Aha, a Career!

Being a member of Tri-M for two years, I got to see so much. One of the most memorable experiences was when we had an orchestra from Poland visit our school. Many people came, and although I had to guard the doors, I was still able to watch them perform and hear their music.

The trip to the Tri-M Summit introduced me to the field of instrument repair and fabrication. We had many activities throughout the day, and this one was where a technician showed us the tools she used and if she repaired all instruments or certain ones, and as soon as I saw it all, it was almost as if my head just…clicked in a way. My brain just went, “Yeah, that’s what I want to do.” It was the beginning of myself and my band director’s involvement. As of right now, I plan to get my Associates Degree in (I believe) Applied Science, by going through the Band Instrument Repair & Fabrication program at Western Iowa Technical Community College (WITCC), which I believe to be the only school in the United States to offer me a degree for that. To sum it up, Tri-M has given me what is essentially my career.

Benen Canape, Tri-M Alumnus
Ava High School
Ava, MO
Tri-M Advisor: Sarah Sacco