This month's More to Start, Fewer to Quit (MSFQ) tips come from Marcia Neel, President of Music Education Consultants Inc., Senior Director of Education, Yamaha and Education Advisor to the Music Achievement Council.
Recruitment Tip
While recruitment should be an ongoing, year-round effort, January is an ideal time to actively involve this year’s new students in planning recruitment activities for next year’s beginners. Meet specifically with this group and invite their input. Ask what initially drew them to the program and consider how you can build on those factors. Some of the most effective recruiting happens when current students encourage their younger peers to join. Refer to the More to Start, Fewer to Quit (MSFQ) Transition Toolkit for ideas to help spur ideas with these students.
Retention Tip
Once students have joined your program, make it a priority to keep them engaged and motivated so first-year students become second-year students. The greatest enrollment losses typically occur between years one and two and again during the transition from middle school to high school. To support retention at this critical point, use the same student-centered approach described in the above Recruitment Tip section. Invite current freshmen to help design activities that encourage middle school musicians to successfully transition into the high school program.
In the end, peer-to-peer messaging builds trust, reduces anxiety, and creates early relationships that support long-term participation. Recruitment and retention thus become a single, unified effort. For specific ideas to help get the ball rolling, download the More to Start, Fewer to Quit (MSFQ) Transition Toolkit.
Success Tip
More than likely, you have several performances scheduled for next semester. Each of them may be unique depending on the type of presentation, however, they all have one thing in common—each of them requires thoughtful, detailed planning. Because many of these specific types of performances occur annually, get ahead of the game by creating a “to-do” list for each so that when the time comes, you won’t suddenly realize, for example, that you forgot to order buses to get your ensemble to the festival! Since you may be on break and away from the pressures of day-to-day operations, this may be a good time to think through each event and record the specific tasks related to each. When the time comes, you’ll appreciate having these checklists already in place. You only have to create each checklist once but be sure to review it annually to reflect any changes in procedures, expectations, or logistics