Welcome to your Post-pandemic Planning Guide to bring back music to your school. Your program may have taken a toll this past year, but we’ve got your back and are going to walk beside you, step-by-step, in bringing back the music!
What should you expect?
Throughout the spring semester, you should expect to receive relevant content to help you prepare for the upcoming school year. This might include talking points for an impactful conversation with your principal, recruiting and retention ideas, and creative tools to ensure that music remains a cornerstone in your school in life after COVID-19.
So, let’s get started!
GOAL: LAY THE GROUNDWORK
This month is all about laying the groundwork. Our goal is to uncover any roadblocks that might present themselves later in the spring and to ensure that music has a voice at the table as plans are made for 2021-22. Have you considered these items to prepare for the fall?
Touch base with your building administrator or principal to determine your teaching schedule for the coming school year as well as what needs to happen to have a successful recruiting season. Here is an email template to kick off that conversation and a checklist of items to consider to ensure you are prepared for this conversation.
Remember: When framing your conversation with your administrator, be sure to present your solutions in the context of what’s best for the students.
You may need to remind your administrator why music is a crucial part of the curriculum. Here is an example of a presentation successfully used by teachers in Lincoln, NE to ensure continued support of music programs.
RECRUITING TIP: PREP NOW
We all know recruiting is 24/7, but it is more important than ever to be focused, organized and proactive. We’ll provide a recruiting tip or action item in every email to help and inspire you. Our tip this month is:
Start collecting written and virtual testimonials from your parents and students about the importance of music in their lives. These can be outstanding materials to help you recruit later in the semester. Here is a sample email/letter you can use to collect these testimonials.
RESOURCE ROUND-UP
If you are looking for some more resources to help you with these conversations and to-do items, here are a few you might consider:
NAMM’s Webinar on “Talking to your Administrators about why Music Education Matters” (recorded Oct. 8th, 2020)
Amro Music’s Podcast on Recruiting Resources from Yamaha Featuring Disney Pixar’s Soul (recorded Jan. 5th, 2021)
PREVIEW: THE TRAINING PLAN
Like anything you hope to strengthen, your recruiting program can benefit from regular “workouts.” We’ve built a 16-week training plan to guide you through the rest of the school year: breaking it down into manageable to-dos and helping you finish strong, with a full program for Fall 2021.
Coming up next:
Volume 2: Is Music Safe? How to talk “reducing risk” with administrators, colleagues and parents
We know that 2020 was a year like none other and effects could be felt for a while, but we CAN get our students back to making music. Let’s take small steps together. Look for more information from us in a few weeks to take those next steps together.
You’ve got this! 💪