Cool Tri-M Products

Members Only!

If you want a Tri-M pin or membership card, you'd better be a member! Only advisors of active chapters can order member products for their students. Every new member should get a card and a pin. Alumni are eligible for alumni pins, and members who were in Tri-M last year can get continuing membership certificates. Your chapter can even order custom-made Tri-M T-shirts embroidered with your school name in your school colors. All of these items are available through the Tri-M Catalog.

For Everyone

The Tri-M Catalog also has a variety of Tri-M related items that anyone can order—such as ever-needed pencils, luggage tags for instrument cases, books on finding good college music programs, and publications on running a more effective chapter. But, if your chapter is active, your advisor can get all these items at a special member rate!

Need Cash?

If you’re looking for a way to fund member cards and pins because your chapter budget is tight, think about asking for a donor. Parents, local businesses, and community organizations such as the PTA, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, or Lions Club, for example, often sponsor purchases of membership materials. Also, these people and groups can donate the funds to activate your chapter. For them, it’s a tax deduction. See the Chapter Activation Form for more details.

Getting the Goods

Ordering Tri-M products is easy! Simply ask your advisor for what you need and the advisor will make sure the order gets to us either by visiting the Tri-M Catalog or calling 800-336-3768 and asking for the Tri-M staff. While your parents could order promotional materials directly for you, only the advisor will get the special member discount and all purchases are shipped directly to your advisor.

Keeping the Goods

The reason your advisor has to make the call to order members-only items is because they remain the property of the chapter until you graduate. Why? Because Tri-M members have to remain in good standing in the chapter and according to school policies in order to keep their member materials. So, if you resign from the chapter or are dismissed from school because you’ve seriously broken school rules, you’re supposed to give your member materials back to your chapter. However, if you simply missed a grade or two and your GPA is lower than your chapter guidelines allow, you get to keep your member materials while you work to regain your membership.

Tri-M® Member Recognitions

As a Tri-M member, you can be nominated by your advisor for several different types of awards. Advisors can purchase member recognition patches from the Tri-M Catalog.

Master Musician

The Master Musician excels in music, is a highly qualified performer with a basic knowledge of music theory, has achieved success in the performance field by earning many honors locally and in district or state contests, and is particularly active in performing in school or community functions.

Tri-M Leadership

Members who earn the Tri-M Leadership Recognition are prominent leaders in school, chapter, and community organizations and activities, in addition to being involved in music. They do not have to be award-winning musicians, but they must be great leaders.

Tri-M Outstanding Service Recognition

To receive the Tri-M Outstanding Service Recognition, you must demonstrate exceptional examples of service, working with or on behalf of others, without being paid or materially rewarded. Those receiving this award are involved in music, but are particularly active in school chapter, and community organizations and activities.

Honor Ensemble Achievement Certificate

The Honor Ensemble Achievement Certificate recognizes Tri-M members selected to represent their schools in an honor ensemble during a state, division, or national conference.

Alumni Achievement Recognition

The Alumni Achievement Recognition is an official recognition of the career successes and life accomplishments of former Tri-M chapter members.

Chapter of the Year Summer Music Scholarship Program

Click here to read about the 2008–2009 winners!

The Chapter of the Year summer music scholarship program offers scholarship money for summer study programs to chapters that win one of three recognitions at the national level in each division. Scholarship money is awarded by the advisors of the winning chapters to deserving students.

To get these scholarships, chapters must send in a scrapbook or other collection of pictures and articles covering their activities for the year and submit it, together with the current Chapter of the Year point evaluation form, to the Tri-M national office postmarked no later than April 30.

Here is a list of the scholarship money awarded through the program:

The National Chapter of the Year (Junior and Senior) also receives an engraved permanent service plaque.

The chapter with the highest point totals in each state may be recognized as the state Chapter of the Year (this process varies by state—check with your state MEA to find out how they recognize outstanding Tri-M chapters).

Details on and nomination applications for each recognition can be found in the Tri-M Manual.