The fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia reached colony status last March and decided this semester would be a good time to expand their chapter.

“We decided to have this piano smash as a fundraiser/ recruitment event to get our name out. That way when people see us doing this and see our advertisements around campus they’re going to be like, ‘Phi Mu Alpha, I’ve heard of them,’ and they go check it out. That’s what we want them to do,” said Nick Scott, president of Phi Mu Alpha.

Scott wanted to have an event where the fraternity could entertain students in a different way.

“So we’re just out here to have fun and give the students something to do,” said Scott. “You never see something like this. We have the Welcome Week with the dunk tank and stuff, but you never get to come and bash something with a sledge hammer while you’re at school.”

Ron Rutherford, director of Washburn’s Safety Planning and Emergency Management, was also present to make sure the event went smoothly. Rutherford helped with a Slip N’ Slide event that happened the week before at the Memorial Union Lawn.

“I’m here to view the event. It took a lot of time and planning to make sure that the school could have a good time enjoy their college experience,” said Rutherford. “We work with a lot of student organizations here on campus and faculty and staff and trying to keep the campus safe and fun at the safe time.”

Members of the fraternity found pianos that were broken beyond repair, got them donated, stored them at Washburn for a short time and then brought them out to be smashed to pieces.

Scott got the idea of a piano smash from churches that do car smashes. He wanted to make the event reflect what the fraternity is about.

“Most of us are music majors. We have a few non-majors and the fraternity is literally about bettering everything through music,” said Scott.

At every meeting the members sing, learn new songs and rehearse songs. The fraternity is also about helping students through school and providing networking possibilities.

“If you’re a music major and you come in and join us as a freshman or a sophomore us upper classmen have already walked the path you’re about to walk so we can guide you down that road,” said Scott.

The fraternity currently has 13 members and they are hoping to increase that number to 20 by the end of the semester.