Tri-M in Bullet Points:
It’s Easy to See Why Now is the Time to Join the Movement by Troy Trimble, CMEA Tri-M Representative
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lot has happened over the past few months and most of us are taking the summer to regroup and plan for a very unusual and uncertain fall. If there is one thing that has remained certain, it is that music and the arts are more important now than ever. How better to get that point across and to get your students mobilized than finally starting that Tri-M chapter you’ve been putting off? I’ve broken it all down into some bullet points below, but please take a look at the Tri-M website at www.musichonors.com for more detailed information and tons of resources to get started. Take this summer to get set up and ready to go - it’s very simple!
What is Tri-M Music Honor Society?
• It is a nationally recognized honor society just like CSF, NHS, and Thespians. • Tri-M (three M’s) stands for Modern Music Masters. • The honor society exists to promote music within the school and community through music performance and community service.There is an underlying focus in Tri-M to train students to be future leaders in music education and music advocacy as a way to transition into NAfME Collegiate Chapters and later, into pre-service teachers. • There are junior level (middle school) and senior level (high school) chapters.
Quick data for Tri-M in California:
• There were 103 active chapters in California schools at the end of the 2019 school year, 11 of which were junior chapters. California has by far the greatest total number of active chapters within the Western Division of NAfME each year. • California is currently ranked 10th out of all the 50 state MEAs in total active chapter numbers. We have the highest population of any US state and we look to continue to climb that ladder until we are #1! • In 2014, CMEA established a 10% growth goal of Tri-M chapters in California and we have met this goal every year
with the exception of 2017 (3% growth). We are happy that the number of chapters in California continues to rise each year! • Each year at CASMEC, our All-State musicians hear about Tri-M Music Honor Society through a short presentation directly targeted at them as the best and brightest musicians and student leaders in their music programs. • The 2016 NAfME National Tri-M Chapter of the Year Award went to Chapter #4431 at Homestead High School in Cupertino, CA. They were second runner up the following year as well!
As Tri-M Representative you must have a great Tri-M Chapter at your school! What do Tri-M activities look like year-round as part of your calendar?
I started my Tri-M journey knowing next to nothing and I began by using all the resources on the website to get started. It’s very easy to get started and all the resources are there for you to use from the get-go. It is now many years down the line and our chapter is very self-sufficient and student-run. It is an honor to work with these students! Here are a few basic things that happen each year at our school: • Monthly chapter meetings and bi-monthly officer meetings. • Fundraising during the winter concerts (Choral and Instrumental) that raise enough money for the chapter to keep running year to year. • School and Community Service projects throughout the year as needs arise and students have interest to help in various areas. MLK, Jr. Day is always a great one to start with! • March is Music in our Schools Month and our chapter plans for many months to have lots going on at our school during the month. In the future, I plan to write an article just about
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CMEA Magazine
