[2] There are approximately 6,200 participating chapters in several countries, each of which is run by the students but supervised by an advisor or sponsor, usually a school teacher.

[1] At the time, Alexander Harley was the band director and Music Department Chairman at Maine Township High School East in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Harley, along with his wife Frances began formulating a plan; they decided that the initiates should be among the finest technical and academic musicians at the high school.

For almost twenty years this organization worked to promote the values of service to the music program, the school, and the community.

Its membership steadily grew and it became an international organization with chapters as far away as Asia and Europe.

TRI-M continues to promote the ideals of service to the school music program, the school-at-large, and the community.