Tri-M Student Musician Development Day

On Friday, November 8, Sharon High School’s Tri-M Music Honor Society held their first annual Tri-M Student-Musician Development Day at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. Throughout the day, Tri-M members attended three workshops: a vocal (or instrumental) masterclass, a Dalcroze Eurhythmics workshop, and a composition and improvisation session. Members also participated in team-building activities to improve the community within the chapter. After lunch, the chapter gathered for music trivia game which the seniors won.

The development day allowed students to immerse themselves in music and community. Julia Luo ‘21 explained, “I thought that it was both fun and educational. It gave everyone a great chance to get to know their classmates and strengthen our community. I liked the atmosphere of Moosehill Reservation, as we were able to work in several buildings. Getting away from school and getting to know other Tri-M members was a breath of fresh air and relieve the stress from school”. Julia Lin ‘21 wrote, “My favorite part of the day was the trivia/jeopardy. It was a rare bonding experience, and the competitive yet easygoing atmosphere was enjoyable. I learned much more about music and how extensive it can be, which opened my eyes to the world of music and significantly deepened my appreciation for the subject”.

Many students expressed how they benefited from the masterclasses in achieving their musical goals. Elizabeth Groulx ‘21 said, “I genuinely appreciated the opportunity to participate in masterclasses for chorus. As a student who was preparing for my audition for Senior Districts, the class was incredibly helpful. I was able to adjust my technique before the audition for the music festival and passed!”

Over the course of the day, nine clinicians lead workshops for our students. Many of them expressed how they enjoyed the experience. Mr. Roger Cichy wrote, “My area of expertise is music composition, so I worked with 2 large groups of students as we worked through a few composition exercises. The student were a delight to work with, fully engaged in the composition project and attentive to my comments and instructions. When students are engaged and engrossed in the subject matter being communicated, intellectual growth flourishes. Students were presented a number of learning experiences throughout the day. I certainly noted much musical progress in my area of composition.”

Clinicians also thought this student-musician development day was a valuable opportunity for our members. As Dr. Patricia Cichy explained, “It is important for every musician to continually be learning in order to grow in his (her) musical journey. This can be in a variety of ways – reading great books, taking lessons, playing in ensembles, working with a variety of teachers, and by attending workshops and master classes. Sometimes it is just one thing that is said or experienced that makes a profound difference. Being open to experiencing a wide variety of approaches helps us grow – sometimes we find that some of these experiences work for us, and sometimes they don’t – but we don’t know that unless we try. It can be game changing and so invigorating!”

Article written by Manjari Kannan, Tri-M Music Honor Society Communications Director