On Sept. 26, from 7-8:30 p.m., Aragon’s Tri-M Music Honor Society Chapter, No. 3534, held its induction ceremony in the theater, formally inducting 14 new and 30 returning members into the program.
“Tri-M is an international music organization that runs all the way from middle school through college level,” said band director and Tri-M adviser Kevin Gallagher. “It is the largest international music organization in the world and thousands of people are part of [it].”
At the beginning of the ceremony, Gallagher and fellow director John Chen welcomed the audience after which sophomore Jaydon Li performed “Heart of the Lake” on viola. Tri-M’s senior officers then stepped up to the podium to formally accept their positions, followed by the junior officers.
Throughout the ceremony, students performed pieces as solos, duets and groups.
“[The] pieces [we performed are ones] that I like and [are by] jazz musicians that I am inspired by,” said junior and pianist Charles Cho. “It’s fun [when you are] playing it in a group. [It makes it] like a more real experience.”
Between performances, students were inducted as members of the society, and each was presented a certificate while walking across the stage. Members also recited the Tri-M pledge to demonstrate their willingness to uphold the standards of Tri-M and serve their community.
“[The] school program [is] mainly led by Mr. Chen and Mr. Gallagher,” Li said. “[In Tri-M], you can really get [opportunities for] leadership because it’s almost all run by students … We have lots of opportunities to connect with the community [and] because we have lots of [these] concerts, we [gain] lots of performance experience.”
Becoming a member requires one year of enrollment in the music program. Potential members are nominated by their music director or other Tri-M members, and are required to fill out an application and an induction letter.
“We’re really focused on leadership, musicianship and adding to the community,” said senior and Tri-M treasurer Kate Sato. “[It’s] not just something you get in by being a good musician, but [by] helping your classmates or being a positive force in your classroom and in your school.”
Last year, Aragon’s Tri-M Chapter was voted the State Chapter of California, recognizing them as one of the best Tri – M chapter in the state. Still, they hope to continue to improve the chapter further.
“[One] of my main goals is to widen [our] scope of our communities,” said senior and Tri-M president Midori Saito. “Sometimes Tri-M is lauded as this secret society but we don’t want to be secret. [We want to reach] out to more organizations to try to make Tri-M more well-known. That’s one of my main goals, to spread as much service as possible around the area.”
Tri-M will be supporting the music department’s next large event — the Potluck Concert — on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in the South Gym.
