Your Four-Tool Recruitment Bundle - Nottelmann Music Company
Nottelmann Music St. Louis
Your Four-Tool Recruitment Bundle

Your Four-Tool Recruitment Bundle

Time to recruit that new crop of beginners?  Depending on your school’s time setup, it could be now,  it could be in a few weeks, it could be in a few months.  No matter when that is, NOW is the time to make plans.  These FOUR posts found at the Nottelmann Blog, linked below, can greatly improve your chances of success.

#1 The Ultimate Beginning Band Instrument Demo

How important is it that prospective beginning band students have a clear concept of the available band instruments and what they sound like?  How do you get that across to students?  Here’s a source that you can use now and save for use in the future.

  • Beautiful, outstanding performances from members of the US Army Field Band.
  • The band instruments are presented in score order.
  • All display characteristic tone quality.
  • Kid-friendly demonstrations and explanations.
  • Royalty-free access via the US Military.
  • To allow complete flexibility in your demonstration, the video clips are available in the following ways:
    • Individual instrument clips
    • All of the instruments are heard together, final bars of the Stars and Stripes Forever
    • The complete single demonstration video contains all of the performances without stop, in score order

#2 Selmer Music Guidance Survey – Student Music Aptitude Test

A long-time, valuable recruitment resource, The Selmer Music Guidance Survey, is no longer in print.  GOOD NEWS!  All of the necessary elements of this student aptitude test  are found below – EVERYTHING a music educator needs to administer the test. 
Print out the blank Student Sheet, have students fill it out as you play each of the four parts recorded below, and use the answer key to grade the completed Student Sheets.  Cite students with superior ears right away and use that information as you wish when recruiting, recommending instruments, etc.  AND…IT’S FREE!

#3 Recruitment and Retention – with Joe Pappas and Ray Benton

This Music Education two-part podcast focuses on valuable tips and ideas on how to build student numbers in a band or orchestra program. Joe Pappas is a very successful band director, adjudicator, music education consultant, composer and publisher from the St. Louis Metro area.  Listen as Joe and Ray draw from over 60 years of combined teaching experience to discuss real-world, practical tips you can implement in your program TOMORROW!  Here’s Part 1-RECRUITMENT

#4 Resources for Student Recruitment and Retention – by Marcia Neel

Here’s the need more info? part.  World renowned YAMAHA clinician Marcia Neel provides links and direction in these four areas –

  1. First Performance: A Demonstration Concert for Beginning Instrumental Music
  2. A Practical Guide to Recruitment and Retention
  3. Tips for success: Guide for Instrumental Music Teachers
  4. Bridging the Gap Between Middle School and High School
  5. Bonus: Be Part of the Music