Tri-M: Bringing Music into the School and Community

Tri-M turns a love of music into performances, service, and opportunities for the entire Rancho community.

Tri-M members working at the Club Fair trying to bring in new members.

“We are out there. We are in the community,” says Mr. Zale, Rancho’s Tri-M advisor. That is the plan. We love talking about music, but at some point, somebody should probably make some. 

Tri-M is Rancho’s chapter of the National Music Honor Society, bringing together students enrolled in school music classes to perform, lead, and serve. Sounds rather official. It is, but you do not need to be a member to suggest an idea, perform, or help organize something. Please do not keep a good project to yourself because you are missing an honor society membership. 

This year, we are continuing some familiar events. The Coffee House gives students a relaxed evening to perform while raising money for Rosie’s House, which expands access to music education. There is something lovely about listening to someone you normally only see in chemistry suddenly sing. 

Then there is Rancho Under the Stars: band, choir, orchestra, soloists, and dance, spread across campus in one walk-around evening. You may go looking for a family member and come back with a new favorite performer. There are, unfortunately, more logistics involved than simply telling everyone to bring an instrument. 

Valentine Serenades and karaoke are also on the calendar. Both give us opportunities to hear people we might not otherwise hear sing. Whether those people intended to be heard is another question. 

There is also Rancho Instrumentals, a new club with a rock band focus and plans for gigs, led by senior Oliver Cryan. Tri-M is connected with them, so if you want to get involved or have something in mind for the band, you can come through us too. 

We are also planning new events. Something with dance? Theater? Visual art? A fundraiser with a slightly unusual premise? We are interested.  

“Our goal this year is to make it easier for more students to get involved, whether they perform, help organize, or simply bring us an idea,” says Ian Fleskes, Tri-M’s treasurer. 

“I have no idea how we would do this, but…” is a perfectly good beginning. We can figure out the practical details together. 

New junior Leo Le puts it this way: “Although not in Tri-M, I can develop my potential here and I want to continue doing this over the year.” 

Performing is one way in, but so is finding performers, setting up, contacting a community partner, or asking whether we could try something different. 

We want to soundtrack school life. Some of that will happen through traditions people already look forward to, and some, hopefully, through ideas we have not heard yet. Come talk to us. Give us something interesting to discuss at the next meeting.