# Band people! What does AEA mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903 "2006-08-01T17:04:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/1 "2006-08-01T17:04:55Z")
**Anagramless Guy** has items that proclaim “AEA” at the bottom of them (one is a fraternity paddle), and I can’t figure out for the life of me what it means. Looking at their crest, I see that it’s not Roman letters, but Greek Alpha Epsilon Alpha, because they’re spelled out. Anyone know what they’re getting at, though? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/2 "2006-08-01T17:10:55Z")
The name of the [fraternity,](http://www.dscc.edu/ptk/) maybe? Or are they all in the Actor’s Equity Association? ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/3 "2006-08-01T19:09:57Z")
The name of the fraternity is Kappa Kappa Psi, that I know for sure. If you go to [www.kkpsi.com](http://www.kkpsi.com), you see it mentioned occasionally, but it doesn’t mention what it means. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/4 "2006-08-02T00:33:00Z")
[QUOTE=chaoticbear] The name of the fraternity is Kappa Kappa Psi, that I know for sure. If you go to [www.kkpsi.com](http://www.kkpsi.com), you see it mentioned occasionally, but it doesn’t mention what it means. [/QUOTE] Perhaps the items are from the Alpha Epsilon Alpha _ **chapter** _ of Kappa Kappa Psi ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/5 "2006-08-02T02:24:18Z")
Why “band people”? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/6 "2006-08-02T03:37:42Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] Why “band people”? [/QUOTE] Because Kappa Kappa Psi is a musical honor society. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/7 "2006-08-02T05:30:04Z")
Maybe it’s a reference to a chord progression. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/8 "2006-08-02T14:15:54Z")
[QUOTE=11811] Perhaps the items are from the Alpha Epsilon Alpha _ **chapter** _ of Kappa Kappa Psi [/QUOTE] There aren’t enough chapters to have an Alpha Epsilon Alpha chapter. His chapter, which started only a few years ago is Lambda Epsilon. ---
**Author:** ![Theodora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@Theodora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodora)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/9 "2015-10-15T21:35:14Z")
Kappa Kappa Psi is a band fraternity and AEA is their saying (much like another fraternities Phi Alpha). AEA is not a chord progression, it is just written in music notes very often because band nerds came up with it. It’s meaning is carefully guarded. So good luck getting a member of KKPsi to tell you. ---
**Author:** ![FickJunge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4bbf92/32.png) [@FickJunge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FickJunge)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/10 "2020-03-26T07:41:10Z")
Probably a dead question already, but fuck it. It’s the end of the world. αγωνίζομαι επί άκρος (AEA) “Strive for the highest”. It’s the KKPsi motto. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/11 "2020-03-26T13:09:24Z")
I thought that fraternities’ Greek-letter names _were_ the initials of their mottos. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/12 "2020-03-26T13:14:37Z")
Not always ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/13 "2020-03-26T13:37:38Z")
Apropos of nothing, AEA are the notes sung by the Wicked Witch’s monkeys when they march. YO-EE-OH YOOOO-YO ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/14 "2020-03-26T16:37:51Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Apropos of nothing, AEA are the notes sung by the Wicked Witch’s monkeys when they march. > > YO-EE-OH YOOOO-YO Or the “Millenial Yelp”? ---
**Author:** ![Ex\_Bubblehead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ex_bubblehead/32/3397_2.png) [@Ex\_Bubblehead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ex_Bubblehead)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/15 "2020-03-27T13:27:32Z")
> [@FickJunge](#): > > …αγωνίζομαι επί άκρος (AEA) > > “ **Strive for the highest** ”. It’s the KKPsi motto. > > Have fun. Ahh, the Maynard Ferguson chapter 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/16 "2020-03-27T13:38:16Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Apropos of nothing, AEA are the notes sung by the Wicked Witch’s monkeys when they march. > > YO-EE-OH YOOOO-YO Winkies march, monkeys fly. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/band-people-what-does-aea-mean/366903/17 "2020-03-27T16:25:24Z")
> [@Ex\_Bubblehead](#): > > Ahh, the Maynard Ferguson chapter 😃 Dammit, you beat me to it.