finds the confidence to set challenging goals for herself and strives to live by her values. This includes being proud of where she came from as well as where she's going.
A girl Connects with others, which means she learns how to team up, solve conflicts, and have healthy relationships. These skills help her in school right now and prepare her for any career she chooses in the future.
A girl Takes Action and makes the world a better place, learning a lot about her community and the world along the way.
To learn more about the Leadership Journeys, head to www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/.
7
The Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting In addition to the resources created for Leadership Journeys, girls at every grade-level have a Girl’s Guide to
Girl Scouting. Through fun activities, girls can earn a variety of badges to build skills and gain confidence.
They can even develop and complete activities to make their own badge—a great way to explore a topic of
personal interest. All badges are called National Proficiency Badges and are grouped in following
categories: Legacy, Financial Literacy, Cookie Business, Skill-Building, and Make Your Own.
How to Earn Badges Each badge begins by stating the badge’s purpose; that is, the skill girls will have learned when they’ve
completed the badge. Girls complete five steps to earn each badge. There are three choices for completing
each step (girls have to choose only one to complete the step).
8
Developing Your Chapter’s Program
Who To Contact
In order to best facilitate a well-rounded program and to ease the process, it is wise to utilize the GSUSA’s
existing program structure as outlined above. The best way to do this is to contact your closest council
office directly. Gather contact information on what council you live in by heading to the “Council
Finder” website at http://www.girlscouts.org/councilfinder/. In Appendix B, you will find a sample email
that you can “fill-in the blanks” and send to your local council office.
Starting Your Program
One badge that has the values of both of the two organizations would be the Junior’s “Musician” Skill
Building Activity Badge. However, because every level allows girls to create their own badges, you may
consider working with the council leadership to create a program that fits individual troop’s goals. You
can also host other non-badge related activities. Perhaps you could start a Girl Scout Band or invite a
Troop to sit with your marching band.
Resources
For the Junior’s “Musician” badge, you will need to purchase the activity book for that particular Journey.
The “Musician” badge is part of the It’s Your World – Change It! Journey. Head to the Girl Scout Shop
(www.girlscoutshop.com) and find the badge activity set for that journey.
Make a Plan
When assisting the girls earn their badges, it may be helpful to split them up into smaller, more
manageable groups and have them rotate through stations. This will allow for all members to get involved
by helping to run a station and will keep an individual from becoming too concerned about the details of
each of the stations.
It may be useful to have a committee working on a project of this magnitude. Many items need to be
prepared and coordinated to have a smooth running program. Items that need to be considered include
9
room reservation, parking, budget, communication with Girl Scout Council/Troop, snacks, coordinating
the actual program, and signs and paperwork.
Finances
The cost of running a program like this one is not something to be overlooked. Your chapter needs to
plan well in advance of this project to make sure that money is budgeted. Also, the program itself needs a
budget for the various costs that will be associated with the activities.
Follow-Up
Following your program, it would be ideal for you to provide the physical badge earned by the
participants. Your ability to provide the badge will depend upon your program’s budget. Badges are
currently $1.50 each and can be found at the Girl Scout Shop. Another task that is important is to
provide thanks to those who were involved outside of the chapter. This should include at a minimum the
Troop leaders and Council leaders. Lastly, be sure to mark your participation on your Fall Activity Report
and Chapter Summary Report so we can track your service.
10
Appendix A – Other Important Information
Adult-to-Girl Ratios
Many chapters will be able to provide many sisters to facilitate their program. However, it is important for
chapters to check that they meet the minimum adult-to-girl ratio. See the table below for the minimum
ratio for different age groups. In addition to the adult-to-girl ratios, remember that adult volunteers must
be at least 18 years old or at the age of majority as defined by the state if it is older than 18. The adults
must be unrelated and at least one of which must be female.
Group Meetings Events, Travel, and Camping
Two adults
Plus One adult for each additional number of girls
Two adults
Plus One adult for each additional number of girls
Daisies 12 6 6 4
Brownies 20 8 12 6
Juniors 25 10 16 8
Cadettes 25 12 20 10
Seniors 30 15 24 12
Ambassadors 30 15 24 12
Safety Guidelines
The GSUSA publish a list of guidelines for volunteers to follow. Many of these guidelines will not apply
for your program and those were not included. For the sake of completeness you can find the guidelines
in their entirety at http://www.gs-top.org/volunteer-essentials. Every adult in Girl Scouting is responsible
for the physical and emotional safety of girls, and we all demonstrate that by agreeing to follow these
guidelines at all times.
Follow the Safety Activity Checkpoints. Instructions for staying safe while participating in
activities are detailed in the Safety Activity Checkpoints, available from your council. Read the
checkpoints, follow them, and share them with other volunteers, parents, and girls before engaging
in activities with girls.
Arrange for proper adult supervision of girls. Your group must have at least two adult volunteers
as described above.
11
Get parent/guardian permission. When an activity takes place that is outside the normal time and
place, advise each parent/guardian of the details of the activity and obtain permission for girls to
participate.
Report abuse.
Policy: Any act of child abuse and/or neglect or sexual exploitation that includes, but is not
limited to, physical, sexual or emotional abuse and/or neglect by any volunteer, male or
female, against any girl member is prohibited.
Policy: Volunteers shall report any good faith suspicion or belief of child abuse, neglect, or
sexual exploitation. This reporting responsibility is personal to the volunteer and may not be
abdicated to someone else.
If the conduct occurred during a Girl Scout activity, the volunteer must immediately notify the
Council and file an incident report.
Be prepared for emergencies. Work with girls and other adults to establish and practice
procedures for emergencies related to weather, fire, lost girls/adults, and site security. Always keep
handy a well-stocked first-aid kit, girl health histories, and contact information for girls’ families.
Role-model the right behavior. Never use illegal drugs. Don’t consume alcohol, smoke, or use foul
language in the presence of girls. Do not carry ammunition or firearms in the presence of girls
unless given special permission by your council for group marksmanship activities.
Create an emotionally safe space. Adults are responsible for making Girl Scouting a place where
girls are as safe emotionally as they are physically. Protect the emotional safety of girls by creating a
team agreement and coaching girls to honor it. Agreements typically encourage behaviors like
respecting a diversity of feelings and opinions; resolving conflicts constructively; and avoiding
physical and verbal bullying, clique behavior, and discrimination.
Ensure that no girl is treated differently. Girl Scouts welcomes all members, regardless of race,
ethnicity, background, disability, family structure, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic status.
When scheduling, helping plan, and carrying out activities, carefully consider the needs of all girls
involved, including school schedules, family needs, financial constraints, religious holidays, and
the accessibility of appropriate transportation and meeting places.
12
Appendix B – Sample Email to Council Contact Dear _________________,
My name is _________________ and I am a student at ______________ University where I am a
member of Tau Beta Sigma (TBS). TBS is the national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college
and university bands. The co-ed sorority numbers over 3,500 active members at more than 140 university
campuses. You can find more information about TBS at www.tbsigma.org.
As an organization, we strive to promote equality and diversity, including empowering women in the band
profession. With this in mind, TBS has a national program to partner local chapters with Girl Scout
Councils and Troops to develop musical programming. I am contacting you to start developing a similar
program.
We have a copy of the Junior “It’s Your World” Badge Activity Set which we have used to create the
attached schedule and flyer of the program to earn the “Musician” badge. We will be able to
accommodate ____ Scouts at our program. We are available to host this program on
_________________, _______________, or ________________.
I would like to arrange a phone call to further develop our program and get our partnership started. Let
me know about your availability in the next week.
Thank You,
___________________
____________ Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma
____________ University
(XXX) XXX-XXXX