Dear Tri-M Members,

April is Jazz Appreciation Month, so let’s celebrate Jazz! Visit MENC’s Jazz Appreciation Month Site  for Jazz resources, tips, and lesson plans. Watch for the Jazz poster included in this April’s Teaching Music magazine. Visit Smithsonian's Jazz Appreciation Month Site and MENC’s Jazz Article Archive.

In this month’s issue of E-News, you’ll find announcements, upcoming service opportunities, and events including our Tri-M Petition and Change Drive Competition and the Chapter of the Year program, both with deadlines of April 30, 2009. This month’s featured article is “Making Music Together through Activities,” which has lots of activity ideas for your Tri-M chapter.

As always, if you have comments, questions, or would like to share your chapter’s activities with us for publication in a future issue, e-mail Shauna Leavitt. Please share an update with us on how your chapter is doing!

Sincerely,

Shauna Leavitt, Student Programs Manager

Feature Article

Making Music Together through Activities

Music is what draws Tri-M students together. Why not share your joy in music with others? Music activities draw attention to your chapter and your school, while giving your chapter members a sense of personal accomplishment at being able to share what you love and do so well.

Here’s a list of possible music activities for your Tri-M chapter:

• Provide entertainment for school and community events.
• Perform at a school open house, Back-to-School Night, or orientation for incoming students.
• Participate in joint or exchange concerts and induction ceremonies with other schools and Collegiate chapters.
• Host a "Pyramid Concert" involving performing groups from feeder junior high, middle, and elementary schools. Other possibilities are a choral day, a band festival, or an orchestra gala.
• Sponsor musical programs for feeder schools.
• Participate in area festivals and contests.
• Sponsor and participate in a variety or talent show.
• Present mini-concerts at retirement homes, hospitals, shopping malls, or other community locations.
• Sponsor a Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM) program.
• Involve the school and community in an in-depth program for MIOSM.
• Invite community music groups to present in-school concerts.
• Sponsor a master class day.
• Participate in mock adjudications prior to competitions.
• Coordinate projects with MENC Collegiate chapters from a local college or university.
   

For more chapter activity ideas, read the Tri-M chapter manual or visit the Activities section on the Tri-M Web site. The manual offers great tips on how to fund your chapter and suggests ways to save time.

Contests, Scholarships, and Student Opportunities

Chapter of the Year

The Tri-M National Chapter of the Year program is designed to motivate and reward chapters that develop active service projects, encourage chapter officers to perform their duties properly, and bring about more awareness and interest in what other Tri-M chapters are doing. All active chapters are eligible to participate, but only those chapters that submit a National Chapter of the Year Point Evaluation form to the national office by April 30th are eligible to win. Chapter advisors must submit the application and must be an active MENC member for the chapter to be eligible. For more information, read the chapter manual, page 26. Read about last year’s winners here.

Two ways to earn more points this year:

1. Collect signatures for the Petition for Equal Access to Music Education.
2. Conduct a change drive. Each dollar collected will equal one signature.
   
   100 signatures = 10 pts.
   200 signatures = 15 pts.
   300 signatures = 20 pts.
   500 signatures = 25 pts.
    

Must be 13 or older to sign the petition

Music Monday North America

U.S. schools and organizations are encouraged to sing and play together on the fifth annual Music Monday event, this year on May 4, to demonstrate the galvanizing power of making music and heighten the public's awareness of the importance of music education. The 2009 Music Monday song is "Sing Sing" by Serena Ryder. The song will be sung and played by all schools and participants across North America at 10 a.m. Pacific/11 a.m. Mountain/12 p.m. Central/1 p.m. Eastern/2 p.m. Atlantic/2:30 p.m. in Newfoundland. To register your school or organization as a participant in Music Monday, and to receive your Music Monday materials and a copy of the song "Sing Sing," e-mail musicmonday@namm.org. For more information, visit NAMM's press release.

Chapter Spotlights

Georgia On My Mind…

Edmonds-Woodway High School, Edmonds, WA
By Jake Bergevin, advisor

The Savannah Music Festival has selected Edmonds-Woodway High School (EWHS) Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Jake Bergevin, as one of twelve outstanding high school jazz bands from across the nation to participate in the fourth annual SWING CENTRAL High School Jazz Band Competition & Workshop between March 25 and 29, 2009. This year, the nationally recognized three-day workshop features some of the country’s finest high school jazz bands going head-to-head for $13,000 in cash awards.

On February 19th, EWHS Music Boosters welcomed the UW Studio Jazz Ensemble (conducted by Cuong Vu) to the EWHS Little Theatre for a special evening of jazz. EWHS Jazz Ensemble I and the Madronna Jazz Band will also perform.

Great Neck, NY Welcomes Students from Singapore

By Joe Rutkowski, advisor

When I arrived in the parking lot at 6:50 am, there was a bus full of 30 young musicians from Singapore (average age 10 years), sponsored by their government. Their 22-hour flight was immediately followed by performances and/or tours at Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Mannes College, Juilliard School, the United Nations, and Great Neck North High.

The students from Singapore joined our music classes. Their director told our students, “In America, you have so much. In Singapore, we don’t have that much. We have ourselves, and our beautiful countryside. That is enough for us to create music and art and bring it to you today.”

As the Singapore students began to perform, their impeccable concentration and marvelous performance were only the beginning of my delight. I was actually more impressed by the looks on my students’ faces. They were more moved by these young musicians than anything I had ever seen before. Many of my students returned to my room later in the day bringing their friends and even their entire classes.

News and Events

Tri-M Spring 2009 Newsletter coming soon …

The Spring 2009 issue of the Tri-M Newsletter is due to arrive on your doorstep in the next few weeks. Look for articles about what Tri-M chapters around the nation and the world are doing. For past issues of the Tri-M Newsletter, visit Tri-M Music Honor Society: In The News. See how your chapter can submit an article to be included in the Fall 2009 Tri-M Newsletter. The deadline for the Fall 2009 issue is August 15, 2009.

Don’t Forget to Order Your Graduation Items!

Your Tri-M graduate will be happy to receive any or all of the following Tri-M items, specifically designed for your ceremony. Please see the Tri-M Catalog for pricing and ordering information.

• Honor Stole - White satin honor stole displaying a burgundy Tri-M Music Honor Society insignia imprinted on the front.

• Honor Cord - Silk cord in pink (the academic color for music) for a music student’s graduation gown.

• Tassel - Pink silk tassel added to a graduation cap will signify a student’s academic achievement in music.

• Graduation Medallion - Medallion stating “Tri-M Music Honor Society Graduate" along with the Tri-M emblem, on a red and white ribbon.

• Tri-M Diploma Seals - Gold foil seals imprinted with the Tri-M Music Honor Society’s official insignia for diplomas, honor certificates, and correspondence. Sold in sets of 10.
   

April Member Special

Buy Volume 2, Liberty for All:  A Musical Journey – Get Volume 1 FREE!
Do you need some fresh materials for the end of the school year? The April monthly special offers you a perfect opportunity at an unbeatable price!

40 FREE Lesson Plans available online for these CDs!

Liberty for All, Volume 2 (Westward Expansion-Industrial Revolution) is an enhanced CD-ROM that explores the history and culture of America’s Westward Expansion through an interactive musical journey featuring graphics, narration, quizzes, and more. Narration by President George H. W. Bush, Dick Enberg, Joe Bonsall (The Oak Ridge Boys), Andrea Preuss (Mrs. America 2006), and John J. Mahlmann. Listen to music performed by the U.S. Army Band, including The "Testament of Freedom," "Shenandoah," "A Lincoln Portrait," and more!

Liberty for All, Volume 1 (A Musical Journey) is an enhanced CD-ROM featuring “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band performing the nation’s most inspirational music. These musical performances trace America’s history from the American Revolution through the 20th century. Includes an introduction by Army General Tommy Franks (Ret.), and narration by Amy Grant, Chely Wright, Gary Sinise, and Richard Marx, plus 15 stirring musical selections including "The Star Spangled Banner," "Liberty Bell March," "Hands Across the Sea," "The Stars and Stripes Forever," and more!

This special is not available at state conference resource shops. No additional purchase is required. Limit two sets per member. Call 1-800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org to order.
MENC Stock #3051R
$13.50 MENC Members

New Jazz Resource

Teaching Improv in Your Jazz Ensemble: A Complete Guide for Music Educators
By Zachary B. Poulter

This resource will guide you in designing an effective sequence for teaching improvisation and reinforcing it with correlating jazz ensemble charts. More than 180 arrangements of jazz standards are indexed to correlate with the sequence of improvisation study. Learn how to design a sequence of instruction, interpret chord symbols, rehearse improvisation in a group format, and assess jazz improvisation. Also learn about the philosophy and history of the educational jazz ensemble. To order this book, visit www.rowmaneducation.com.

Global Youth Service Day

Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world. GYSD is an annual global event that highlights and celebrates the contributions of youth to their communities through volunteer service. GYSD is celebrated in more than 100 countries in every region of the world.

Each April, millions of young people participate in and lead service projects, working with their families, schools, community organizations, faith-based communities, and businesses to improve their communities by addressing critical issues such as global climate change, education and illiteracy, poverty, health, hunger, and homelessness. In 2009, the event will be April 24-26. Visit GYSD.org to follow the latest updates and event postings!

Stay connected with other MENC Tri-M members around the world by joining MENC’s Tri-M Facebook group. To join, simply visit www.facebook.com and search “MENC Tri-M Headquarters.”

Join the “Change Music Education … for the Better” Facebook group and link with other supporters as we present our petition to the Department of Education in Washington, DC. Visit www.facebook.com and search “Change Music Education … for the Better.”

Reminder

For those planning regional events for members of Tri-M chapters, please be sure to send a copy of the Tri-M Event Responsibility form to Shauna Leavitt by faxing it to (703) 860-9404 or mailing it to her attention at MENC, 1806 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 20191. A copy of this form is available on page 57 of the Tri-M Manual (2005 issue).

“Ask the Mentors” Forum

Do you have music education questions? MENC’s mentors have the answers! Each month from September to May, the “Ask the Mentors” forum features a different mentor for band, orchestra, chorus, general music, guitar, jazz, and mariachi. The mentors are veteran teachers who offer advice in response to your teaching questions. Visit the Future Teachers Forum to post questions and read responses. Visit MENC Mentors for this month’s mentor bios, and MENC Forums to post questions and read responses.

Month of April

Band – Steve Raybould
General Music – Sherri Jaffurs
Chorus – Lois Guderian
Orchestra – Ann Forman
Mariachi – Adam Romo
Jazz – Sue Terry
Guitar – Romana Hartmetz

Do you have a Tri-M event coming up?

Perhaps you have a booth, Tri-M reception, gathering, or conference? Please let me know if you need materials such as the Tri-M PowerPoint presentation, Tri-M brochures, current back issues of the Tri-M News, and other materials.  You are welcome to contact Shauna Leavitt at any time to request Tri-M materials for any promotional event you are involved in.

Tri-M® Music Honor Society is the international music honor society for middle/junior high and high school students. Tri-M is a program of MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of music education. Through its many programs, activities, publications, and conferences, MENC addresses all aspects of music education and works to ensure that every student can be a part of a balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction. For more information about Tri-M Music Honor Society, visit our Website.

--Shauna Leavitt, April 14, 2009 © MENC: The National Association for Music Education.