Keeping Students in Music: Tips for Retention

Spring is a busy and invigorating time! Repertoire coalesces in rehearsals, concerts take place, and off-campus things such as adjudications, trips, or parades are planned and executed. Amidst all this activity, the successful director never forgets the ongoing work of program retention. The following are tips for keeping students contributing and benefitting from – rather than quitting – music.

Play More/Talk Less

Kids join music ensembles to play! If you are a director whose sectionals and rehearsals feature you talking more than your kids playing, some introspection is in order. Verbal instruction/correction, a little humor, and even a profound story now and again are important, but they shouldn’t eclipse the primacy of music-making.

Select Compelling Music

Again, kids join music ensembles to play! Therefore, it cannot be emphasized enough: SELECT COMPELLING MUSIC. There are a lot of worthwhile, important things to consider when choosing repertoire, but – in the end – a very large percentage of your student’s time will be devoted to practicing and rehearsing whatever you choose. Whether it’s something they immediately like, or something you have to lead them to understand and love via weeks of great teaching (even “salesmanship”), the music you select is one of the most important decisions you make in terms of retention.

Move Every Student Forward

It’s easy to teach students who are self-motivated, with parents who encourage home practice, or even private lessons. But ALL students need to see themselves getting better in order to remain in your program. The creative director will find ways to engage students so they experience the self-satisfying thrill of improving. Out-of-the-box ways to meet students where they are, and move them forward, include:

1. Special recess, study hall, or after-school help sessions for struggling students. Aside from the practical help students get, just knowing that you care makes a difference.
2. Pair up struggling students with older “mentor” students.
3. Differentiate Instruction: Employ multi-level warm-ups and repertoire (even custom parts you create) so every student is moving forward, making a valuable contribution.

Make the Music Room a Safe Place

Foster an atmosphere of security and belonging in your band hall, and students will want to be there even when they shouldn’t! Let kids know you appreciate their efforts, offering praise when deserved. Challenge and correct students when needed, but in a businesslike fashion, with respect and dignity for students…and without getting personal. Model and preach deference.

Forward-Thinking Optimism

They say, “It’s easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar.” Talk about the future with optimism and excitement… because you have great things planned! What can students look forward to this year and next? Maybe a trip, an adjudication, or a recruitment tour. Maybe a guest soloist, or the premiere of a commission. Fun, maybe unexpected, things students will love include things such as:

1. Adding special lighting, props, costumes, teacher/admin guest performers, etc. to concert repertoire.
2. Having the ensemble perform in a school-wide pep rally. Your administrators will be grateful, plus the student body sees your students rocking out and having fun!
3. “Try a New Instrument Week” - Set aside a week for interested students to have an introductory lesson on a new instrument. For most, it will just be fun; but for some, it will lead to switches and doubling that helps your program!

Music gets better all the time…so share that vision with your students, passionately!

Caring Communication

When parents know you are for their child, they will go to great lengths to encourage continued participation. Be sure all your communication comes from a place of concern and help. The more personal the communication, the better: an in-person conversation beats a phone call; a phone call is better than an email; a thoughtful email is better than a brief text.

Here are a few communication “hacks” to consider:

1. Send home dates for events far in advance . Busy families need to plan. Send a weekly communication - perhaps each Friday - reminding everyone what’s happening the following week.
2. Phone each student's parent once a semester. I’d set aside a little time after school a few days a week to pass along praise, ask for advice or help, express concern, or just tell them their child made me smile that week.
3. Send an email to parents of “over-represented” sections, sharing what instruments the ensemble needs more of, with an offer of lessons for volunteers interested in switching. This practice always helped balance our instrumentation!
4. Have music students write pen pal letters to the members in their feeder school(s), encouraging them by sharing what they can look forward to.
5. If a student wants to quit, and you believe continuing in music is in their best interest, call the parent to share your heart. Many times kids go through momentary trials (i.e. difficulty in math, self-image issues, bullying, playing challenges, etc.) for which they turn to drastic measures (i.e. quitting band) for relief.

Let me close with a story that demonstrates the value of caring communication (and of fostering positive relationships in general):

A few years ago, a parent emailed to share that her son - insecure about his clarinet playing - was considering quitting. I urged her to encourage him to stick with it just a little longer. Our concert was coming up; I knew rehearsing on stage would be just the thrill he needed to keep him going. The next week, at our first on-stage rehearsal, he walked to his seat near the front…and tripped, falling off the stage! He was taken from the rehearsal in a wheelchair by our school nurse, but he wasn’t hurt badly. But he was embarrassed.

That evening, I called his mom to see how he was doing, and to urge him to give band one more try. In the meantime, I had the art teacher help me make a beautiful “Bravery in Band” award to present to him. I told the rest of the band how much it would mean to him if they received him warmly when he returned. At the start of the next rehearsal, I presented him with his award, and the band gave him an enthusiastic standing ovation. His ear-to-ear smile was priceless! Several years later, he’s still playing.