Recruiting & Retention Archives - Band Directors Talk Shop https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/category/recruiting-retention/ Learn. Share. Inspire. Sat, 16 May 2026 23:02:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2-2-150x150.png Recruiting & Retention Archives - Band Directors Talk Shop https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/category/recruiting-retention/ 32 32 Music as Infrastructure: How to Pitch a High School Band Program to Administration in a Title 1 School https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/music-as-infrastructure-how-to-pitch-a-high-school-band-program-to-administration-in-a-title-1-school/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/music-as-infrastructure-how-to-pitch-a-high-school-band-program-to-administration-in-a-title-1-school/#respond Fri, 15 May 2026 20:53:00 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=14053 For directors across the country, the lesson is clear. The language of music advocacy must evolve. A comprehensive pitch includes a dashboard of enrollment, attendance trends, leadership development, teacher development, performance visibility, and fiscal accountability. It articulates a specific ask with a defined timeline and measurable outcomes. It anticipates operational obstacles before they arise. In ... Read More about Music as Infrastructure: How to Pitch a High School Band Program to Administration in a Title 1 School

The post Music as Infrastructure: How to Pitch a High School Band Program to Administration in a Title 1 School appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/music-as-infrastructure-how-to-pitch-a-high-school-band-program-to-administration-in-a-title-1-school/feed/ 0 Empowered Leaders – Inspired Performers: How Student Leadership Shapes the Culture of Our Organizations https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/empowered-leaders-inspired-performers-how-student-leadership-shapes-the-culture-of-our-organizations/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/empowered-leaders-inspired-performers-how-student-leadership-shapes-the-culture-of-our-organizations/#respond Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:02:20 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=14056 If culture is everything, then student leadership is one of the strongest forces shaping that culture. In our profession, we talk constantly about excellence…better tone, stronger fundamentals, recruitment, retention, competitive success. But those results do not exist on their own. They grow out of culture. Culture is not something we hope for; it is something ... Read More about Empowered Leaders – Inspired Performers: How Student Leadership Shapes the Culture of Our Organizations

The post Empowered Leaders – Inspired Performers: How Student Leadership Shapes the Culture of Our Organizations appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/empowered-leaders-inspired-performers-how-student-leadership-shapes-the-culture-of-our-organizations/feed/ 0 Should I Plan My Own Band Trip? https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/should-i-plan-my-own-band-trip/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/should-i-plan-my-own-band-trip/#respond Sat, 25 Oct 2025 17:46:10 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=13793 For many band directors, organizing a band trip is a meaningful tradition—a chance to showcase your students’ talent, bond as a group, and create lifelong memories. But when it comes time to start working on logistics, a critical question arises: Should I plan this trip myself, or work with a professional group travel company? Green ... Read More about Should I Plan My Own Band Trip?

The post Should I Plan My Own Band Trip? appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/should-i-plan-my-own-band-trip/feed/ 0 5 S.M.A.R.T. Ideas to Retain This Year’s Beginners: A Primer for High School and Middle School Directors https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/5-s-m-a-r-t-ideas-to-retain-this-years-beginners-a-primer-for-high-school-and-middle-school-directors/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/5-s-m-a-r-t-ideas-to-retain-this-years-beginners-a-primer-for-high-school-and-middle-school-directors/#respond Mon, 29 Jul 2024 14:39:43 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=12895 This article is written as a follow-up to a session requested at a number of state MEA and national conferences by Marcia Neel. Sessions are sponsored by the Music Achievement Council, the National Association of School Music Dealers, and the NAMM Foundation. The S.M.A.R.T. approach focuses instruction and experience around SUCCESS, MODELING, ACTIVITIES, REFLECTION, and ... Read More about 5 S.M.A.R.T. Ideas to Retain This Year’s Beginners: A Primer for High School and Middle School Directors

The post 5 S.M.A.R.T. Ideas to Retain This Year’s Beginners: A Primer for High School and Middle School Directors appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/5-s-m-a-r-t-ideas-to-retain-this-years-beginners-a-primer-for-high-school-and-middle-school-directors/feed/ 0 You Can’t Teach Empty Chairs https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/you-cant-teach-empty-chairs/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/you-cant-teach-empty-chairs/#respond Mon, 22 Apr 2024 12:26:17 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=12997 When we chose to become band directors, many of us thought we were choosing a career free from the ties of a cluttered desk in a corner cubicle, free from the pressure of commissioned sales, free from the monotony of a “regular” 9-5. And yet, our paperwork can be all-consuming, our weekly working hours can ... Read More about You Can’t Teach Empty Chairs

The post You Can’t Teach Empty Chairs appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/you-cant-teach-empty-chairs/feed/ 0 4 Ways to Get Band Students Excited About Leadership https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/4-ways-to-get-band-students-excited-about-leadership/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/4-ways-to-get-band-students-excited-about-leadership/#respond Mon, 09 May 2022 22:56:20 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=11401 Sometimes it feels like even our top students are dragging their feet. News flash! Kids aren’t machines and they’re not factory workers either. Defining their roles and responsibilities is not enough. If you want your top students to be jumping at every opportunity to contribute and help the band program, read on and apply these ... Read More about 4 Ways to Get Band Students Excited About Leadership

The post 4 Ways to Get Band Students Excited About Leadership appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/4-ways-to-get-band-students-excited-about-leadership/feed/ 0 Culture Building: Creating an Atmosphere of Excellence https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/culture-building-creating-an-atmosphere-of-excellence/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/culture-building-creating-an-atmosphere-of-excellence/#respond Sat, 20 Nov 2021 15:59:55 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=11048 Culture: from the Latin cultus, which means “care.” ~Daniel Coyle, The Culture Code Few things are more important than the culture of an organization. In music ensembles, cultures are particularly important. Negative energy, low standards, apathy, and drama severely limit potential and success. I like to think of culture as the air we breathe because ... Read More about Culture Building: Creating an Atmosphere of Excellence

The post Culture Building: Creating an Atmosphere of Excellence appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/culture-building-creating-an-atmosphere-of-excellence/feed/ 0 Tips for Retaining Band Students from Middle School to High School https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/tips-for-retaining-band-students-from-middle-school-to-high-school/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/tips-for-retaining-band-students-from-middle-school-to-high-school/#respond Sat, 28 Dec 2019 16:11:00 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=8212 In our recent survey, we asked Band Directors Talk Shop readers, “What is your #1 tip for retaining band students when they move from one campus to another? (ex. middle school to high school).”  With hundreds of responses to the survey, we came up with this categorized list of your answers of your best tips ... Read More about Tips for Retaining Band Students from Middle School to High School

The post Tips for Retaining Band Students from Middle School to High School appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/tips-for-retaining-band-students-from-middle-school-to-high-school/feed/ 0 Why Band Matters https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/why-band-matters/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/why-band-matters/#respond Wed, 18 Sep 2019 01:41:26 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=8017 Why Band Matters – Readers’ Collaborative Post  In our recent survey, we asked Band Directors Talk Shop readers to summarize “Why band matters in 20 words or less.” With hundreds of responses to the survey, we came up with this categorized list of your answers of why band matters! Thanks so much to all of our readers who took ... Read More about Why Band Matters

The post Why Band Matters appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/why-band-matters/feed/ 0 Tips for Recruitment & Retention in Band https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/retention-in-band/ https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/retention-in-band/#respond Sun, 07 Apr 2019 14:21:31 +0000 https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/?p=6953 In our recent survey, we asked Band Directors Talk Shop readers, “What are your tips for recruitment and/or retention in band?”  With hundreds of responses to the survey, we came up with this categorized list of your answers of how you get kids in your program and keep kids loving band! Thanks so much to ... Read More about Tips for Recruitment & Retention in Band

The post Tips for Recruitment & Retention in Band appeared first on Band Directors Talk Shop.

]]> https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/retention-in-band/feed/ 0