Tips for Making the Most of Recruitment

It's that time of year! The time of year when we look for all those eager students to join beginning band! Once while interviewing for a job (with 11 Administrators and Staff in the room), the Principal asked me to pretend that he was a 7th grade boy. He then asked me to "convince him to be in band". Talk about pressure! Having recruited band students for 30 years, here are a few things I learned. Some of these ideas are mine, some are stolen, and some came from parents...people who "know a thing or two 'cause they've seen a thing or two".

Be Your Most Fun, Enthusiastic Self

Think back to the teachers whose classes you most enjoyed. Chances are they were enthusiastic, fun, and happy to be teaching. You are your band's biggest cheerleader. Every group sponsor is fighting for the same kids, so your job is to make band sound like the MOST amazing thing happening in the school. If you don't, someone from another activity will. Greet the students as they enter the room and be friendly!

Don't Start Your Meeting By Talking About Band

Yes, you read that right. Start by asking questions like "Ok...who likes pizza?...because we eat a lot of pizza in band", or "Who likes roller coasters?...because we go to amusement parks", or "How many of you have seen the band perform at a football game?...because they started in beginning band just like you!"; you get the picture. THEN introduce yourself and your staff and talk about the band program.

Make a Packet of Information for Students to Take Home

(Number each packet...more on this later.) This information is mostly for the parents; be sure to include relevant dates, places and times for beginner nights, a refrigerator flyer with important events, band pamphlet, etc. Make sure that parents know NOT to rent or buy an instrument until a date you decide. Include a "Do Nothing" letter in this packet or hand it out at the band sign-up night

Have Students Fill Something Out

This can be as simple as a 1/2 sheet with name, parent/guardian's name(s), mailing address, email, and phone. Additionally, you could have spaces for instrument preferences and previous music experience. This will just give you an idea of potential interest.

Walk Around the Room and Make Eye Contact

Don't just plant yourself at the front and "lecture"; that's boring. Ask questions; lots of students love to answer questions. You can even have students volunteer to read selections of the information.

Bring Some of Your Current Beginners to Perform and Talk About How Much They Love Band

Students will recognize them from the previous year, and students have much more clout than teachers. Their friend telling them how much they love band means WAY more than your words. If you aren't allowed to bring students, staff can demonstrate the instruments, or you can make a video of students playing and talking about band. Be sure to include pictures of parties, trips, etc.

Give Out Some Door Prizes

This is why we numbered the packets. Have someone pick a number, and the winning packet number(s) get the prize. I've used everything from school spirit shirts and school merchandise to ice cream coupons. Do you see a pattern here? Band is FUN!

Follow Up with Parents

Many parents (mine included) don't know anything about band. I was allowed to join because they were well-informed and understood the process. Send blanket emails, mail letters, make phone calls, or whatever it takes to get their child in band.

Set a Band Sign-up Night

This is a chance for us to meet the parents, have students try the instruments, and sign up for band. Parents can in on laptops, creating an automatic database for potential band students. Try to recruit other band director friends to help in your testing. I had a "you help me, I'll help you" deal with other staff and director friends. After the students completed their testing and chose an instrument, they were given a band t-shirt. It's amazing how many students wore that shirt all year!

By the way, I got the job and must have recruited successfully. The Principal said "Ok, sign me up for band. I want to play percussion!"

Here's to a great recruitment season, and a "normal" year of band for 2021-2022!

Teresa Segress joined the Palen Music team in 2017 after 30 years of teaching. She was the Director/Beginning Woodwind teacher at Clinton Middle School in Clinton, OK for 17 years and served as Director of Bands for Clinton High School for 8 years. During her time in Clinton, the bands doubled in size and were consistently OSSAA Sweepstakes and Outstanding Achievement winners. In 2012, she accepted a position at Chaffin Junior High in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Under her direction, the Chaffin 9th Grade Band was chosen to perform as an honor group for the Arkansas All-State Convention, the first 9th grade band to be selected. She holds degrees in Music Education and an MME in Clarinet Performance. In 1995, Teresa was chosen as the Director of the Year for Southwest Oklahoma, and in 2009 was named as an Exemplary Teacher by the Oklahoma Music Educators Association and the Oklahoma Bandmasters Director of the Year. She lives in Broken Arrow with her husband, Terry Segress who is a retired Music/Jazz Educator of 50 years. She has one son, Myles who is an instrument repair tech and 4 dogs, Benny, Basie, Oscar and Ella. Her hobbies include reading, gardening and cooking.