Is Your Program The Best Kept Secret In Your School? by Ron Kearns
Author of “Quick Reference For Band Directors”
dcsax@aol.com
people could give you the name and the personal stats for the player. Ask them who the Drum Major of the band is and chances are they may not know. Is it because one is more important than the other or is it be- cause of the publicity one gets and the lack of publicity the other gets? The answer to this, sadly, is that
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music programs in most schools do not ac- tively publicize individual or group achieve- ments as much as they should. The football quarterback and the Drum Major perform in front of the same number of people for a football game but more attention is given the quarterback from the athletic depart- ment than the Drum Major from the music department. So, what can you do to publi- cize your program and receive recognition for your accomplishments? The best way to get a quick start is to use existing media in your school. Use the school’s newspaper, newsletters, web page, parents’ listserv, etc. Of course, if you have your own web page you can control the dis- semination of information and the amount of coverage your group gets. If you have your own web page, social media accounts and printed newsletters, they give you an opportunity to profile individual members. You can also profile each of your groups and their achievements.
Using existing school resources
Most schools now have a web page designed to give the school community access
to school information. These
sites generally give each department and opportunity to design and control their input. If you use these pages wisely you can have a permanent place for individual
TEMPO
f you visit most schools and ask who the quarterback for the foot- ball team is chances are most
achievements such as All District Band, All State Band and festival/competition results. During your initial meetings with parents, establish a publicity committee whose responsibility it is to input and update information for this page. You can even have a space reserved to profile your student leaders so that your Drum Major and section leaders can be listed with pictures for easy recognition. If there is a hard copy newsletter you should reserve a space to list achievements, furnish dates for upcoming events, and profile student achievements that are current with the dates of publication (September dates and achievements in a September newsletter, etc.).
Designing your own PR Network With
today’s technology, there are
many ways to let students in your school, your feeder schools and the school commu- nity know about your achievements, indi- vidual or group. The best way is a newslet- ter. Whether you use low tech newsletters that are printed and distributed by hand; eNewsletters on the band’s web page; notes or articles posted on social networks or video broadcasts, you should make sure that word about what you and your students are doing gets noticed. Public Relations (PR) is a major help for projecting a positive image for your program and making your program a place where students want to be and want to stay once they’re there. Using social me- dia has to be done carefully and you must be aware of any restrictions regarding its use and student privacy issues. When done within guidelines, social media gives your program the greatest reach and gives you the opportunity to post achievements in “real time.” No matter how large or small the achievements, people need to know what kinds of things your group is doing.
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Sometimes excellence and success can be taken for granted and you may assume that everyone knows about how well your group is doing but that is not necessarily the case. Sometimes your students don’t share how well things are going even with their par- ents. A good newsletter can help start the dialogue you want taking place about your program.
The bottom line is, don’t assume that
because you’re successful people will take notice. It is your responsibility to make sure that what you and your students have achieved gets attention. Don’t just limit yourself to festival and competition out- comes or whether or not students are se- lected for honors groups. Acknowledge your students who try out for those groups whether they make them or not. List the stu- dents who participate in Solo and Ensemble Festivals. Acknowledge your students who attend
leadership camps or workshops.
Highlight student soloists on concerts and performances. Acknowledging student achievements and accomplishments is one of the best ways of recruiting and retaining students. Low tech ways include posting pictures on the band room walls or in a trophy case in the hall somewhere in the school. However you choose to do it, make sure your students get acknowledged for the hours of work they put into your program. Your colleagues will be more likely to support your program once they find out how much work you and your students put in. Your administration will be more likely to support your program once they get positive feedback from the community. Don’t be the best kept secret in your school and school community.
& JANUARY 2014
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