Tips for a Successful Recruitment Season

Recruitment season? Already?? Many districts begin having students choose their classes as early as February and March, so it's never too early to start planning your beginning band/orchestra recruitment! Here are a few things that have worked for us over the years:

Create visibility and interest around your group.

Take your high school band (or a small ensemble) to the elementary schools to perform. Last recruitment season, we took a small pep band to each of our six elementary schools and played stand tunes and the fight song while the students were getting dropped off for school in the morning. The mini pep rallies created a ton of energy around the band program and allowed the elementary kids and their parents to see our high school band students performing while having fun. The elementary teachers enjoyed seeing their former students playing, and the high school students loved "showing off" for the younger students. These "play-outs" created a buzz about the band program throughout the elementary schools (and their social media pages!).

Let potential beginners actually try the instruments.

Due to COVID protocols, many of us faced difficulty with letting students handle and try the instruments over the past few years. Last spring, we were able to start this again, and this process made such a big difference in our beginning band numbers. We do "petting zoo" style instrument testing in the gyms or cafeterias of each elementary site.

First, the directors introduce our program and demonstrate the instruments. Then, each 5th grader tries the mouthpieces/head joint of a flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone. Later, we do a short rhythm and coordination test with students who are interested in percussion. The experience of trying instruments seems to be the most critical step at these events. Some students start the day thinking that they are not going to be in band but end the day excited about an instrument or two. Almost all students will find an instrument that they can play successfully (Of course, we encourage all funny sounds that are made!). Tip: don't forget to bring a lot of mouthpiece cleaner and paper towels!

"Petting zoo" style recruitment will also work with your guard program. Last week, some of our HS Color Guard members visited the middle school lunches. At recess, they helped students spin flags and talked to the middle schoolers about winter guard. This led to doubling the previous year's number of students auditioning for our 2023-2024 winter guards.

Build positive relationships with all stakeholders.

Think of every football game, parade, assembly, and concert as a recruitment event. Relationships with administrators, teachers, parents, the athletic department, fine arts colleagues, and the community at large are the most important facet of program growth. Nurture these relationships in a positive way, and make sure that older students understand their role in representing the program in a positive light.

Make students' first experiences with the band program enjoyable, memorable, and meaningful.

You had a successful recruitment process, now what? The first year of band/orchestra needs to be exciting and fun while building musical fundamentals. Students need to have opportunities to perform and show off their newly learned skills. Students also need to have a taste of the community that band and orchestra can become for them, whether that's through field trips, competitions, or performances. If you accomplish this step, you will then need to...

Create opportunities for older beginners.

Didn't join band/orchestra in 6th grade? Never fear! When students are excited about the program, their friends will want to join in on the fun. If you have the staff available, create a class for older beginners, or encourage students wishing to join the program later to take private lessons outside of class time until they can be incorporated into the appropriate band for their grade level. Some of our most successful musicians have joined band in 7th, 8th, or 12th grade!

Best of luck as you begin preparing for the next group of excited beginners!

Chris Koehn is the current Director of Bands for Bartlesville Public Schools in Bartlesville, OK. Previously, Chris spent 15 years working in Coweta, OK, as an assistant band director and, then, as the Director of High School Bands from 2011-2022. Mr. Koehn holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music from Oklahoma State University and is also a National Board Certified Teacher. In addition, Chris is the assistant conductor of the Starlight Band in Tulsa, OK. He lives in Tulsa with his wife, Heather Koehn, who also enjoys a career in music as a composer and band director at Bartlesville.