{{Short description|American high school and middle school music honor society}} {{Infobox fraternity | name = Tri-M | crest = Tri-M Music Honor Society logo.svg | image_size = 180px | founded = {{start date and age|1936}} | birthplace = Maine Township High School (Now called Maine East High School) | affiliation = National Association for Music Education | type = Honor | status = Active | scope = International | emphasis = Music, secondary school | motto = | slogan = | mission = | free_label = | free = | chapters = 2,100 | members = 84,000 | member badge = thumb|60px|left|Junior badge | former_name = Maine Music Masters (1936-1952)<br />Modern Music Masters (1952-1983) | address = P.O. Box 70704 | city = Philadelphia | state = Pennsylvania | postal code = 19176-0704 | country = United States | website = {{URL|https://www.musichonors.com/}} }}
'''Tri-M Music Honor Society''', formerly known as '''Modern Music Masters''', is an American high school and middle school music honor society. Tri-M was founded in 1936 by high school band director Alexander Harley in Park Ridge, Illinois. The society became a program of the National Association for Music Education in 1983. It has more than 2,100 participating chapters in several countries.
== History ==
=== Maine Music Masters === In 1930, Charles Himmel, principal of Maine Township High School (now Maine Township High School East) in Park Ridge, Illinois tasked the school's new music department chairman and band director, Alexander M. Harley, with turning the high school into the music center for the community.<ref name="Tri-M history2">{{Cite web |title=Tri-M History |url=https://ksmea.org/tri-m/tri-m-history/ |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=Kansas Music Educators Association |language=en-US}}</ref> Harley established student vocal and instrumental ensembles to perform free concerts for community churches, civic clubs, and schools.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> To recognize his students for volunteering their time, Harley looked for a national secondary school music honor society; however, he learned that no such organization existed.<ref name="Tri-M history2" />
In 1936, Harley and his wife Frances formed the local honor society '''Maine Music Masters''' and initiated its first members.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /><ref name="luc" /> Harley drafted the society's bylaws and constitution, established criteria for musical achievement, academic achievement, and service to school, church, and community.<ref name="Tri-M history2" />
=== Modern Music Masters === In 1951, Maine Township High School superintendent Harry D. Anderson attended the initiation of Tri-M and felt the organization could have broad appeal to other high schools in Illinois and the United States.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> He urged Harley to incorporate and expand the society.<ref name="Tri-M history2" />
The society was incorporated as Modern Music Masters on January 3, 1952.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> Einar J. Anderson, director of the Maine Township Adult Evening School, joined Harley as an incorporator and financially supported the group for its first three years.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> The organization's executive secretary was Frances Harley, who was also a music teacher and director of four choirs.<ref name="luc">{{Cite web |date=10 October 2017 |title=Appreciating Music: Frances M. Harley & Tri-M Music Honor Society {{!}} Women and Leadership Archives |url=http://libblogs.luc.edu/wla/2017/10/10/appreciating-music-frances-m-harley-tri-m-music-honor-society/ |access-date=2021-03-03 |language=en-US}}</ref> The society was operated from the Harley's home.<ref name="luc" />
At the end of 1952, 34 schools had applied to charter a chapter.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> The group began using the nickname Tri-M in 1954.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> After adding chapters in Illinois, Harley and his wife traversed the country to start chapters. By 1972, it had 125,000 members in chapters in the United States, Asia, and Europe.<ref name="luc" /> In 1979, the society's headquarters finally moved from the Harley's basement.<ref name="Tri-M history2" />
In 2025, Tri-M has 84,000 active members in high schools, junior high schools, and middle schools.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=About Tri-M |url=https://nafme.org/student-opportunities/tri-m-music-honor-society/about-tri-m/ |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=National Association for Music Education (NAfME) |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Tri-M Music Honor Society === On August 1, 1983, the Modern Music Masters officially became a program of the Music Educators National Conference (now the National Association for Music Education) and changed its name to Tri-M Music Honor Society.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> Tri-M continues to recognize students for their academic and musical achievements and provides leadership and service opportunities to young musicians.<ref name=":0" /> In 1986, Tri-M became an approved program of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.<ref name="Tri-M history2" />
{{Listen image |main_title = "Music Masters, Hail to Thee" |main_image = Tri-M Loyalty Song Sheet Music.jpg |main_image_caption = Sheet music |main_image_alt = Two sheets of sheet music entitled "Music Masters, Hail to Thee" lie side by side. |main_image_upright = 1 |filename = Tri-M Loyalty Song.mid |title = "Music Masters, Hail to Thee" |description = |plain = no |type = music }}
== Symbols == The society's original emblem was an octagonal key, featuring a five-line music staff with a lyre and scroll on the staff. The five-lines of the staff represented the society's selection criteria of music, scholarship, character, leadership, and service. The lyre and scroll symbolized proficiency and service to music. Above the staff was a musical triplet in the shape of the letter M, an abbreviation of Maine Music Masters.<ref name="Tri-M history2" />
Tri-M's song is "Music Masters, Hail to Thee".<ref name=":0" />
==Membership== Membership in Tri-M is open to students in grades six through twelve.<ref name=":0" /> To be eligible for membership, a student must maintain an A average in their music classes, a B average in all of their academic courses, be presently enrolled in a music course at their school or belong to a school-sponsored ensemble, and be recommended for membership by their school's music faculty.<ref name=":0" />
In addition to its student (active) members, Tri-M also has alumni members who have graduated from high school, and honorary members.<ref name=":0" />
==Chapters== Tri-M has more than 2,100 chapters in public, private, and parochial schools.<ref name=":0" /> Chapters are located in Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> Chapters are divided by grade into senior chapters for grades 10 through 12 and junior chapters for grades 6 through eight; grade 9 can be either senior or junior, depending on the school's structure.<ref name=":0" />
==Notable members==
* Arthur Fiedler (honorary), conductor<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> * Howard Hanson (honorary), composer and music theorist<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> * Bobby McFerrin (honorary), singer and conductor<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> * Georg Solti (honorary), conductor<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> * Shinichi Suzuki (honorary), violinist and pioneer in musical pedagogy<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> * Fred Waring (honorary), musician, bandleader, choral director, and radio and television personality<ref name="Tri-M history2" /> * Meredith Wilson (honorary), composer, conductor, musical arranger, and bandleader<ref name="Tri-M history2" />
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.musichonors.com/ Tri-M website]
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Category:Secondary school honor societies Category:1936 establishments in Illinois Category:Student organizations established in 1936 Category:Music organizations based in the United States