Newsletters for the Arts

Think back to your elementary music class. Try not to think about your saddle shoes, hair scrunchy, or other poor fashion choice that plagued your childhood years (for the record, I actually like saddle shoes). Now consider those elementary music classes from the perspective of an adult who didn’t go on to study music or play in community performing groups and answer the following questions:

• How many skills did you retain from elementary music?
• What skills are taught in the modern elementary music class?
• What is music literacy and why is it important?

When I began developing the concept of newsletters for “specials classes” (that’s what our school called music, art, and P.E.), I had those questions in mind. My goals were simple, to show the community (parents/colleagues/administration) what was happening in music class and why it was important.

Educating the adults in the school community is just as important as educating the students, and newsletters is one way to do that. Here are some tips for newsletters that have worked well for me.

• Use bright, colorful paper for newsletters that will be posted throughout the school so they stand out. Use regular copy paper for the rest.
• The staff bathroom and lounge are great places to post newsletters.
• Keep it short and sweet. Just like teachers, parents are short on time, so use bullet points and avoid starting any sentence with “When I was a kid, walking uphill to and from school…” (ain’t nobody got time for that).
  • Short and sweet is best, but don’t be afraid to use music terminology (with a brief explanation). Again, grownups should be aware of what we’re teaching and why. It helps to show that all of our singing and playing has a specific purpose.
• Organize logistics. Know how the newsletters will be passed out to students, and make the process as easy as possible for homeroom teachers. In other words, don’t toss a stack of papers on their desks at the last minute as you run to your next class.
• Get feedback. Chat with parents, teachers, and administration to see how the newsletters are being received. The positive feedback I received from parents helped me know I was on the right track.
• Online access. Though our specials department discussed this possibility, it never came to fruition. If you choose to make it an option, be sure to include your administration and technology team in the discussion. They may have alternative suggestions that work better for the school system and for parents.