Music students have been running the beautiful concert productions and social community of the Lincoln East music program. These musicians have been running this club single handedly for decades, with no change in sight.
Who are these Phantoms of the Opera pulling strings to make you jump out of your seat with the intoxicating feeling of music? Just ordinary music students that sit besides you in class. Tri-M is an international organization where the “main focus is on leadership and focus,” Nicole Shively, the Tri-M sponsor, said. “All chapters are different… but our chapter focuses on community.” As stated before, Tri-m are stage assistants that work backstage, set up theaters, hand out programs and advocate for their music programs.
The club promotes leadership qualities for dedicated students, making them officers. “Officers run the club. The teachers are obviously supervising, but the kids are the ones who run it,” Shively said. They have ranking jobs of president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. All having a specific job that requires them to step up and make tough decisions.
“From a personal perspective…” Shively continued. “Tri-M is much less academic than what I do in the classroom…It is fun, it’s optional but it’s for people that want to be there.”
The club supports parties for the end of the year, Halloween and winter parties for members of the music groups at East. They all volunteer together and all have a common passion: music. And they use that passion to forge stronger bonds with their friends in other ensembles.
“It’s more fun and more helpful to meet others in other ensemble groups,” senior member Megan Kolbe said. “I’ve gotten closer to my musical family.” Megan continued saying that the group participated in the themed Cadenza concert at the end of the year, marching competitions, setting up costumes and added flair to make the shows entertaining to watch. But Megan continued saying that’s a small part of what Tri-M is to the students.
And Shively herself summed up what Tri-M is all about: community. “Music programs are already a family, but I think this is just a way for them to become even closer together.”