Monday, January 9, 2023
Welcome back, my friends! I hope that you had a restful Christmas break full of laughter and time with family and friends! One of the most important things each spring is to lay the groundwork for recruiting your next crop of beginners. Last month, I saw a great article in the Music Achievement Council's MSFQ (more to start, fewer to quit) newsletter. There are a few wonderful ideas here, and my favorite was the retention tip of writing some messages to your colleagues and administrators thanking them for their support of your program. I hope you enjoy these helpful suggestions from Dr. Menghini. Blessings on a productive and rewarding spring semester!
Eric Matzat, President - Palen Music Center
RECRUITMENT TIPS
During the upcoming break, take a few minutes to think back about last year's recruiting efforts. Identify those events, activities, and communications that worked well. If there was something that did not go as well as hoped, determine why and what could have been done to make it more successful. Talk to colleagues to see if you can "borrow" anything from their bag of recruitment tricks.
Also, think through the instrumentation your recruitment efforts yielded. Determine the size of next year's starting class and set some preliminary instrumentation goals for next year. It is also important to take a hard look at why students may have quit this year -- call to speak with the parents to try and get the most "honest" answer as to the reason(s) why. Finally, have a conversation with your school music dealer to talk about this year's efforts and to start planning for next year's recruiting season.
RETENTION TIP
We often focus on students and parents when it comes to retention, but some of our biggest allies can be our colleagues, the classroom teachers, and support staff. During the year it is inevitable that there are activities and events that disrupt their schedules. It can be for pull-out lessons, field trips, or those days when your rehearsal runs a minute or two late. Taking a few moments to write a message to them thanking them for their work in the classrooms and their support of the music program will mean a great deal to many. Don't forget to include the counselors, administrators, and custodial staff.
SUCCESS TIP
This is the time of year to assess your wants and needs for your program. Once the first of the year rolls around, the annual budget cycle comes to an end. This is a great time to visit with your administrator to see if there is any money left in the budget for your program. If no funds are available, then it segues to a perfect time to begin to talk about the future needs of the program (like instruments, equipment, music, etc.) and how best you can prepare information and requests for inclusion in next year's budget.
| Dr. Charles T. Menghini is President Emeritus of VanderCook College of Music and Co-Author of Essential Elements Band Method. |
| (417) 882-7000 | (573) 256-5555 | (816) 792-8301 |
| (417) 781-3100 | (405) 896-8111 | (479) 464-8877 |
| (918) 286-1555 | (636) 229-1904 | (417) 882-7000 |