Submitted by Tracy King, Farmington, Missouri
Idea posted June 21, 2010
Some ideas: (Some of these are looney, so feel free to nod your head and smile!)
1. Advertise. For real. On the school web site, out front on the school sign, put it in the newspaper if you are allowed, school newsletter, flyers around town, etc.
2. I have parents sign a permission slip saying that students will perform. I send these out three weeks before and give them about a week to return them to their classroom teacher. I create a folder for the classroom teacher that has extra copies of the permission slip, a class roster (if she wants to mark the names off of students that have brought theirs back - some do, some don't), and label it clearly so it's harder to get lost on their desk.
After the deadline to return notes has passed, I go over it with each class quite dramatically, "Oh my goodness! How will we ever hear the recycled cans singing if only TWO people brought their notes back! *gasp* Boys and girls! What kind of solution can you come up with!?" They will say, "I'm coming, I just lost my note" or whatever. I then send another round of notes home with the kids that didn't bring them back. In bold red letters at the top (yes, I do these by hand!), it says, "Oh no! Did you forget?" and I circle where I need them to sign.
The day before the concert, another note goes home to EVERYONE in the school. Some years (when I was younger, less tired and more crazy), I would get really creative and put the notes into bracelet form and ask the teachers (bribe, ask... whatever) to attach them to their wrists or shoe laces.
3. Ask teachers to include reminders about the amazing musical event that's coming up by adding a line in their weekly/monthly letters home to parents.
4. Sell T-shirts that match the theme. Parents who pay for a shirt are much more likely to show up to see their kids in said shirt. I know it sounds dumb, but I swear it happens.
5. Consider smaller venues for performances. Ask to perform at a school board meeting, PTA meeting, before the Book Fair or Family Night, at the Art Show, etc. and focus on one grade level. Reward those who showed up in class the next day with candy, ice cream, stickers, DVDs, or whatever. Kids are then motivated to come to the next performance and thus will nag their parents. Parents who are nagged are more likely to show up than parents who are not nagged.
6. Consider combining grades. This is just playing the numbers. Instead of having only 3rd grade do a couple of songs have 2nd AND 3rd grade do those songs. More kids. More sound.
7. Consider switching up performance times. My parents HATE day concerts. They can't afford to take off work to come and see them, but perhaps a day time performance would be an option once a year or every other year or whatever for you. The advantage? More kids, more sound. Take a billion pictures and put them on the web site, in the district newsletter, in classroom newsletters, in the newspaper, etc. The disadvantage? Some parents can't take off for these events but perhaps some still would!
8. Keep doing what you are doing. Be musical. Instill in your students a love of music and a passion for performing. Plant the seeds. Eventually there will be blooms!