Tri-M Chapter Highlight Homestead High School

Tri-M Chapter Highlight - Chapter #4431 Homestead High School

by Troy Trimble, CMEA Tri-M Representative

Getting to Know our Homestead High School Tri-M Chapter

In the 2015-16 school year, Homestead’s pre-existing music community service club, called Forte, affiliated with NAfME as an official Tri-M Chapter and became Tri-M/Forte. That same year Homestead, was named “Chapter of the Year” by NAfME, and the following year they were named as one of top three Chapters in the Nation! Being the Homestead Tri-M Advisor is actually quite easy because the students do all the work! They set their own agenda, run their own meetings, and plan their own activities. I attend the lunch meetings and assist with district approval as needed. As a band and orchestra teacher, it is great having a large number of Tri-M members “waiting in the wings” whenever I need help with concert or festival stage crews, ushers or other needed volunteers.

My hope is that some of these students will go on to become music educators. However, whether or not Homestead Tri-M students continue with music study in college, their experience in Homestead Tri-M teaches them the importance of giving back to the school and community and gives them a closer look at how much work and fulfillment there is in what we do.

John Burn, Chapter Advisor

If you would like to create a Tri-M Chapter at your school or have any questions about running a chapter, e-mail troyatrimble@gmail.com and visit https://musichonors.com to learn more.

Homestead High School -Tri-M Chapter Officers:

Avery Chen, President

Urmika Balaji, Internal VicePresident

Riko Hirata, External VicePresident

Arielle Turullols, Secretary-Treasurer

Alex Wang,

Technology Manager

Stephan Tan,

Hours Manager

Madeleine Bakken, Activities Director

Elisa Floyd,

Activities Director

Rohan Venkatesan,

Activities Director

My name is Avery Chen, I’m President of Homestead’s Tri-M/ Forte! I play flute in various school ensembles, serve as Woodwind Captain of Homestead’s marching band, and play Principal Flute in wind ensemble and symphony orchestra. Outside of school, I’m the Principal Flutist of the California Youth Symphony Senior Orchestra and have participated in a variety of honor bands.

I’m Urmika, the Internal Vice President of Tri-M/Forte National Honor Society. I’ve been learning Western Classical violin for the past four years and I’m a part of the Homestead Symphony and Chamber Orchestra as a first and principal second violin. I’m also a Carnatic (South Indian Classical) Violinist and perform regularly as a concert soloist and accompanist in the Bay Area.

My name is Riko, I am a senior and one of the Vice Presidents in Tri-M. I play flute and piccolo in marching band, wind ensemble, and San Jose Youth Symphony.

My name is Arielle Turullols and I’m the Secretary-Treasurer at Homestead’s Tri-M Chapter. I’m a pianist of 13 years, a cello section leader in Homestead Orchestra, as well as an alto section leader in Homestead Choir. In my music experiences I have traveled across the country, performing in places such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in D. C., and Masterworks Festival in South Carolina.

My name is Alex Wang and I am the Technology Manager at Homestead’s Tri-M/Forte. I am a percussionist and a marching snare drummer; I’ve served as the Drum Captain for the marching band and winter percussion program in 2021 and 2022, where we’ve competed in the WGI, NCPA, and WBA circuits. As Tech Manager, I run our website and Instagram pages (linked at the end of the article).

My name is Stephen Tan, and I am the hours manager at Homestead Tri-M/Forte. This is also my third year being part of the Homestead Orchestra, and I am currently serving as its concertmaster.

My name is Madeleine Bakken. I am a junior at Homestead High School, and one of the activities directors in Homestead High School’s Tri-M club. I play the clarinet in Homestead’s Wind Ensemble 1, the vibraphone in Homestead’s Winter Percussion program, and the piano outside of school. I am also one of Homestead High School’s marching band drum majors.

My name is Elisa and I am an Activities Director. I play piano in the Homestead Jazz Ensemble and I have also learned and competed in classical music for over 11 years.

My name is Rohan Venkatesan, and I am an Activities Director for Homestead High School Tri-M! I play the euphonium in HHS Wind Ensemble 1. I have played the euphonium for just about 5 years, and played Alto Saxophone for two years prior to that. I am also a member of the San Jose Wind Symphony, and have been a part of various honor ensembles on the county and state levels.

Chapter Officer Reflections: Why did you decide to participate in music in high school?

Music is one of my most defining traits, and has been a core aspect of my life for as long as I can remember. Since I don’t play a band instrument, I wasn’t able to participate in music at school for elementary or middle school, and was extremely excited to get to join a music ensemble at my high school. Participating in music throughout high school opens you up to endless opportunities to make friends, grow as a person, and learn from incredibly talented musicians and teachers along the way. -Arielle Turullols, SecretaryTreasurer

I decided to participate in music in high school because it is something I love to do, and I felt that continuing my musical journey in high school would give me a range of new experiences. Music has been my whole life, and getting the opportunity to play in high school, and learn new instruments as well as conduct, has been wonderful. -Madeleine Bakken, Activities Director

What made you want to become a student leader in your Tri-M Chapter?

At first, I just thought it was cool and I wanted to help people, but as time passed, this honor society made me notice the importance of helping people through music. I noticed I can share various ideas I have, and I decided to apply for the student leader position of HHS Tri-M Chapter. -Riko Hirata, External Vice President

During the pandemic, which occupied my freshman year of high school, I really enjoyed participating in a virtual benefit concert that the Homestead Tri-M team organized along with a few other local schools. I decided that I wanted to give back and help plan events for our club members to engage in something meaningful and impactful for the community. -Elisa Floyd, Activities Director

Why is the Tri-M Music Honor Society important to you?

Homestead is fortunate to have a large music program with extensive school and parent support, which is why I think it’s important to share these talents with our community. After the pandemic, I learned firsthand that music is not about practicing alone in a room for hours; it’s about performing with others, inspiring younger musicians, and making new friends! Tri-M is the perfect place to do this. -Avery Chen, President

I deeply value spaces where I can connect with people who have similar interests and motivations to me, and Tri-M brings me exactly that. I am able to meet and work with people who are passionate about their music studies and are excited to put in effort to strengthen our music community at Homestead. -Arielle Turullols, Secretary-Treasurer

Homestead Tri-M/Forte is an amazing pathway both to get to know musicians beyond those in my orchestra class and to cultivate others’ interests in music. Through various performance opportunities, speaker events, and social opportunities, Tri-M

connects music enthusiasts throughout the school together, which is as important to me as it is to everyone who is part of Tri-M. -Stephan Tan, Hours Manager

What special events did you take part in that you enjoyed and what skills did you learn from these projects?

My most memorable Tri-M experience was getting to speak about the value of pursuing music in high school, at my former middle school. I prepared a long story of my experiences with music, and was incredibly moved when students came up to me years later, telling me that I had encouraged them to join band in high school. I learned about the importance of being vulnerable and also how to speak about music in a way that inspires others. -Avery Chen, President

I really enjoyed the group performance at Mountain View Senior Center, and although I felt initially nervous playing as a soloist, the close proximity to the seniors allowed me to be more connected to the audience and to better notice their appreciation of our music. This is particularly rewarding since it brings me closer to the community and adds a personal dimension to volunteering. I greatly enjoyed this experience and learned that sometimes being more exposed to other human beings is actually a rewarding experience. -Stephan Tan, Hours Manager

How will your work or role in this chapter affect you as you move on to the next stage of life?

Regardless of the career path(s) I decide to pursue, my experience as Vice President has taught me the skill of networking. I had to maintain external connections with organizers and professional musicians for opportunities, while also interacting internally with members to understand what they wanted and what could be improved. Networking on multiple levels was crucial to support the growth of the club, and I know it will help me understand how I can grow in my future career. -Urmika Balaji, Internal Vice President

Tri-M has really opened my eyes to the effect that music can have on people, and how music can bring people together, and so as a music educator in the future, I hope that I will be able to share my love of music with other people, just like I have been able to do in this club. -Rohan Venkatesan, Activities Director

What are you excited about and most proud of in this year’s work within the chapter?

I am proud of the officer team’s deep organization and ability to direct a large school club. Having worked alongside a passionate officer team, I am proud of the diversity and abundance of ideas generated for events and opportunities. With guest speakers, care center performances, and concert volunteer roles, our chapter is sure to have offered enriching opportunities to our members. -Alex Wang, Technology Manager

What challenges have you dealt with within the chapter, given Covid 19, and how did you work around these challenges?

Given the difficulty of producing music as an ensemble as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club sought alternative means to connect its members. During this time, officers took initiative to direct a virtual symphony orchestra concert for healthcare workers, which I had the pleasure of editing and producing. Completing the production was a technical challenge, requiring me to work with new technologies I’ve never heard of, but was certainly worth the challenge. I am proud to have played a part in the concert’s production and to see the union of those separated as a result of COVID-19. -Alex Wang, Technology Manager

What is one goal you’d like to accomplish or have accomplished with this chapter?

This year, we are planning on introducing “performance ensembles,” where small groups of musicians can be called to perform at events. Now that pandemic restrictions have lifted, we are really excited to introduce this opportunity since it will be a good way for our members to collaborate with one another musically and to increase participation in our performance opportunities. -Urmika Balaji, Internal Vice President

I would like the members to become more involved with the performing opportunities, instead of just going with the social and service ones. The officer team was thinking that we could rehearse and perform a song first, to inspire more of them to join the performance events. -Madeleine Bakken, Activities Director

In terms of music, what are you looking forward to, once you graduate?

In terms of music, I strongly wish to have a career that is related to music and help others. Other than that, I wish I can have connections with people who play music as well, either for a job, or just for fun. Music helped me a lot when I was heartbroken, stressed, and all of those negative emotions. But at the same time, music made me improve myself and made me strong. Therefore, I wish I can be the person who can tell how important music is. -Riko Hirata, External Vice President

I don’t plan on majoring in music in college, but I will definitely continue to play in ensembles for community events and learn pieces on my own. I actually feel very comforted because I know that music will always be there for me as a friend when I need it. Throughout the rest of my life, I can turn to piano whenever I am feeling down to express my emotions, and I can also turn to piano when I want to challenge myself and expand my repertoire. -Elisa Floyd, Activities Director

I plan to become a music teacher in the future, so once I graduate with my degree, I will hopefully be able to teach music on a high school or college level. This is something that I am very much looking forward to, as the teaching experience I have had so far has been very enjoyable. -Rohan Venkatesan, Activities Director