August 07, 2020
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 starts 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.” Throughout his career, he explains, 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.
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 — complete chaos for any director trying to hit the ground running. Acting early reduces that burden considerably, allowing directors to arrive on the first day of school with their roster set, their students placed on instruments, and their focus squarely on teaching.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in states like Texas, where band and orchestra programs are serious, ambitious undertakings for educators and families alike. In the Lone Star State, it’s hard to find a high-quality program that doesn’t recruit early and encourage families to secure a rental in the spring. With some schools participating in 10 or more competitions throughout the year, every available rehearsal hour counts, and the directors running those programs simply can’t afford to lose essential band-room time.
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.
Music & Arts Key Notes
Band and orchestra directors should start recruitment and instrument rentals as early as possible. A lack of planning means a rough start to the school year, which can seriously impact your program’s performance.
By renting early, directors and parents gain access to the widest selection of high-quality instruments and accessories. Rent now to lock down the products you want and avoid last-minute shortages.
Music & Arts is your recruitment support system. In-person parent meetings, online demos, 1-on-1 instrument consultations — whatever you need, our expert Ed Reps can deliver.
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.
Families who reserve instruments in the spring get the widest selection to choose from. Music & Arts prioritizes filling early reservations with the best instruments available in stock, and if a specific instrument isn’t on hand, there’s an entire summer to source it and ensure it arrives before the first day of class.
For discerning directors who want the best possible ensemble sound, early rentals provide a meaningful advantage. Many top programs across the country are particular about the specific brands, models, mouthpieces, ligatures and strings their students use — and rightfully so. Getting ahead of the rental process gives families the best possible chance of securing all those specifics, setting students up for success from day one.
Some instruments are simply harder to come by than others. As Bilawsky points out, flutes and clarinets are generally available without much difficulty, but tubas, oboes and larger saxophones can be harder to find. French horns, euphoniums and bass clarinets can face similar scarcity. While some schools provide these instruments, others rely on rentals — and stock can run out. Renting early eliminates that risk.
Affordable Instrument Rentals for Band & Orchestra
Music & Arts offers families the opportunity to reserve their rental instrument with a single affordable down payment. This budget-friendly approach is designed to strike a balance: ensuring families are committed to the program without creating a financial barrier that might prevent a child from participating at all. Parents can secure everything their child needs upfront, with no additional payments due until the fall.
From the director’s perspective, even a modest financial commitment signals real intent. It helps directors arrive at a more accurate program headcount and reduces the likelihood of students dropping out before they’ve had a real chance to discover what music can offer them.
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. Everything from slide oil and rosin to a tuner/metronome can be delivered to the school so they’re ready on day one.
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.”
