Feeder School Tour

Every year I take my ensembles to perform for our local feeder schools and elementary schools. We have over 10 school districts in our community that feed into our high school district, and many of those schools DO NOT offer music classes or ensembles. It is my goal to have my students engage with those students and show them the benefits in being in one of our ensembles, and how they can join the high school ensembles we offer.

My aims were to advocate the benefits of our music programs at the high school, and to encourage our feeder schools to bring back their music programs. Many of the schools stopped their music programs because of COVID, and never hired anyone back to continue their music programs. Our high school offers a beginning band program and beginning choir program, as well as numerous music electives. Every year I take my students to perform for our feeder schools. This happens at least 3 times a year to talk about our programs, and to have my students perform for their students. Our Marching Band, called the Marching Showcase, is our most visible ensemble. I take the Marching Showcase out to at least 4 schools that we can schedule in the day to have them perform for the schools and educate them about the band and instruments in the band. During the holidays, I take my jazz band and rock band on another school tour called the Christmas Tour. This happens again in the spring and we call it our Spring Tour. Our feeder schools look forward to having our ensembles out every year, and love it when they see their former students in the band. Because of our feeder school tour, I have had many students join the beginning band program so they can also be involved, and every year I have principals emailing me when we can come perform for their school.

For a small community we have too many schools that feed into our high school district. I am also an alumni of this community, and when I was in school we had many other band programs that fed into our high school, therefore, it has been very disheartening to see so many programs disappear over the years, and our numbers shrinking because of it. Before COVID things were getting better, then everything turned for the worse. Now, there has been very slow progress, and since we are able to return back to the feeder schools to perform, things have been getting better. I also receive emails from principals reaching out to me for the band to come to their school and perform before I even send out the mass invitation. My students enjoy seeing their old classmates and teachers, and think they are “stars” when they return to their Alma Mater to perform. Our community also sees this happening as pictures get shared in our local newspaper and all over social media. Because of this my students have also performed for our local nursing homes, and community events and festivals. It is very important for everyone in our community to see what we are doing, and I am very grateful that our administration allows our students to be excused from school to also do this every year.

During the fall, I coordinate and send out a mass email to all the feeder school principals asking if they would like to have the marching band perform for their students. Since we are only able to perform during the school sessions, I plan it as a field trip day so my students are excused. We are only able to get in about 4 schools during our tour and there are about 10 schools in our community. Therefore, if I am not able to get the other schools in our first round, I try to schedule the other schools in our Christmas and Spring Tour which involve the jazz and rock band. I also have to coordinate with the district about using a bus, so I have to reserve 1-2 buses for each tour and we have to be back before the end of the school day so the buses can be used for school bus routes. I usually end up driving our band trailer if a band parent is not able to drive it for us. I also communicate with the schools about the times we can perform for them. When we are at the school, we perform for the students for about 30 minutes, and play a game called “name that instrument.” It is a surprise that many of the students do no know their instruments. Once we are done performing at each school I allow another 30-45 minutes for travel and set up time for the next school. We also return back to the high school for lunch time. Every time we perform, the feeder schools share that we were there on their social media, and so do we.

The person in charge of this initiative was solely me, and our choir teacher will also tag along and have her choirs perform. Since this has now become an every year event, our administration allows us the time to be excused to implement this time in our curriculum as we do take about 3 days of the school year to do this. We also participate in community events throughout the year on weekends.

The biggest tool was communication and organization. As I was the one communicating with school administrators and scheduling our performance times with them. My students now know the routine of our feeder school tours and know what needs to happen at each school and how we set up.

We use social media to market what we do. Once, people see that we were at a school performing they tell their school administration that we need to come to their school to perform. All the schools that we go to take pictures and share it on their social media. They also take a picture of their former students in the band, and they enjoyed being featured as star alumni.

Little to no cost. Performing for our feeder schools costs us nothing! Our school covers the bus transportation and vehicle used to pull our band trailer. The students also return to the high school for lunch so we do not have to worry about feeding them.

The biggest challenge is finding a day that works for everyone. Some schools may have testing, emergency test procedures and other assemblies they have going on already. Also, I have to make sure that all my students are excused to leave to attend our field trip. Therefore, scheduling is always the biggest challenge.

I do believe that it is effective because I have many students who join my beginning band program from those schools that do not have a band program. Our numbers are still a little low and that is to be expected because I lost 4 feeder programs during the pandemic. Now I only have one. However, since our return 3 of those schools have brought their programs back and started them back up this school year.

I believe that our school is more supportive now than it has been ever before. Within the past few years our administration has given us money for new uniforms, a band tower, and band room renovations. Also, our feeder school administrators know who I am in the public and when they see me they always talk about the band and when they can have them back at their school.

This project takes time out of your school day and you have to be willing to give up 3-4 days of your planned curriculum; but it is well worth it to see all the other students in your community enjoying the performance and one day will be in the band.