Dear Tri-M Advisors,

Winter is still here, but spring is on the way. There will be sun again! In this month’s issue of E-News, you’ll find announcements, upcoming service opportunities, and events. This month’s featured article is titled "What To Do With Your Tri-M Chapter." 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 Jen Reed. Please share an update with us on how your chapter is doing!

Sincerely,

Jen Reed, Student Programs Manager
 

What To Do With Your Tri-M Chapter

Once you’ve established a Tri-M chapter, what do you do with it? Do you have fun getting together as a chapter? Do you go places together? While Tri-M is an honor society and programs, projects, or activities are not required, many chapters find them to be very rewarding.

Getting to Know Each Other

The most frequent get-together is the chapter meeting, which can be held once a month or more frequently. Publicize each meeting at least one week in advance, giving date, place of meeting, time of opening and closing, and the purpose and general agenda of the meeting. Display the information in the school newspaper, on the music department and Tri-M bulletin boards, and on chalkboards in the music rooms.

Before the chapter meets as a whole, the executive committee should meet to outline the list of topics that will be covered. If you keep these meetings businesslike, with defined opening and closing times, members will be more likely to attend. It really shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes to plan for a monthly chapter meeting.

If time permits, try having a short musical program of solos and ensembles after the chapter meeting. You may choose to invite all music students to attend this performance, either as performers or as listeners, and develop a program to hand out to attendees. Many chapters serve refreshments after the meeting.

Enhance Your Meetings with Guest Speakers

Guest speakers can be other teachers, community leaders, local college students, local instrumentalists—anybody who can expand the horizons of your chapter. Below is a list of possible people to invite:

• Alumni members of your Tri-M chapter, who could share their musical and professional experiences
• Composers, conductors, performers, and honorary members, who could give lectures or lecture-recitals
• International residents and visitors, who could discuss music and music education in other countries
• University or college music department representatives, especially MENC Collegiate chapter officers and/or advisors, who could discuss their school's admission requirements (e.g., auditioning, applying, obtaining financial aid) or campus life
• Community representatives (e.g., PTA officials, recreation directors, local musicians), who can discuss various aspects of music in community life

Let’s Play Together

Music is what draws Tri-M students together. So, 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 they love and do so well.

Here’s a list of ways you can incorporate music activities into 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/or 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.
• Present mini-concerts at retirement homes, hospitals, shopping malls, or other community locations.
• Sponsor a Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM) program.
• Invite community music groups to present in-school concerts.
• Coordinate projects with MENC Collegiate chapters from a local college or university.

Field Trips

Field trips are a great way to get your Tri-M group to gather together and have fun!
Here’s a list of different ways that you can get together:

• Attend professional, community, and all-state concerts, plays or musicals.
• Attend rehearsals of community organizations (e.g., orchestras, bands, opera companies, dance companies, theater).
• Visit backstage with professional touring or local companies.
• Attend rehearsals and performances at feeder schools and colleges and universities in the area.
• Visit recording, radio, and television studios.
• Visit piano, organ, and instrument factories.
• Visit music publishing firms and printing plants.

For a complete list of activities, field trips, community outreach ideas, and fundraisers, read Tri-M Manual pages 50-53, or go to the Tri-M Web site.

To discover ways to get your Tri-M officers involved in planning activities for your school year, see Tri-M National Chair Lance Nielsen’s article in the August 2009 issue of Tri-M E-News, titled “Ten Ways to Prepare Your Tri-M Officers For a Successful Year.”

As always, tell us about your chapter's success with events or fundraising by sending a story to Jen Reed to publish in either the monthly Tri-M E-News or in the printed Tri-M newsletters. The Tri-M Spring and Fall Newsletters are a great place to get ideas for any of the types of chapter events mentioned above.

Contests, Scholarships, and Student Opportunities

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 NSBA Student Electronic Music Composition Talent Search.

2010 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band

Don't let your students miss their chance to be a member of the 2011 U.S. Army All American Marching Band! Audition instructions for the 2011 band are now available online. A student must be a member of his/her high school band program and a senior in the 2010/11 school year to be eligible for the 2011 band. All eligible students may apply. (Band director nomination is not a prerequisite.) Application deadline: April 15. Visit USAAAMB audition Web site for more information.

Music contest offers chance to win a music class led by American Idol finalist Danny Gokey!

To help teens learn about flu prevention so they don't miss out on exciting moments in their lives, former American Idol finalist Danny Gokey teamed with Clorox to encourage school musical groups to submit a video performance of a song by a Berklee College of Music student on the importance of prevention. Groups are encouraged to be creative and put their own spin on the song they submit. The winning group will win a music class at their school led by Danny. This is a great opportunity for students and teachers to be creative!

For each entry submitted, Clorox will donate $100 (up to $10,000) to Sophia’s Heart Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping restore musical dreams in children.

To learn more about the contest and how to enter, visit www.Facebook.com/Clorox. Hurry, entries are due March 4!

Chapter Spotlights

Plainview Old-Bethpage JFK High School - Plainview, NY
Advisor: Glen Rubin

The Tri-M Chapter at Plainview Old-Bethpage JFK High School has introduced a new tradition that has brought smiles to many faces, even at 7:15 in the morning! The idea of Musical Fridays starts the day with great music that can’t help but brighten everyone’s day. Musical Fridays is an event that occurs once or twice a month. Student musicians play music in the main lobby as students arrive at school in the morning. This twenty minute “mini-concert” sets a great vibe to the start of the day. Different musical groups including guitarists, a cappella groups, brass quartets, violin duets, and even beat-boxers have performed at Musical Fridays. Any student can sign up to perform, giving everyone a chance to share his/her musical abilities. Crowds gather around the musicians, clapping and cheering for them as they play. Donuts are sold as an added touch. These Musical Fridays sometimes occur on days before vacations to get both students and faculty pumped for the break. It is a fantastic way to spread cheer throughout the school while sharing music appreciation at the same time. If only everyday was a Musical Friday!

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 Jen Reed.

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.

Get Ready for Music In Our Schools Month!

Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM) is the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. MIOSM began as a single statewide celebration in 1973, and has grown over the decades to become a month-long celebration of school music. The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music. Here are some ways you can celebrate in March.

2010 World's Largest Concert®

Plan to participate in the World's Largest Concert on March 11, 2010. Visit the World's Largest Concert Web site to download your free sheet music, rehearsal tracks, and lesson plans. Pre-order your 2010 World's Largest Concert DVD now for late February delivery.
 

MENC’s Walk of Fame

Tri-M Sponsors, are you looking for a way to honor a special music educator in your life? Or to recognize the accomplishments of your own chapter?

We hope you’ll consider purchasing an engraved brick on the Walk of Fame at MENC headquarters in Reston, Virginia. Doing so provides a special way to support music education. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor a mentor, memorialize a loved one, commemorate an occasion or event, or simply make public and permanent your own support for music education.

For more information or questions, contact Susan Lambert.

MENC 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 featured 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.

February Poll

Each month, MENC asks its members for their input on current issues and trends in music education. This month's question is: Has the TV show "Glee" had any effect on your music program? Take the Glee Effect poll.

February Monthly Special

 In February only, MENC members can purchase a package of three MIOSM posters for only $1.50—half off the regular price! 2010 MIOSM Poster. #7037R. $1.50.

No additional purchase is required. This special is not available at state conference resource shops. Call 1-800-828-0229 or visit www.menc.org to order.

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 Jen Reed 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 February
Band – Frank Dubuy
General Music – Connie Hale
Chorus – Maria Schwab
Orchestra – Linda McNair
Jazz – Jeff Kunkel
Guitar – Ina Allen
 

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.

--Jen Reed, February 17, 2010 © MENC: The National Association for Music Education.