Markings & Mini Lessons
Cape Elizabeth Middle School Bands, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Description
The CEMS band program encompasses 230 students in grades 5-8 with four concert bands and two directors. Given the challenges of large group instruction and limited instructional time, our goal is to remove many of the barriers that impact the success, engagement, and retention of our newest band members.
The Markings & Mini-Lessons initiative focuses on three areas: Front-loading instruction before using instruments, using instrument specific markings to provide students with visual reminders for assembly/hand positions, and a mini-lesson event where students and parents receive one-on-one instruction to learn instrument assembly, hand position, embouchure, and sound production.
Objectives
Given the pandemic’s impact on student resilience and parental stress, a multifaceted approach has been vital to engaging and retaining our newest band members. Our project has four primary objectives:
- Make more efficient use of limited class time to increase engagement and success
- Remove barriers that cause many students to give up within their first year
- Better engage and educate parents to create an educational partnership
- Create an annual tradition that celebrates our newest musicians/families, while also displaying the continuum of the 5-12 band program
We reached our objectives through the implementation of the following processes and activities:
- Using the first four weeks of classes (10 classes) to front-load expectations and new skills (note reading, rhythm/counting, posture, limited embouchure work) prior to using instruments
- Collecting and play-testing all student instruments in advance
- Adding instrument-specific markings that provide visual reminders for assembly/hand positions, which expedites in class instruction and at-home practice.
- Creating a mini-lesson event where students, alongside one parent, receive a 20-30 minute mini-lesson where they learn instrument assembly, hand position, embouchure, and sound production. Mini-lessons are taught by local middle school band directors, who have been trained in our specific approach, which ensures cohesive language, methods, and efficiency. 8th band students, the high school band director, and music boosters also have visible roles at the event. Finally, we make sure the event is a celebration with arrival music, decorations, and a fun photo booth to capture the moment for each student and their family.
- Posting (on Google Classroom for students) and emailing parents weekly practice videos. This helps set expectations, provides exemplars, gives parents the information and tools they need to support their child at home, which leads to a greater investment in their child’s music education.
Target Audience
We are focusing on both students and parents because we want to increase student support both in and out of the classroom. For students, we want to provide more thoughtfully scaffolded instruction of the many skills involved in learning a new instrument. We also want to give every student an initial one-on-one educational experience – allowing them to achieve individual success prior to playing with their peers in class. In targeting band parents, our goal is to create an educational partnership. We want parents to feel educated and empowered to support their child at home, even if they have no prior musical experience.
Timeline
*Our school year starts after Labor Day and ends in mid-June*
Mid-March: Rising 5th grade students/parents have been involved in recruitment communications, events, instrument fittings, and band sign ups
Early April: Parents of rising 5th grade band students receive information detailing the how/when/what of acquiring materials for band, the instrument collection/marking process, and the date and details about the mini-lesson event
June: Connect with local music company representative about instrument rental drop off (for markings) and the mini-lesson date/time
Early August: Confirm mini-lesson teachers.
Late August: All incoming band families receive the “5th Grade Band Instrument Guide.” This outlines the first four weeks of band, the instrument collection/marking process, and our mini-lesson event.
Entire month of September: Students have band classes, without instruments – we learn about expectations, note reading, rhythm/counting, posture, and do limited embouchure/mouthpiece work
First week of September: Email families reminders about instrument collection/mini-lessons, check in with boosters/parents association, create Sign Up Genius for mini-lessons
Second week of September: Email mini-lesson sign up to families
Third week in September: Finalize schedule, email schedule to families and mini-lesson teachers, collect and playtest instruments, start marking instruments, send out sign ups for 8th grade helpers
Last week in September: Mini-lesson teacher training Zoom, finish marking instruments, finalize 8th grade helpers, check-in with boosters
Last Saturday in September: 5th Grade Band Extravaganza (what we call our mini-lesson event), email families first set of practice videos
Overview of Planning and Execution
Middle School Band Directors – 21 hours
Mini-Lesson Event – including set up/break down (10.5 hrs), Instrument markings (7 hrs), Scheduling mini-lessons (2.5 hrs), Organizing 8th grade helpers/music boosters (.5 hrs), Zoom training (.5 hrs)
Mini- Lesson Teachers – 8 hours
Mini-lessons (7 hrs), Zoom training (.5 hrs), Review of mini-lesson videos and outlines (.5hrs),
Local Music Company Representative – 4 hours
Deliver rentals and works at mini-lesson event organizing instrument and accessories
Music Boosters – 6 hours
Provide snacks for teachers and meet and greet table at the event
Student helpers – 2 hours each
Runners and greeters
Tools and Resources
Google Suite, Sign Up Genius, Canva, Zoom, YouTube, Instrument marking supplies (mouthpiece patches, silver/black sharpies, painters tape, red & blue nail polish, ½ inch circle stickers, cork grease), Mini-Lesson Supplies (name tags, mirrors, paper towels, pneumo pros, bubble tea straws, coffee straws, pinwheels), Music Booster grant, Middle School Parents Association grant
Marketing and Promotion
We promoted our initiative using email, social media, school newsletter, as well as in-person connections – with students in class and with parents at incoming 5th grade events. Our promotions started in the spring of 4th grade; however, the bulk of our communications were from August- September.
Costs
$950 for teachers for 8 mini-lesson teachers
$50 Instrument marking supplies
$20 Name tags for beginners, student helpers, and mini-lesson teachers
$20 Candy for student helpers
$300 CEMS Band Banner for photo booth (This was a one time cost)
Challenges/Obstacles
Each year, there are a few students who are unable to attend the mini-lesson event (we have a 95% attendance rate). To help combat this, we communicate the date of the event early (six months in advance) and frequently. However, student illnesses and unique scheduling conflicts occasionally arise. When there is a conflict, we schedule these students for their own one-on-one mini-lesson, before or after school, with one of the band directors. Additionally, we provide parents with supplemental videos that can be reviewed at home. This ensures that 100% of our 5th grade band students (approximately 85-105 students per year) and their families benefit from this advocacy initiative.
Our second challenge is the time commitment necessary to playtest and mark each student instrument. For our first two years of this initiative, we chose to complete this task all at once, which took up an entire weekend. We’ve found that breaking up the process, utilizing school planning time and before/after school time throughout the week, has been less stressful and a better use of our personal time.
Success/Effectiveness Measurement
Our initiative has been hugely successful and has made positive changes to our program. Anecdotally, we’ve seen a significant increase in student engagement, confidence, and skill – especially with our students who have greater academic barriers. From an instructional standpoint, our first month of classes with instruments are significantly efficient, focused, and fun. Statistically, we’ve seen a 10% decrease in beginners who drop band during their first year and the retention rate from 5th to 6th grade has increased by 12%. Furthermore, prior to this initiative (we are now entering our fifth year), our 8th grade-to-high school retention rate has increased from 83% to 95%. Lastly, when we started this initiative in 2020, the beginning band numbers of neighboring districts dropped on average by 50%, while our numbers only dropped by 5%. We credit this initiative with our ability to maintain typical participation rates throughout the pandemic.
Community Impact
The Markings and Mini-Lesson initiative has increased the visibility of our program and continues to showcase the unique educational experience of joining the band program. Now entering its fifth year, this initiative has become both a tradition and celebrated highlight for our program, our school, and our community. Our project helps generate excitement about learning a new instrument, while also promoting the positive and collaborative culture of our program. In addition to being a positive educational experience for our beginners, our band parents and administrators have learned a great deal about what it takes to learn (and teach) an instrument. Additionally, we have created a stronger connection with families, which has resulted in better at-home practice habits and fewer parents allowing their children to drop band during their 5th grade year.
Advice for others?
Create an event that is tailored to meet the unique needs of your community – an after school event that capitalizes on a late bus, coordinate with your school’s open house, or schedule a multi-evening event. If funding/staffing creates a barrier, lean on your current students or area colleagues.
As we continue this program into its fifth year, we make small tweaks as needed. For example, this past year, we moved our flute mini-lessons to an adjacent space that was quieter, which created a better learning environment for students.





