Shorewood’s Tri-M students participate in an international honor society with more than 84,000 others (according to the National Association of Musical Education, which runs Tri-M). Tri-M is an honor society consisting of the best of our three music programs: choir, orchestra, and band. During graduation, they even get a special pink cord to drape over their shoulders. Sounds impressive, right? 

But Tri-M is about more than the bonus of sounding good on a transcript. They’re looking to involve as many people in music as they can. Ashley Sanders, senior and current president of our chapter of Tri-M, says that since she joined three years ago the number of people has only grown. She encourages people in the music programs to join and try new things.

Not the only ones

Tri-M is also trying to get connected with other chapters in Washington. Sanders hopes to be able to play and sing along with our fellow Washingtonians. They see the group as an opportunity for connection across schools and want to foster a sense of community with other music enthusiasts. Sanders even says that she “wants to organize a concert with [other local Tri-M programs.]” Of course, getting into an honor society can be difficult. So what do the Tri-M group members do for people who aren’t a part of it?

January Showcase

Tri-M hosts a free concert in January. Anyone can sign up to perform, and Tri-M introduces them to the audience announcing each name as the performers come on stage, they are an undeniable presence in the performance. The timing isn’t accidental, as it lines up before a competition for Solo and Ensemble. After practicing alone or with a small audience for so long, Shorewood’s musicians can practice in a real concert setting. You don’t need to be participating in the competition to take part in the concert, but most participants do. 

Volunteering 

As a member of Tri-M, you can choose how much you want to volunteer. Just attending the meetings every other Tuesday isn’t that hard, but it can be easy to fill your schedule up, as they get the first pick of music-based volunteer opportunities. Getting your name out there has never been easier.

Joining

Tri-M allows students in the music department to connect with people outside of their programs and provides a wonderful sense of community. But unlike other clubs, you have to join via an official application. There are two rounds of acceptance, at the beginning of the year and the start of the new semester. It’s also worth noting that freshmen can’t join until the semester mark. There are also some other requirements to meet before you can join. Just like a sport, you have to keep your GPA at a certain level. You also have to have a certain level of experience with music under your belt that Tri-M divides into “points.” But fear not. The vice president of the chapter, Gianni Milano, senior, says not to let the application process be a barrier. “It’s relatively easy for anybody who’s interested and a committed music student to get in,” Milano said. 

Sanders shared that some changes are coming up at the end of the year. All the current officers are seniors, which means that every position will be voted for at the end of the year. Such a change can be daunting, but Sanders shared nothing but optimism for the future. “I have faith in every single person that’s in that club and they’re all amazing people… I’m excited to see where they take it in the next couple of years.”