This month's More to Start, Fewer to Quit (MSFQ) tips come from Dr. Craig Aarhus, associate director of bands, Mississippi State University.
RECRUITING TIP
Engage your current students in the recruiting process. Spring is often the time of year when the next year’s class of beginners starts to take shape. When visiting prospective band students in local elementary schools, bring along older members of your program to help demonstrate the different instruments. Younger students look up to their older peers in many ways and seeing/hearing a high school student play the trombone (for example) might inspire some of them to want to do the same. For a bonus, have your older students play an ensemble piece together or the school fight song.
RETENTION TIP
Say thank you. As you approach the end of the year, think about a simple way to say “thank you” to your students for their good work over the course of the year. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or expensive--something simple like a pizza party one day after school for the specific purpose of thanking your students for everything they’ve done for the band program. Invite your administration to drop by and offer their thanks as well. You can often earn a lot of goodwill with just a little bit of food.
GENERAL SUCCESS TIP
Invest in Student Leadership. There are so many investments we make as music educators. We invest in music, materials, staffing needs--not to mention the myriad of resources needed for the marching band. One area of investment that can pay off in the long run is leadership training. If you have not implemented a leadership development program for your students, I encourage you to do so. As you prepare to move into the summer months, consider adding this element of instruction to your program for next year. You could lead this program yourself, or you could bring in a community leader, a colleague from your school, or a band colleague from a nearby school. It need not be a large investment at first, as it can start simple and grow over time. Your focus could be on developing the individual student leader, strengthening leadership in the group, and setting goals for the year. Investing in training like this will empower your student leaders to have more “buy in” heading into the new school year.
Dr. Craig Aarhus
Associate Director of Bands
Professor of Music
Mississippi State University