Simpedia

Robin T. Tennessee

I have looked at some other teacher’s newsletters to get ideas or material. I always email and ask if they mind if I use their articles. So far, everyone has been accommodating. I just started mine this year, so I have only had two so far. But, I plan to also use some of the articles that Remy was sending about music. And, it would be wonderful for others to share their ideas. I would think that we are not sending to the same people, so there should be very little chance of people seeing it twice if we choose to share our resources.

I think there are three keys to a newsletter:
1. Make it relevant to the students. In other words, it has to be something that they WANT to read. You can include quiz’s that you give prizes for in lessons, I found a site that allows you to create your own crossword puzzles which I plan to use some SM terms in, and I always list birthdays and have a student spotlight. That makes the students want to read and see who was featured, etc.
2. Don’t make it too long. Mine is very minimal. I have one article that is on the side and some months it may not be an article (like I mentioned above, a quiz or a crossword). There is so much good information out there that we want to include everything sometimes, but if it is too long, people tend to not take the time to read it.
3. Most importantly, use it to WORK FOR YOU! I think this is the most important and often times completely overlooked! You take all the stuff mentioned above and view it from the parents or students view. If a parent sees their child is mentioned, they will send it on to friends and family (free advertising!!). Or, if the article is interesting to them or something that they feel someone else should read, again they will forward it on.

I mentioned last month that I was using a free service called Mail Chimp for my newsletter. I LOVE IT! It tracks how many people opened it, how long they looked at it, and if they sent it on to someone else. I can set it up to look professional and like my website to continue that THEME. And, I can then post it on my website for other potential students to read. It has really been a hit with my students and I have had a lot of parents comment on it. I even had a grandma call and ask to be added to the mailing list so she could learn more about what her grandson is learning. Then, she sent it on to someone in her office… Oh, I love Free Advertising!

Francis B. Nevada

I agree with the comments that have been made already. Other ideas that I have thought about is having a small section on “Did you know?” This would be a section for facts on music, music genres or musicians. Another title for this section could be, “Music Appreciation.” This would provide some enrichment outside of lesson time. It can be a great addition for the student’s as well as the parents’ on-going music education.

Music Appreciation Examples:
1. One quick example could be a highlight or excerpt on Beethoven or other composers of your choice.
2. Another example could be a short history or background of a song they are currently learning such as “Star Spangled Banner.
3. Thirdly, I have gone to the children’s music section at my local library to check out various music genres to educate myself and my children. We just love all kinds of music! There was a particular Blues CD that had a little background on how Blues came about culturally. It was very fascinating to me.
4. Lastly, a story clip on a musician that inspires you, that could also inspire your studio students and parents. We could maybe start a thread on stories within the SM community to share within our own studios? Just a thought . . .

BlogSpot’s, etc.
I am also currently working on my BlogSpot for a couple of reasons. I think it is a great way to communicate with my parents/studio where they can go for previously archived newsletters and various other links/articles that have been shared about music. Later you can opt to create a book that can be bound for you with all these great information that you have collected over time.

I would love to take all the collection of great ideas from the SM community of teachers and call it, “Musical Treasures” by SM Teachers!

Anyway, I just try to balance my time with my on-going training that I try to keep up with and preparations for my lessons!