Festival First Aid Kit: Resources for the Road

It is far too easy for something to go wrong during the festival season. Even if you try to anticipate every situation and scenario, there will probably be a surprise you couldn’t have prepared for. Working with kids, especially student musicians, can be a daunting task when you have to corral 40+ students with fragile instruments of varying shapes and sizes, possibly in a new location, while trying to check in, find your assigned seats...the list goes on. For a music educator, it is essential to have chaperones, trusted parents, and a “festival first aid kit” to count on when it’s go-time.

The best thing a director can do before leaving for a contest or festival is to prepare as much as possible in advance. But you don’t have to do it alone. To help with this, Alfred Music has created The Ultimate Guide to Festival & Contest Season ––an in-depth digital guide from music education experts packed with resources, repertoire ideas, preparations strategies, and more to help you and your students thrive during this busy season. But also, don’t let the burden of preparing for the performance rest on your shoulders alone. If you have a booster board or a parent committee, work with them to help coordinate chaperones for the various festivals throughout the season. If not, then go directly to the parents. You can even begin asking as early as the first back-to-school night. Inform parents of the ensemble’s needs and how their help can better keep the students safe. You may discover more help than you knew you had.

Fast-forward to a week before the contest. Your ensemble is prepared, travel arrangements have been made, and chaperones have committed. As the music educator, you still need to help students and chaperones understand their responsibilities.

Below is a general checklist for chaperones to have on the day of the performance. This is a starting point. Add to the checklist whatever specific information or situations are relevant to your ensemble, location, or schedule.

• General schedule/outline for the day
• Address of festival location
• If on a larger campus, include a map
• Director contact information
• All chaperones' contact information
• Roll Call
• Name & Instrument (for each student the chaperone is responsible for)
• Student Dietary restrictions, allergies, medications

There is one more group of people who need to act responsibly at the festival: your students. You can also give students a checklist before boarding the bus or even the day before while in class. This checklist is more specific to the individual. Create sectional checklists for the instrument groups and add instrument care items, necessary attire, a list of pieces being performed, etc. By making students responsible for themselves and each other, you’re creating more thoughtful and well-rounded musicians.

On the day of the performance, having extras and emergency essentials is paramount, especially while traveling. Consider having a festival first aid kit on hand. This kit is intended not just to hold medical supplies but also supplies for instruments and attire. Of course, it is always wise to include a medical first aid kit for students, but also acknowledge the instruments and attire as extensions of the performers. These material items are going on stage with the musicians, so they’ll need to be fixed should something go awry or break. This first aid kit will probably be larger than a backpack; consider something on wheels to make it easier to travel with.

Below is a list of suggested items that should be included in every festival first aid kit, but don’t hesitate to customize it and make it unique to your ensemble’s needs.

Apparel & Personal Items

• Socks
• Misc. Jewelry
• Hair Ties
• Small Bag of Misc. Makeup
• Safety Pins
• Baby Wipes
• Shoe Polish
• Stain Remover
• Extra Masks

Instrument Maintenance & Repair

• Rosin
• Extra Strings
• Extra Reeds
• Extra Cello/Bass Rock Stops orBoards
• Valve Oil / Slide Oil / Cork Grease
• Mutes Requird for Literature
• Repair / Precision Kit (Pliers, Screwdrivers, Hammer)
• Rubber Cement (Temporary Pad Glue)
• Crochet Hook (or Paper Clip) to Reset Woodwind Springs
• Drum Key
• Mouthpiece Puller
• Extra Music

Emergency & Misc.

• Small First Aid Kit
• Small Sewing Kit
• Duct Tape
• Large Black Sharpie
• Emergency Contact Info
• Student Medications (as appropriate)
• Hand Sanitizer