Why Early Recruitment for Band & Orchestra Is Essential

Want to lead an award-winning band and orchestra program and maintain your sanity? It is possible — by tackling recruitment and instrument rentals as early as you can. In this helpful guide, seasoned band directors share their strategies.

As any experienced band or orchestra director knows, if you’re not ahead of your recruitment efforts, you’re behind. Like, way behind. Oh-no-what-have-I-done behind.

“Once the school year starts, everything is off and running,” says Dan Bilawsky, a veteran band director and the K-12 Music Department Coordinator for the Harborfields CSD on Long Island. To ensure that his educators can focus on teaching and keep logistics to a minimum once the semester begins, Bilawsky begins his recruitment push almost an entire year prior to a child’s first day of class.

The initial parent letter goes out in November, kicking off a series of communications and events that culminate with a child’s first day of band or orchestra the following September. Inevitably, there will be stragglers; in fact, Bilawsky notes, it often seems like dealing with well-meaning latecomers is “a given, and a significant part of the job.” But by organizing recruitment and instrument rentals as soon as possible, a director can keep fire drills to a minimum.

For Joshua Duermeyer, the head band director at Lamar Middle School, in Texas’ Lewisville ISD, recruitment “season” simply never ends. “There is no ‘early,’ ‘on time’ or ‘late,’” he says. “It’s the entire year.” He explains that, throughout his career, he’s made an effort to stop thinking of each incoming class as one big monolith of kids.

“I’ve started seeing all of these kids as unique individuals,” he says — young people with specific gifts, aptitudes and personalities that might work brilliantly in his band program. Through being involved in the community and getting to know his kids’ families, he gains a special understanding of the talent and enthusiasm on the horizon.

As Music & Arts’ Vincent Chiappone sees it, getting out in front of recruiting means retaining as much teaching time as possible. If an educator waits until the start of the school year to finalize recruitment and rentals, that could mean weeks of valuable instruction time lost to administrative chores. “For a director, that’s complete chaos, right?” says Chiappone, who is a School Services Regional Director based in Texas. “Acting early makes it less chaotic, because that’s one less thing the director has to worry about. They’ve recruited their kids early. They’ve placed them on instruments. They can actually start teaching.”

Throughout Texas, band and orchestra programs are serious, ambitious undertakings for educators and families alike. “I can’t think of very many programs that are high-quality that don’t recruit early and encourage their parents to get a rental in the spring,” he continues. “Again, it’s all about teaching time, and these schools are highly competitive.” Some schools, he estimates, might have 10 important competitions lined up throughout the year. Naturally, these directors need all the focused rehearsal time they can get.

Better overall program numbers also rank high among the numerous benefits of early music recruitment. When asked if he’s noticed larger turnouts with earlier recruitment efforts, Bilawsky’s answer is instantaneous: “Absolutely,” he says.   

The Importance of Early Instrument Rentals for Band & Orchestra Success

A crucial part of staying on top of early recruitment is encouraging families to procure their instruments and supplies well before summer break begins. There are many advantages to this timeline.

To begin, directors will be able to better pick and choose the specific instruments and products they want their ensembles to play — and get the best examples of what they want. “In the springtime, you get the pick of the litter,” says Chiappone. “We generally fill those reservation orders with the best instruments we have in stock.” What’s more, if a chosen instrument isn’t currently in stock, Music & Arts has the entire summer to make sure it gets to a child’s home or school in time for the first day of band or orchestra.

For discerning band directors who want the best possible ensemble sound — and the ability to control that sound — early rentals can be a godsend. “Many of the great programs around the United States are very specific about the brand and model of instrument they want their students to have,” Chiappone explains. “They’re very specific about the mouthpiece and ligature they want them to have. If it’s an orchestral instrument, they want them to have specific strings on the instrument. These are excellent directors, and they want their students to have the best chance of succeeding by using premium products.”

When a director encourages families to rent early, Chiappone says, “it gives them a much better chance of getting all these specific things.”

As Bilawsky points out, referring to the instrument-rental process across the industry, certain instruments are just harder to get. “You can usually rent a flute or a clarinet and not have a problem at any time and find a decent instrument,” he says. But when it comes to tubas, oboes and larger saxophones, he continues, you start to see more scarcity.

Chiappone adds French horns, euphoniums and bass clarinets to the list. “A lot of schools provide those things,” he says, “but there are schools that do need them, and we can run out.” An early rental reservation eliminates this problem.  

Affordable Instrument Rentals for Band & Orchestra 

Music & Arts offers families the opportunity to reserve their rental instrument with a single affordable down payment. As Chiappone explains, this budget-friendly payment hits a sweet spot that benefits both parents and directors. “We want to make sure that families are committed and in the program,” he says, “but we don’t want to create a barrier that prevents the child from getting an instrument and playing music.” By putting down a modest payment upfront — and not owing any additional payments until the fall — parents can make sure their child has everything they need without having to stress over finances.

From the director’s perspective, even a small financial commitment is still a commitment. This allows directors to gain a more accurate program headcount, and discourages families from dropping out of the music program before the child can truly explore it.

Customized Rental Events for Band & Orchestra Directors and Parents

Music & Arts strives to make the rental process as easy and flexible for everyone involved, at every stage. To start, parents can rent using their smartphone and have the instrument shipped for free to their home, local Music & Arts store or, through an Ed Rep, directly to school.

That convenience also extends to the books and supplies the director has pre-selected. From slide oil to rosin to a tuner/metronome, “we’ll deliver everything they need to the school for them, so it’s there the first day,” says Chiappone.

Rental and recruitment events for band and orchestra can also be tailored to fit the director’s schedule and preferences, and range from large in-person presentations to Zoom chats. Whatever a director needs in the way of support, Music & Arts can provide.

For Joshua Duermeyer, having Music & Arts’ Ed Reps and product specialists on hand allows him to guide bigger groups of students through their instrument decisions in one fell swoop. “When we have a recruiting class on our campus, they generally hover between 80 and 100 kids, and we’re talking about 10 to 12 different instruments,” he says. “This would be impossible to do by myself.

“So having Music & Arts to partner with when we’re recruiting, when we’re placing kids on instruments, when we’re helping the families procure the instruments, is a huge help,” he continues. “Being able to tell families, ‘All you need to do is come to this one 15-minute meeting, in-person or virtual, and sign up for your instrument, your accessories and you won’t have to think about band again until school starts next year,’ is great.”

“We’re pretty innovative with the way we do rentals,” adds Chiappone. “We’ve made it easier for parents, more affordable, convenient — everything. It’s a great rental program.”

Learn More About How Music & Arts Can Transform Your Music Program Today!