Tri-M National Honor Society for Music

About Tri-M and Westhill's Chapter:

Tri-M was founded in 1936 by Alexander and Frances Harley, incorporated and renamed Modern Music Masters in 1952, and recognized in 1983 as the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Tri-M is a program of NAfME: The National Association for Music Education, the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of music education.

The Tri-M Music Honor Society is the international music honor society for high school students. Westhill’s chapter was chartered in the Fall of 2015 and we inducted our inaugural class of 66 students on May 15, 2017. Our chapter of Tri-M strives to honor those scholar-musicians who go above and beyond as student-musicians, leaders, and servants to the school and community. Induction into the Tri-M National Honor Society for Music is a way of honoring our all-around student-stars, but perhaps more importantly, a way to honor those students who find the Music Program to be their true home. There are more than 75,000 students in more than 1800 chapters nationwide who contribute an average of 750,000 musical service hours yearly.

It is our chapter’s goal to serve the Westhill Music Department and Westhill greater community through volunteerism and service, performance, and model citizenship. This organization offers its student-musicians the chance to more deeply connect with their own identity as performing musicians and also find opportunities to share their musical talents with others. Induction into the Tri-M National Honor Society is a way of honoring our all-around student-stars, but perhaps more importantly, a way to honor those students who find the Music Program to be their true home at Westhill.

In the past seven school years, our chapter of Tri-M has:

Performed over 1000 hours of musical service yearly (service through music-making and service to music programs across CNY) as a part of their induction requirements.

Our Tri-M students' service projects have included:

• setting up and tearing down concert set-ups at Westhill

• ushering at district concerts

• building musical theater sets

• running lighting and sound for concerts and musicals

• providing assistance with the management of the Middle School musical, including doing hair and makeup, supervising the students in the hallways, and hosting the cast party

• volunteering to assist with Music Department fundraisers including our Cookie Dough Sale and Garage Sale

• assisting with instrument maintenance and organizing the band and choral libraries.

• presenting instrument and music clinics at local schools

• taking conducting and teaching apprentice positions at with the Middle School chamber groups

• working one-on-one as music mentors to younger students

• volunteering as counselors at our District’s Band Camp and Masterclass series

• volunteering at our annual Senior Citizen’s Dinner and Jazz Concert night, assisted our music teachers in hosting our local MEA’s All-County Auditions

• performing recitals across the community including at senior living centers, health and rehab facilities, and the Upstate Cancer Center.

• volunteering at fund drives for Classic FM

Each of our musicians must also commit to developing their own performance skills. Each member performes a solo at least one time at our before school Tri-M Chapter Recitals, performs in a school major ensemble, takes part in our New York State Schools of Music Association Solo and Ensemble Festival or Senior Swan Songs concert, and finds at least one other way to perform in the community. Our students performed in every possible honor ensemble within the county, and found opportunities to serve through their music making.

Our student-musicians have reported that they feel more deeply invested in the Music Department and community due to their work in Tri-M this year.

As a part of our year wrap-up, we ask students to reflect on their experiences in Tri-M. These are a few responses we would like to share from our past inducted classes; Tri-M is making a great impact on our community and musicians.

“Tri-M has allowed me realize that music can be a great way through which I can give back to the community. I always considered music and volunteering to be separate entities beforehand. Now I see how much more music does than entertain: it heals, enlightens, teaches, and quite simply: rocks.”

“I think that being a part of Tri-M has opened up many more opportunities for me to take part in at Westhill. I am now aware of so many more ways to help and volunteer through music around the Westhill community, and I've found new ways to become more involved. It has also helped my confidence with performing. There no harder audience to perform in front of than your peers, and that is something I am proud to say I have now accomplished.”

“My participation in Tri-M has been unique in that I got to work with students of the community and be a role model for them as a musician. I never really saw myself as someone who other musicians can look up to because growing up in Westhill Music Department, I have always been looking up to those ahead of myself. Tri-M has pushed me to be a leader and role model to younger students and I hope that they continue to fall deeper in love with music as I have.”

“Participating in Tri-M has changed my WHS Music Department experience because I was compelled to become more involved. I tried new things and took advantage of opportunities I would have ignored in the past. I stepped out of my comfort zone in order to satisfy the requirements, only to realize I had grown as a musician because of this wonderful society.”

“Tri-M has given me more experiences to perform in front of different people. I now not only view myself as a musician, but also a community servant.”

“Tri-M has changed my WHS music department experience for sure. It has added a much greater sense of community and friendship, even with those I may have never talked to. It has also changed how I see performing. I have always used performing as a way to express emotions, but now, I feel like I have seen another side of performing, where it is more focused on sharing your music, encouraging others, and having fun!”