Recruiting Tips
Having a recruiting strategy for your fine art program is crucial for building it. The task may seem overwhelming, especially for first year teachers, but it is a part of your job and it is essential. Here are eight tips for recruiting students into your program!
SET THE DATES
One of the most important steps for any event is to set your event dates early. Obtain permission from your admin to lock in the dates that you will have recruiting events. Once approved, add these dates to the school calendar to avoid conflicts with other programs. You don’t want the students to choose between events and you don’t want to compete with other programs.
Dates to save:
Instrument Tryout night
Recruitment Pep Rallies
Parent Information Night
Work with the Counselors
Contact counselors to gain a list of student information and their parents contact information.
Your school counselor may help you recruit too. Part of their job may be to visit feeder schools to let the kids know about the classes they can take, so make sure to give them your programs up-to-date information.
Create Flyers, Social Media Posts, and other Content
Create flyers with information about the recruitment night. Recruitment night is also known as, “Instrument petting z00” or “instrument try-out night.”
Canva is a good program to design these materials
Create QR Codes to your website or sign-up forms
Hang your flyers in your school and in your feeder schools.
If your school, feeder schools, and school district have social media pages, contact the social media specialist and ask if they could post a digital file of your flyer. If you’re unsure who to ask, start with the school counselors.
Post to social media to your school and to your feeder schools.
You can use Canva to design posts for Facebook and Instagram
Include information in your school’s student announcements.
Ask the office or counselors to send out a school email to all eligible grade level students. Include information and sign-up forms.
Google forms is a good tool for sign-up forms
Does your school have an electronic outdoor sign at the front of the school? Post their too!
A fun idea for content is to create a “music video” or a “trailer” for your program. If you don’t know how to, have your students create it!
Visiting Schools
Schedule a day to visit classrooms and feeder schools.
Include visuals, demonstrations, and information about your program.
If you have a website for your program, you can use our free Recruitment Cards to link a QR code to your website.
If you do not have a website, use our free Google Site Template to create one!
Another way of exposure is to sub for the music teacher at a feeder school. This could easily be done if you have co-workers that can cover your classes. This would also help sub shortages.
Visiting Pep-Rallies
Schedule recruitment pep rallies. Your ensemble can visit feeder schools, or you can host a pep rally and invite feeder schools to attend.
Include your ensemble playing and introduce the different instruments.
Have your students do the talking. Have them explain why they enjoy your program and their instrument.
If you have a website for your program, you can use our free Recruitment Cards to link a QR code to your website.
If you do not have a website, use our free Google Site Template to create one!
Involve Current Students
The influence of your current students is powerful. If students see their peers excited about the program, they are more willing to join. Some student recruitment ideas include…
Word of Mouth: Encourage students to talk about the program.
Student creations: Letters to students, flyers, and videos.
I have not tried this, but maybe have students create tiktoks, reels, and other trending video forms for recruitment?
Competitions: Challenge your current beginners to recruit all of their friends and as many students as possible!
Communicate with Parents/ Guardians
It is crucial to communicate the value of music educations to parents/ guardians.
Host a parent night and send letters/emails explaining the benefits of joining your program; academic performance, social interactions, and the child’s life in the long run. e.x. Mental health benefits, college tuition, and career opportunities. Use real data from reliable sources!
If you have school instruments or offer ways to support low-income house holds, make sure they are aware of this, but stress to everyone that those instruments are mainly reserved for families who cannot afford an instrument.
If your program has a parent boosters club, include information about it. Explain the benefits of their child knowing their parent/guardian supports the program and include the social benefits they will have too!
Maintain Communication
After they join the program, keep students and parent’s updated with regular announcements, upcoming events, and group achievements.
Share a tentative calendar!
REMIND, Social media, and email is a good form of communication.
Create a Parent Google Form to collect their information and to know how they can volunteer/ contribute to the program.
Start early and be consistent. Instead of focusing on increasing numbers, focus on recruiting kids so that you can share the wonderful opportunities of being in a music program. I hope these tips help!
