Pi Kappa Lambda

Pi Kappa Lambda
ΠΚΛ
Founded	May 17, 1918; 106 years ago (1918-05-17) Northwestern University
Type	Honor Society
Affiliation	ACHS
Status	Active
Emphasis	Music
Scope	International
Motto	Piero Kala Labein Strive Always for the Best and the Beautiful
Colors	Gold and   White
Chapters	207
Headquarters	P.O. Box 20598 Saint Simons Island, Georgia 31522 United States
Website	www.pikappalambda.org

Pi Kappa Lambda (ΠΚΛ) is an American honor society for undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors of music. There are over 270 chapters nationally; a complete roster of current chapters is listed in the organization's official web site. The National Office is currently located in Saint Simons Island, Georgia.

History

Pi Kappa Lambda was established on May 17, 1918, at the Northwestern University by faculty members Carl Milton Beecher, Louis Norton Dodge, and Walter Allen Stults.[1] The first member was Peter Christian Lutkin, dean of the School of Music at Northwestern University, and the Greek letters chosen for the name of the society were based on his initials.[1]

Pi Kappa Lambda joined the Association of College Honor Societies in 1940.[2] There are over 270 chapters nationally; a complete roster of current chapters is listed in the organization's official web site. The Society is governed by a Board of Regents; Joseph A. Bognar (Valparaiso University); and an executive director, Mark Lochstampfor. The National Office is currently located in Saint Simons Island, Georgia.[3][1]

Symbols

Pi Kappa Lambda's colors are gold and white.[3] Its motto is Piero Kala Labein or "Strive Always for the Best and the Beautiful".

Activities

The society is dedicated to the promotion of music education in institutions of higher learning. It selects and honors men and women at the upper undergraduate and graduate levels who have demonstrated superior musical and academic achievement at the institutions where the society maintains chapters.[4]

It holds a biennial national convention in even-numbered years, sometimes in conjunction with other organizations.[5]

It also sponsors the publication of a series of monographs on American music, grants scholarships and certificates of honor to outstanding freshmen and sophomore students, holds composition contests, and provides other services in its program of activities.[4]

References

1. "The Elite Music Society". Society of Pi Kappa Lambda. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
2. National Music Council Bulletin, v. 39, issue 2, 1980, p. 40
3. Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VI-79–81. ISBN 978-0963715906.
4. William McClellan and Jessica L. Getman, "Fraternities and Sororities", The Grove Dictionary of American Music, Second edition, Vol. 3, p. 376
5. For example, the web site reports that the 2014 national meeting was held jointly with the College Music Society and the Association for Technology in Music Instruction.

• McClellan, William, and Jessica L. Getman (2013), "Fraternities and sororities", in Garrett, Charles Hiroshi (ed.), The Grove Dictionary of American Music, vol. 3 (Second ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 376, ISBN 978-0-19-999061-0

• "Directory of Music Organizations". The Instrumentalist. 38 (2). Evanston, Illinois: The Instrumentalist Co.: 110 September 1983.
• "Reports from member organizations". National Music Council Bulletin. 39 (2): 40. 1980.

External links

• Pi Kappa Lambda official web site
• ACHS Pi Kappa Lambda entry
• Pi Kappa Lambda chapter list at ACHS