instrument petting zoo. Much like the ‘traveling zoo’ students may be invited to attend just to see what band is about. When the students leave if they join the band you will already know which instrument you may want them to play. The benefit of this method is that the parents are able to see and experience with the student their first sounds, which hopefully will help them see the significance of joining your band program.
8. The Recruitment Concert.
The recruitment concert is a great way to showcase your program and expose students to every aspect of the program, not just the beginning band. We did this at my school during the school day so that we did not have to worry about getting them to attend after school hours. The elementary schools treated this event as a field trip since it was held at the high school and the central office coordinated having every 6th grader brought to the high school by bus.
The program consisted of the following: •7th and 8th grade bands combined (1 piece) •Middle School cadet winter guard •2 high school winter guards •High School Concert Band (1 piece)
•The High School Jazz Band – we used them to play for transitions.
*obviously this may be different for your program. You will want what you have to offer.
to do what highlights
The key to this presentation is length and organization. We set up the winter guard floors so that they were all on top of each other and were removed after each performance quickly. We began with the 7th and 8th grade because it was easier for them to remove chairs quickly than add them. Overall, the presentation lasted an hour or a little longer. Afterwards, we gave the 6th grade students goody bags that were made by the middle school band students and included candy, a brochure about the program with important dates, registration information, commonly asked questions, etc. Once we began this event, many students who joined the band told us that this event is what made them sign up for band.
9. The Music Survey.
I will use the Selmer music survey for reference; however, there are others that are available as well. If you are not familiar, this survey tests student’s ability to recognize difference in pitch, chords, melodies and rhythm. It is also a chance for you to introduce the instruments to the students and let them indicate what they like. As long as you have a good sound system where all students can hear and a large screen, you can test a larger numbers of students. However, I like to
ala breve
test one class at a time, which ends up being between 20-27 students. This survey is perfect if you have elementary music and can have the teacher implement this survey into the end of the year process for you.
How you use these results is the most important part of the survey test. I would not recommend using this solely to get students into band or seeing if they were ‘eligible’ or ‘musically inclined’. It may however, help you with placing already strong students throughout the band to help balance strengths. It is important to remember that ability and results from this test are affected by prior instruction. At my school, there were no elementary music classes. Therefore, I did not use this test for much other than creating an interest.
10. Follow up.
Whether or not you choose one of the recruitment methods mentioned above, a combination of several or something of your own that is totally different, the most important aspect of recruitment is the follow-up! Present a concert to the students, let them play the instruments, talk to them and show them a recruitment video, and without a Follow –up the benefits are minimal; Seeing students and telling them once is simply not enough. In some cases you can use one of these methods to recruit and another for follow- up. Remember that if you use a method that did not require you to ‘place’ a student on a particular instrument, then the follow up will at some point need to include instrument selection.
Also, remember that in a situation like band where we recruit to ‘get students in the seat’ and it is not a requirement, you may want to inquire to teachers about the students you should pursue a little harder. The student’s, who work hard, make good grades, already show musical ability, etc.
In conclusion, I would like to share my most successful combination of the above methods. In late March or early April, we presented the recruitment concert, in conjunction with Music in our Schools Month. Which by the way has some great things that you can purchase to give to the students. There is a lot to be said about a sticker! In late April, early May, I did the traveling instrument zoo at all 5 elementary schools, creating interest, getting to know students and collecting information. From the day the zoo ended and over into the summer, I did the phone call method, trying to get as many students to commit as possible. I also sent the postcard out as suggested and tried again to recruit a few more, as well as provide information for my ‘new’ band students. Prior to the start of the school year, parents and students came to a meeting at the
school to purchase instruments and receive final information. I scheduled this meeting on the same day as the school wide, ‘back to school’ meeting and found that this helped it be a little more successful. Our town did not have a local music company so we provided this service through a company that came to our school once a week. Parents were not required to purchase here, but we provided the service and many did.
Finally, after what seems like a lengthy process we had students in the seats and were ready to teach music. However, recruitment is a never- ending cycle. As we begin teaching and learning with these new students and creating exciting and fun memories, instantly we begin to look ahead to the next class of students to see which of these students would ‘be in the seats’ in the future.
Additional References and Materials:
Beaudette, Cynthia. (2013). Symphony to host 'Petting Zoo,' for area youth – Event provides a venue for kids to experience band instruments. Muscatine Journal (IA).
Fischer, B., & Hamburg, D. (2001, May 1). Improving Student Participation in Beginning Band Programs through the Use of Effective Recruiting Techniques. Retrieved from ERIC, EBSCOhost April 21, 2013.
Mixon, Kevin. (2005) Building Your
Instrumental Music Program in an Urban School. Music Educators Journal. 91(3), 22
Nierman, Glenn E. & Veak, Micheal H. (1997) “Effect of Selected Recruiting Strategies on Beginning Instrumentalists’
Participation
Decisions”, Journal of Research in Music Edcucation. 44 (4), 387.
Web Sources:
Music in Our Schools Month. National Association for Music Education. Retrieved on April 21, 2013.
http://musiced.nafme.org/events/ music-in-our-schools-month
Selmer Music Guidance Survey.
BandHallReviews.com. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
http://www.bandhallreviews.com/ styled/styled-10/
index.html
Google Document: (2010) Sample Post Card.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0jW7dKQgybY NWRrYTVhckttODQ/edit?usp=sharing
Danielle Todd has taught middle school band in Alabama for 10 years. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Education at The University of Alabama.
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