During the next twelve months, you can put tested and proven strategies in place that will dramatically
increase the power of your String Orchestra. The results will be impressive and measurable.
If you build the path, they will follow.
And the path starts with a name.
Every student wants to belong. Your
String Orchestra provides an opportunity for a student to be a part of a group with a sense of purpose. To provide a solution
for that need, tap the strategies that have worked for years for your school's Physical Education program: name your orchestra.
Branding is a vital part of our culture because it works.
Team names have given sports teams a spirit, a look, an image, and a unifying power. Every
student in grades 4-12, whether they play an instrument or not, should know about the String Orchestra because their name
and logo is promoted in many different ways. And the string students, better than anyone, should know the program spans Elementary,
Middle School, and High School years.
THIS IS IMPORTANT.
A student signing-up in Elementary School needs to know that there is a path all the way through High School and needs to
have it clearly defined by a program name.
Most losses in Strings programs occur when a student goes from one grade
group to the next- from Elementary to Middle to High School. A program name can erase the gap between the levels. A name is a
concept that provides continuity. It shows that the program is seamless.
Be sure the name is printed on
jackets, sweatshirts, t-shirts, sweatpants, shorts, pencils, and bleacher cushions. It can also be on bumper stickers,
bookbags, and music folders. It should also be used in PA announcements and on schedules.
Your orchestra
name can also be reflected in your concert dress: casual, formal, retro, punk, western?
Special groups should have
names, too. The Middle School boys could audition for the select group THE
BOWMEN. Middle School girls have L'ARCHET.
Each group has a specific style of music and dress that they are known for.
Even private teachers
of Strings have found that a name for their group offers an essential element of success. Lyric Academy of Music is
an example.
"I'm in the quiet village of Victor, outside of Rochester, NY.
As a private teacher, I needed to increase my client base.
When I changed my
studio name to
Lyric Academy of Music, my music program tripled to over 100 students in three months and I had to add three new teachers," stated the Academy Director,
Margaret Dilmore.
Name your group. Use
the proven power of branding. There's a reason why businesses and sports teams consider it to be essential: It works!
Email
us your thoughts and good luck. Want to be included on our Newsletter mailing list? Send us a request!
