Recruiting for beginning instrumental music is a year-round job. Although the director’s task may be challenging, there is a great deal and variety of help available.
This booklet describes recruiting methods being used successfully today by directors in schools throughout the country. Some methods differ widely, but all are techniques that have been tested in action and are proven to work. The content here reflects the combined experience of successful educators and school music dealers. That is why this is a practical guide to recruiting and retention for veteran teachers, beginning teachers and future teachers.
One key person not in this booklet is you. It is up to you to add your personality and style to the techniques explained. You can do this by:
- Rewriting the sample letters
- Designing your own forms
- Setting up schedules that fit your school system
- Giving everything your personal touch
The yearly cycle presented in this publication is designed to increase the number of
students recruited and keep them in the program. Two methods to improve retention
run through this booklet:
- Don’t miss any prospective students, especially the good ones — high quality is
one of the keys to retention - Don’t try to avoid dropouts — rather, strive to improve retention
This entire booklet is contained on the enclosed cdrom. You can tailor any of the
contents to your needs. The booklet is also available as downloadable word documents
on line at www.musicachievement.com.
