Dear Tri-M Members and Advisors,

Happy Holidays! We’re soon approaching that long awaited break in the season where you can relax for just a little bit before the new year begins in 2010. Where has the year gone? In this month’s issue of E-News, you’ll find announcements, upcoming service opportunities, and events. This month’s featured article is from our online Future Teachers weekly articles, titled “What Would You Do? Part 3.” And this year we’ve added two new specialty items – multi-colored Tri-M pens, and music picture frames! See ad below for links to the new items.

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

What Would You Do? Part 3

Criticism

It’s inevitable that you’ll be criticized at some point in your career. “Someone will disagree with your efforts, goals, or decisions, and you’ll need to think in advance about how you might respond,” says Gary Mortenson.

Mortenson emphasizes the importance in handling criticism calmly and maturely. By behaving this way, it’ll shed positive light on you, the educator. “Teachers who handle criticism by displaying anger, insecurity, insensitivity, or apathy set themselves up for a downward spiral that can end in frustration, alienation, and eventual termination,” says Mortenson.

How would you react to the following hypothetical scenarios?

Scenario #1

Your first job is one in which you replaced a popular elementary school teacher who moved to the middle school. This teacher was loved and respected by everyone. There's occasional resentment about ways you handle the program. Students make statements like “That’s not the way Mr. James did it.” What can you do to establish yourself as the new teacher in town without causing further tension or negative comparison?

Scenario #2

As you are standing in the hall, you overhear a conversation around the corner. You recognize one of the voices as a talented senior in your top-performing ensemble (an all-state musician who receives superior ratings in contests, is punctual, shows interest in class, and so forth). This student is talking to another in a negative way about your abilities as a teacher. The student insists that your class is boring, that you don’t challenge the better students, and that someone else should be brought in to do a better job. How do you react to this information? How do you interact with this student after hearing these critical comments?

Share your thoughts about these scenarios on the future teacher forum or e-mail your responses to Shauna Leavitt.

Read What Would You Do? Part 1, which focuses on teacher-student relationships.
Read What Would You Do? Part 2, which focuses on teacher-parent relationships.
Read What Would You Do? Part 4, which focuses on handling stress.

Gary C. Mortenson is professor of trumpet and head of the music department at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. He also serves as publications editor and as a member of the Board of Directors for the International Trumpet Guild.

This article is adapted from “Reality 101,” by Gary C. Mortenson in Music Educators Journal (December 1991): 45-49

--Shauna Leavitt, December 17, 2009, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education

Contests, Scholarships, and Student Opportunities

The Green Anthem Lyric Writing Contest

In conjunction with this year’s World’s Largest Concert, participate in the Green Anthem Lyric Writing Contest for grades 7-12. Invite your students to write new lyrics to “The Green Anthem”  with your own variations on “The Green Anthem” melody. Select up to three (3) student entries to submit to MENC. Entries will be judged on lyric and melodic variation originality by an MENC member panel. Four (4) winning entries will be posted on the MENC Web site and will be performed at the national Green Anthem Concert in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in April 2010. Deadline is February 15, 2010. Visit the MIOSM Contest page for downloadable forms, rules, and eligibility requirements.

Watch this video of the Hartt School Connecticut Children's Choir singing "The Green Anthem."

MENC National Honor Ensembles

Deadline extended to February 1! The MENC National Honor Ensembles will debut in June 2010 at Music Education Week in Washington DC. Now your star student performers have the opportunity for recognition beyond the state and division level. Students should apply now for the inaugural National Honor Concert Band, Mixed Choir, Orchestra, and Jazz Band. For more information, visit National Honor Ensembles.  Application deadline: February 1, 2010.

NSBA Electronic Composition Contest

NEW: Group Category for 2010! Sponsored by MENC and the National School Boards Association (NSBA), the Electronic Music Composition Contest recognizes outstanding student compositions. Winning students will be honored at NSBA's 2010 T+L Conference. Entries will be judged based on their aesthetic quality, effective use of electronic media, and the power of the composition and its presentation in communicating to school board members, administrators, and others, the excitement and effectiveness of electronic music composition in the school curriculum. The entry deadline is April 14, 2010. For an application form and additional information, visit the Web site.

Student Composers Competition

MENC is seeking original music of student composers for featured performances during Music Education Week in Washington to be held June 24-29, 2010, in Washington, D.C. Selected compositions will be the best representative works from MENC's six divisions in each of the following levels: elementary/middle school, high school, and undergraduate/graduate school. The instrumental composition category is for woodwinds, solo or any combination of instruments up to a woodwind quintet and piano. Visit contest page for rules and entry form.  Deadline: February 15, 2010. 

Perform at MENC's Music Education Week 2010

Groups can now apply to perform during MENC's Music Education Week in Washington DC, June 24–29, 2010. This event is MENC's annual summer celebration of music education featuring exceptional student performance opportunities, music advocacy on Capitol Hill, professional development, and live professional concerts. All performance groups are encouraged to contact MENC Events (phone 800-479-8247 or email chrism@mencevents.org) to participate during this exciting, educational week.

Nominate Your Top Students as U.S. ARMY ALL-AMERICANS!

Plan now for the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band! Nominate your students who are JUNIORS in the 2009-2010 school year for participation in their senior year in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Week festivities, taking place January 4-9, 2011. In January 2010, nominees will receive audition information, which must be submitted by April 15, 2010. Final selections for the 2011 marching band will be announced by July 1, 2010.

Take Your Students to Disney!

Walt Disney World has several musical opportunities in spring 2010 for you and your students, and MENC is proud to endorse them.

• Disney Jazz Celebration– February 18-20, 2010. A unique event open to instrumental and vocal performers, bringing together jazz educators and students with collegiate adjudicators and jazz celebrities. Students can choose to take part in jam sessions with their peers and jazz professionals. 
• Festival Disney– Weekend dates from March to May 2010. Students will demonstrate their performance excellence in the only all-Disney-produced competitive music festival. Festival Disney gives your talented ensemble the chance to compete with other instrumental, choral and auxiliary groups from schools across the country.

Chapter Spotlights

Ranney Middle School – Tinton Falls, NJ
Advisor: Lillianne Torrente

On Saturday, Dec.5th, the members of the Ranney Middle School Jr. Tri-M Music Honor Society, Chapter 4410, completed their first major service project for the 2009 – 2010 school year by delivering over 80 toys to the U.S. Marine Corp Base in Lincroft, N.J.

The service project began in November with a division wide fund raiser sponsored by the members of Jr. Tri-M. A huge success, the first middle school “Penny War” raised over $1,500 for the 4th Annual Musical Toys for Tots Drive. This year, rather than ask faculty and students to contribute toys, members of the music honor society decided to meet on a Saturday morning at a local Toys R Us Store in Eatontown for a “shopping spree” devoted to finding and purchasing toys that either “sang”, “played”, or just “looked like” music.

The students and their parents headed to the U.S. Marine Corp Base on Newman Springs Road in Lincroft, New Jersey where several U.S. Marines helped the students unload the packages and took pictures. The students left the base, happy to see the process from start to finish, and content in the knowledge that their efforts would help bring joy to children across New Jersey this holiday.

If you and your Tri-M chapter would like to be spotlighted in an issue of the Tri-M E-News, please send your blurb/photo of your chapter/activity to Shauna Leavitt.

News and Events

New Tri-M items for 2009-2010!

• Tri-M Pens—NEW! Clickable, ballpoint pens with colorful (red, purple, and green) barrels and comfortable gel grip. Package of 3 pens per set, 1 of each color with white logo and black ink. #8052. Active Tri-M chapter $1.50/Others $2.00
• Music Memories and Band Picture Frames—NEW! 4” x 6” wooden frames include glass and easel back with drop leg for tabletop display. #8053. Music Memories Picture Frame. Active Tri-M chapter $12.00/Others $16.00 #8054. Band Picture Frame. Active Tri-M chapter $12.00/Others $16.00
• Clearance Items – Several Tri-M items are now on clearance, including the advisor coin, the Tri-M apple ball, Tri-M key ring, emblem picture, and name tags. See the Tri-M catalog for more details.

To order: Call 1-800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org.

Tri-M Chapter of the Year 09-10

Start thinking now about collecting items for your Chapter of the Year scrapbook! The Chapter of the Year summer music scholarship program offers scholarship money for summer study programs to the top 3 chapters at the national level in each division (senior and junior chapters). Advisors of the winning chapters then award scholarship money to deserving students in their chapters. To get these scholarships, chapters must send in a scrapbook covering their activities for the year, together with the current Chapter of the Year point evaluation form, to the Tri-M national office postmarked no later than April 30, 2010.

Tri-M Spring 2010 Newsletter Deadline is January 9

Just a friendly reminder that the deadline for submissions for the Spring Tri-M News is January 9, 2010. Please email your stories to Tri-MNews@menc.org with your chapter name, number, author name and a photo of high quality resolution (300 dpi or greater) with description and credits. Please keep your articles brief (no longer than 300 words).

Read past issues of Tri-M News online! 

Thank you for all you do to support the Tri-M members in your chapter!

Winter Concert Advocacy Speech

Include music education advocacy in your remarks to parents and other audiences at your winter concerts. Check out the speech template posted on the MENC Recorder and personalize your speech with statistics, anecdotes, quotes, and more from the "Make Your Case" database.

Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation Grants

Grants of up to $12,000 will be awarded to public schools and nonprofits working to fund existing or planned public school or independent music programs across the nation. For more information, visit Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation. Deadline: February 5, 2010.

New Book

Enhancing the Professional Practice of Music Teachers: 101 Tips that Principals Want Music Teachers to Know and Do
By Paul G. Young

If you want to improve your professional performance and set yourself apart from your colleagues-in any discipline-these tips are for you. If you desire anything less than achieving the very best, you won't want this book.

Rather than addressing research and theory about music education or the "how-tos" of teaching, these time-honored tips focus on common-sense qualities and standards of performance that are essential for success-everywhere. Whether you're considering a career in music education, entering your first year of teaching, or nearing the end of a distinguished tenure, this advice applies to musicians in any setting. Affirming quality performance for experienced teachers and guiding, nurturing, and supporting the novice, Young outlines what great music teachers do. Easy to read and straightforward, read it from beginning to end or focus on tips of interest. Come back time and again for encouragement, ideas, and affirmation of your choice to teach music.

This book is a feature in three of our weekly Band articles here:
Common Sense Tips, Part 1
Common Sense Tips, Part 2
Common Sense Tips, Part 3

For complete tips and details, Enhancing the Professional Practice of Music Teachers: 101 Tips that Principals Want Music Teachers to Know and Do is available with a 25% discount to MENC members from Rowman & Littlefield Education.

December Poll

Each month, MENC asks its members for their input on current issues and trends in music education. This month’s question is: If your school is presenting a concert in December, what are you calling the concert? Share your thoughts today.

December Monthly Special

Notes with Imagination

Now is a great time stock up on MENC’s “Music! Just Imagine…” notecards. In December only, this set of 3 “Carolina blue” notecards with envelopes is available for half off the member price! Each card features a different “musical imagination” quote and can be used for thank you notes to students, holiday greetings to friends and family or advocacy notes to other teachers and administrators. These cards are only available for a limited time, so stock up now while the price is right!

“Music! Just Imagine…” Notecards. #6093R. $2.25. Call 1-800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org/specials to order. No additional purchase required. Special not available at state conference resource shops.

Follow MENC on Twitter.

Tri-M Facebook Groups

• Stay connected with other MENC Tri-M members around the world by joining MENC’s Tri-M group on Facebook. To join, simply visit www.facebook.com and search “MENC Tri-M Headquarters.”
• Want to know what’s happening at MENC Headquarters? Become a fan of MENC on Facebook!

MENC on LinkedIn

Connect with fellow MENC members and music education advocates on LinkedIn, a professional networking site. Participate in discussions about current topics, get music education news, and network with others in the field. To join, login to LinkedIn, select "Search Groups" from the top drop-down menu, and search for "MENC." If you haven't created an account yet, you can sign up at linkedin.com.

Planning a Tri-M Event?

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 (2009 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, jazz, and guitar. The mentors are veteran teachers who offer advice in response to your teaching questions. Post questions and read responses on the Future Teacher’s Forum. Read about this month’s MENC Mentors.

Month of December
Band – Terry Flanagan
General Music – Mary Stevens
Chorus – Ken Tucker
Orchestra – Janine Riveire
Jazz – Paul Haar
Guitar – Ed Prasse
 

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, December 17, 2009 © MENC: The National Association for Music Education.