Best “Low-Lift” Chapter Activities for New and Establishing Tri-M^® Chapters

Service, Community, and Leadership Opportunities

By NAfME Member Shelly Cole

“Just get to Labor Day and all will be well.” We’ve all said it! But then what? Fall is underway, ducks are falling into rows, and your Tri-M® president asks, “What can we do for Tri-M this year?”

If you are a new Tri-M advisor—or simply an advisor who needs some great, low-planning activities—you are in the right place! Here are some of my favorite low-lift activities that can help new and establishing chapters get moving without overwhelming students or advisors.

My philosophy is simple: Start small. Try one service activity and one social activity each semester. Once your chapter has established some momentum, you can build from there.

Start with Service

Service does not have to mean organizing a huge community event. Look around your own music program for needs that your Tri-M members can help tackle.

Host a music room work night and put your members to work organizing folders, filing music, sizing uniforms, sorting equipment, or finally tackling that box of mismatched marching shoes you’ve been meaning to get to!

Need an academic service project? Host a music theory help night where younger musicians can bring their questions. Your experienced musicians can serve as peer mentors, providing that extra layer of support that students often need but class time does not always allow.

You can also organize a canned food drive connected to a concert or school event and donate the collection to a local food pantry.

Build Community

Tri-M should be about more than meetings. Give students a reason to want to be involved! A potluck or game night can be an easy way to build relationships. Invite eligible students who are not yet members to attend. It is a great way to show them what Tri-M is all about before asking them to join.

Looking for a great activity to get your chapter moving and connecting? Try Chicken on a Hill! See this video(opens in new tab) featuring Adrian Ibarra-Penca and Gavin Hurrelbrink from Chapter 5682.

Let Students Lead

Create a Tri-M mission statement: Who are we, and what do we want to accomplish this year? Hold a mission-statement meeting and let students identify the values and priorities they want their chapter to represent. Then ask, “How do our activities help us accomplish that mission?”

You don’t need a huge calendar of events to have a successful Tri-M chapter. Start small, give students ownership, and build from there. Sometimes the best chapters begin with one simple idea, a handful of students, and an advisor willing to say, “Let’s give it a try!”

About the author:

(opens in new tab)NAfME member Shelly Cole has been a professional educator for 28 years, serving as the Director of Choirs at Piper High School for 23 years. At Piper High School, Cole directs three performing ensembles (Concert, Choir, Bella Voce, and Music-n-Motion) and teaches Road to Rock. Under her direction, the choirs have received superior ratings at regional and state festivals and have been featured as the opening act for countless shows in Branson, Missouri.

Cole received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a Masters of Education from Baker University. Cole started her career teaching PreK–12 vocal/instrumental music in Rising City, Nebraska, then moved to her hometown of Goodland, Kansas, and was the 7–12 director of choirs for three years before moving to the Piper School District in 2000.

Cole is an active member of Kansas Music Educators Association(opens in new tab) (KMEA), serving as the Kansas Tri-M® Chapter Advisor since 2018. Shelly currently serves as the Chair of the KMEA Retention and Recruitment Committee. Most recently, Cole has accepted the position as NAfME Tri-M Advisory Council Southwestern Division Representative (2024-2026).

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