Monday, March 22, 2021

I get asked this question all the time: How do you attract so many kids into your band program? This is my 39th year of teaching, and one of my consistent achievements has been program growth. In my five teaching jobs, I have prioritized recruitment and retention, knowing full well that the deeper the talent pool is in my programs, the better the experiences that I can provide. The bigger the band, the more children that can be impacted by the joy and accomplishment of musical learning.

Additionally, I really prefer a big band! The bare-bones wind ensemble is a joy, but what could be happier than looking over a 200-piece beginning band and knowing that those little hearts are learning something that might positively impact their lives forever? My stated goal every year is that every kid who can take band DOES take band. I may fail to reach that goal, but I never stop trying. It starts with casual contacts with fifth graders.

In my school, there are 5th and 6th graders, and band starts in sixth grade. I start the year figuring out what opportunities I might have to casually interact with 5th graders. I visit science classes, chat with them at lunch or recess, high-five them in the hallway, play my instrument in the hallway during passing periods. I reach out to them any chance I get, knowing that if they see positive in me, they will see positive in my course. I talk to my 6th graders about putting positive "buzz" out there. I encourage them to tell 5th graders funny stories about band, to talk about their band experiences when in the company of 5th graders, and to informally invite the fifth graders to join our program when the "magic door" opens.

At my school, that magic door opens in February, right before pre-enrollment starts for the next school year. At that time, I visit 5th grade science classes. I take instruments with me, and I play Star Wars or Baby Shark or the Jaws theme. I crack jokes, tell stories and wander among them, looking each kid in the eye and saying this phrase: I WANT YOU TO BE IN MY BAND! Some seem surprised, as they've never experienced the recruiting process before. I am not coy with them. I explain that I'm "saving them a seat" in our band room. The magic door only opens once for a student in Mustang. Sixth grade is our only entry point into band. It's now or never. If I miss them enrolling in sixth grade band, they can never experience band in Mustang, and I certainly hope that no kid who might ever get something from band misses that opportunity because of procrastination.

I tell them that band is fun. I tell them that band can lead to adventure and travel. I tell them that some kids might have an amazing talent that they haven't discovered yet. I tell them that I want all kinds of kids in my band. I treasure diversity, and seek it in my program. I may or may not perform my TikTok dances for them. I even throw in tidbits about my dogs, my husband or my personal life. Why? BECAUSE I NEED THEM TO FALL IN LOVE WITH ME. Not romantic love, of course, but the kind of love that children feel for trusted adults. Devotion. What I know is that if they love me, they are more likely to trust me when I ask them to do hard things. I know that if they love me, they're less likely to quit when the going gets tough. I know that if they love me, I can take them to music as an expression of that love. I do not apologize for seeking the love of my students. I love them. I am devoted to them. That street should run both ways.

I send home literature for their families. Lots of parents fear the expenses involved with band. I enumerate for parents the many ways that we can help them. I briefly explain the instrument rental process and point them to our local music store websites. I discuss our scheduling processes and lay out some basic FAQs. I also include QR codes they can use to access our web page and social media. I give my contact information and encouragement for families to jump on the band train together.

After this, we give a big assembly performance for the 5th graders. The sixth graders perform fun songs. We hoot and holler. This year at the assembly, my bird mask was a big hit, and I had the whole auditorium calling out "Ca-CAWWWWWWW!!!!" I try to be as hysterically funny as possible, because the funny gets the kids plus I like laughing, so it's a mutually beneficial exercise. At the end of the assembly, I toss out "prizes" like old band shirts, music posters, unclaimed fundraiser prizes. It's like a party. I'm not sorry.

I do not test kids for aptitude. I want them all, regardless of their natural ability. I do not talk about the hard work. (I teach band in a "hard work that feels like fun" way.) I do not talk about college scholarships or music careers. At ten, they're just not thinking about that stuff yet. But they do know that for a large part of their day, school is long on drudgery and short on giggles; so, I offer them giggles. Lots and lots of giggles.

After the recruitment concert, I follow up with additional contacts if I do not see the kinds of numbers that I expect after pre-enrollment happens. I don't beg kids to take band, but I always want to reiterate the fact that if they ever want to be in band, they must hop in now. Truthfully, I usually get more kids than I planned for. Here in Mustang, before we built a new intermediate school that split our population up, I was getting 300 beginners per year. I see the beginners inthe afternoons, and the middle schoolers in the morning, and there have been years of 600+ students per day, just in the north "pod" of intermediate/middle school.

The pandemic has been a big hit for our program. We have many students who opted for virtual learning, several kids who have had to move due to lost jobs and family tragedies, and an on again/off again situation with tons of quarantines, virtual learning weeks during peak virus numbers, masks, bell covers and distancing. It has been ROUGH. I expect that our numbers will dip somewhat for a year or two. In this setting, I'm as much counselor as band director. Expressing caring, concern, and determination to carry on through whatever disaster happens today has taken time that normally would be spent learning the difference between Bb and B natural. We have persisted. And I have learned something important.

They don't need to go to Frontier City or have contests and concerts as normal in order to love band. My students love the act of learning to play every day in class. We have our adventures in our classroom. The beginners tell me they wish they could stay in band all day. They are joyous in playing. They spread that joy through our school, and soon the 5th graders start to want some of that action. A culture is in place. It's a culture of joy and fun and learning. It requires no trophies or trips. The simple act of playing music every day with trusted friends is enough. I really needed to learn that. I'll recruit on that more than on the flashy incentives going forward.

This little stream of consciousness is s brought to you by Belinda Watson, Southwestern Oklahoma State University graduate, band director, and kid magnet. I know that not all directors are inclined to be a zany goof. I know lots of serious folks who recruit in ways that would not work for me. We should try to be authentic and honest with the kids, as they will sense fakery from a mile away. If you prefer a calm, measured approach, then bring your calmness, but maybe you could put on a funny hat and tell some dad jokes? Kids love dad jokes.

Laura Sears PMC Liberty Laura came to work for Palen from the Seattle, WA metro area where she was born and raised. She graduated from the Renton Technical College Band Instrument Repair Program in 2009, after which she spent the next several years growing and learning her craft from various master technicians. Laura decided to move to Liberty, MO to put down roots and raise her family. Outside of work, Laura spends as much time as possible with her husband and two kids.