As a parent, I really dislike when my child is participating in an activity and I get the feeling that the coach/director/leader is “flying by the seat of their pants”. With as much advance notice as possible, I need to know when practice is going to take place, when the games or concerts will be, when we need to be there, when they need picked up, what do they need to bring, etc, etc, etc!
Parents are extraordinarily busy, and I hope that I’m not the only one who feels overwhelmed at times most of the time! For this reason, in my role as director of chorus, I take the time to set a schedule for the entire year at the very beginning. I include this schedule with the participation agreement for chorus so that even before the student agrees to participate in my group, they (along with their parents) are very clear on the commitment involved.
Here is a sample of the setup of our chorus schedule (you’ll notice that I teach in a snowy climate, some of you will be lucky enough to avoid that disclaimer!):
In the case of a snow delay or cancellation, rehearsal is cancelled.
Date | Time | Location | Who should be there? | What are we doing? |
Wed., Jan. 5 | 8:20am | Gym | Only those students who wish to audition for a principal role. | Audition Day: Be prepared to sing your solo and read lines. Parts will be posted on Jan. 5. |
Thurs., Jan. 6 | 8:20am | Gym | Everyone | “Arabian Nights (parts 1 and 2) pgs. 16-17, 20-21 |
Wed., Jan. 12 | 8:20am | Gym | Everyone | “One Jump Ahead” pgs. 24-29 |
Thurs., Jan. 13 | 8:20am | Music Room | Lamp Vendor, Peasant Boy, Vendor Girl, Jasmine, Sultan, Jafar, Iago | pgs. 15-20 |
The schedule is also posted on my edline system page, but unfortunately, that tool seems to be underutilized by the parents at this time. I also publish the schedule on our school calendars and in school newsletters.
Now, if I could only get all students to post the schedule in a safe spot at home so that it doesn’t get lost, destroyed, or thrown out, I’d be one happy music teacher!!
For the schedule the week of the concert, I include a sign-and-return permission slip that states "I understand the schedule for our spring concert. My child _____ will attend." When I taught instrumental music, I had success with students remembering their instrument on the day of the in-school concert (even when it's not their lesson day). When I taught choral in a different school district, I included in the permission slip "My child will attend and bring ___ number of guests." It really helped my custodians setup chairs in the gym with a more accurate number. The week before the concert, if I didn't have permission slips returned, I'd call the parents to make sure they were aware of the concert schedule and that their children would attend.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding this, Cortney! Great input!
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