tri-m music honor society Tri-M Music Honor Society:
What Is It? What Is Required?
How Can It Be Used at My School? Jonathan Bell, Tri-M Music Honor Society Chair
I am the new Tri-M chair for WMEA. I started in German- town in the fall of 2000 and became the Tri-M advisor in 2014. The national guidelines for Tri- M are minimal, with the intent to allow
each school to set up its chapter in a man- ner that best suits their school. For my first column, I will review the requirements and show how Tri-M helps the music depart- ment in Germantown.
The Tri-M Music Honor Society is the international music honor society for high school students. It is designed to recognize students for their academic and musical achievements, reward them for their ac- complishments and service activities, and inspire other students to excel at music and leadership. Through more than 5,500 char- tered chapters, Tri-M has helped thousands
of young people provide years of service through music in schools throughout the world.
A chapter advisor must be a member of the faculty or principal of the school. They receive all official Tri-M communications from NAfME. In addition, they are respon- sible for selecting co-advisors, selecting members, day-to-day supervision of the chapter, overseeing officer elections, at- tending all chapter meetings and submitting the chapter renewal form each year.
Student membership is based on grades, leadership, character and service. Students must have at least one semester of a music class, maintain an A average in music classes and a B average in all other classes. Leadership, character and service require- ments are up to each chapter. Access the Tri-M Program Guidelines.
The national requirements are minimal with the hope that each chapter does what is
best for their program. Here is how Tri-M contributes to the music programs of the Germantown Schools. The Germantown school district has four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. We have band and choir, but no orchestra program.
Tri-M is our music service group with a student board. Our primary objective is to build on the climate and culture of the entire K–12 music department. Typically, there are monthly officer meetings, a gen- eral meeting and an event or activity each month. Our board and general meetings happen during our school’s homeroom period.
Our board has five officers. Any member can run for president, vice president or secretary. We also have a band repre- sentative and a choir representative. The board handles the administration of events throughout the year. At a late August meet- ing, the board discusses the activities and who will be the lead for each one.
Our monthly schedule is as follows.
September: Membership renewal and new member selection are handled by the advi- sor. This includes a GPA check, ensuring all are still enrolled in music and a meeting with the other teachers in the department on new member enrollment.
October: We have our new member induc- tion ceremony, first general membership meeting, and decorate the music hallway for Halloween.
November: An evening Friendsgiving for all high school musicians. This includes snacks, games, karaoke and Thanksgiving videos, like Charlie Brown.
Performing at Nursing Home 20 September 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
