Fraternity raises money for music education with lemonade stand

Published Apr 25, 2013

Students stopped and listened to fraternity members sing outside of the Mary Couts Burnett Library at a lemonade stand Wednesday afternoon.

Members of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia sold lemonade at a stand for 75 cents per cup to raise money for the Sinfonia Education Foundation.

The Sinfonia Education Foundation is an organization that is dedicated to music education in schools, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia member Luke Miller said.

"We are passionate and dedicated to advancing the cause of music in America and making sure that kids are getting music education," Miller, a senior writing major, said.

Tylar Epps, a senior music education major, said the fraternity decided to raise money through a lemonade stand because they thought it would grab students' attention.

"We decided to do a lemonade stand because it is playful," he siad. "We can come out here and play music and dance to attract more people. If it were to have been hot, people would have wanted something to drink, so why not lemonade?"

Chris Garcia, a first-year film, television and digital media major who organized the event, said the event raised $55 for music education, which was double the original goal.

Carolanne Appedole, a senior anthropology major, stopped by and bought a cup of lemonade on her way to class. She grew up with a music education background and thinks it is important for children to have music in school, she said.

"I think music education is one of the more important things that seems to be lacking in a lot of our schools right now," Appedole said. "It is usually the first thing to get cut, which I think is unacceptable."

The lemonade stand was a creative way to get students to donate to the foundation, Arion Taylor, a sophomore international economics and strategic communication double, said.

"I think it's great that college students are taking initiative to bring light to education and trying to raise funds to make sure everyone has a great opportunity like we have right now," she said.

Shannon Edmond, sophomore supply chain management and marketing double major, thought the event was a good example for what students should be doing.

"I think a lot of times us as college students don't do a great enough job of going into our community, so I think they're doing a good job having this fundraiser," she said. "I think what they're doing is phenomenal and I hope they keep on doing stuff like this."