Connections with home
1) Boosters
2) Call home when things go right
3) Programming accessible materials
Regular and deliberate connection within the choir, with the families of our members and with the community we live in is an essential component of all healthy choral programs. We need to engage and partner with the parents and guardians of singers. In recent years media outlets have chosen to focus on failings ofAmerica’s educational system. While we must accept responsibility and ownership of our shortcomings, the public has grown increasingly distrustful of education in general and educators as a whole. It frequently happens that a parent who struggled in school will have a child that experiences similar challenges. If we are going to achieve the best outcome in our classrooms we must engage the help and support of primary caregivers. Parents that know you are committed to their student will help you help their children. If your motives are suspect you can anticipate major challenges in both student and parent interactions.
Communication is absolutely critical to positive partnerships with parents. Clearly write out your expectations and a calendar of events then have parents and students sign a document that indicates it has been read and agreed to. Send a newsletter home on a regular basis through the mail, on facebook and e-mail. Call parents when students do something good. Don’t wait until there is a problem. Build a parent booster organization and engage the guardians that want to be involved at a greater level. Inquire about and utilize the professional and personal strengths of parents to create great educational opportunities for students. Enlist parent assistance in fund raising and arranging travel. Have guardians assemble programs, video concerts, sell tickets, sew outfits, chaperone trips or present a report to the board of education. Getting parents involved in the music program will reap benefits for the student, the parent, the teacher, organization and the community.
Another way to ensure parental support of choir activities is to program some material in each concert that is recognizable. While this is easier some times than others, it is important that the “Greats” of the musical past not be ignored. Parents equate value with classics and melodies that are recognizable. Have a soloist or small group sing a contemporary selection on the fall concert. Ask a young pianist to play Pachelbel’s canon. Have a clarinet ensemble perform an arrangement of a favorite Christmas carol at the winter concert. Familiar material builds bridges with our audience and creates credibility and open ears for the aleatoric work we program. Further, featuring young artists in this way is a fantastic way to develop the musicianship and commitment of exemplary members through the celebration of their musical accomplishments.
