Just Do It!
The Most Interesting Man in the World.
Dilly-Dilly.
Think Different!
Happiest Place on EarthWhere's the Beef?
As you read these tag lines, you are likely envisioning the products they represent.
In fact, you probably are experiencing more than just a memory. You might even be having an emotional response to one or more of them. Why? Because even decades later, they don't just remind you of the product, they remind you of what it did for you and how it made you feel.
The first newspaper ad in America occurred in 1704 when homeowners were trying to sell their house on Long Island. Since then, businesses large and small have been vying for your time, attention, and dollars.
Good advertising does more than establish a brand or persuade you to buy a product. At its best, advertising connects with us on an emotional level and changes how we think, act, and communicate.
To thrive in a competitive landscape, you have to understand and have the ability to market your product. Whether you are a large corporation like Target or a mom and pop coffee shop, the knowledge to communicate clearly and succinctly what it is you do, and what makes your product better can be the difference between survival and failure.
This is as true for music education as it is for Starbucks.
In other words, successful directors are also successful marketers.
Schools are an increasingly crowded and competitive landscape, not just in terms of enrollment but also in how students spend their time. For students, their time is finite, and they and their families have to make hard decisions about how and where to spend this precious and dwindling resource. Other activities, athletics, and academics all have an allure and create a draw for students seeking something to do or looking for a place to belong.
One of the marketing gurus I follow is Donald Miller. His straight forward and folksy approach makes him as approachable as he is knowledgeable. He is the creator and CEO of Story Brand Marketing and works with many Fortune 500 companies in developing and implementing their marketing strategy.
His mantra is, "If you confuse, you lose."
As a part of his "website wireframe," he challenges clients to define who they are and what they do in five words or less. He say's "If you can't succinctly and clearly define who you are, how can you expect anyone else to?" I took the challenge.
Scott Lang: Leadership Solutions for Music Education.
Hopefully in these five words, I have clearly told you who I am, who I serve, and what I do. Pretty powerful for five words, right?
As I said, being a successful music educator means being a marketer. It's that simple. You can't teach an empty chair. You can't impact a child that is sitting in someone else's classroom. You can't balance an ensemble of 14 students, especially when twelve of them play the saxophone.
Now, more than ever, YOU HAVE TO MARKET. It's as critical for your survival as it is for the students' success. You know why music matters. You see the impact that it can have on a child. But none of that matters unless you can effectively communicate that to your audience and school community.
Do you want more students?
Do you want more balanced ensembles?
Do you want to impact more lives?
Do you want to enjoy your job more?
Then take the Donald Miller challenge and describe what you do in five words or less. If you wanted to clearly and succinctly say one thing about who you are and what you do, what would it be?
(Insert the name of your program): (five words that describe who you are, who you serve, and what you do).
And this applies to things to our entire profession.
On a more holistic level, I have always believed (and written about many times) that we should have a unified value statement as a profession. Regardless of the curricular area (b/c/o), age level (es/ms/hs), business (publisher/manufacturer/retailer/events), or genre (rock/classical/mariachi/jazz/etc...), we ALL need to speak the same language when it comes to the value of music education. We need to do so in a clear, concise, and concrete manner so that it is hear loud and clear.
NOW MORE THAN EVER WE NEED TO SPEAK AND ACT AS ONE. Yes, what we say is important, but perhaps not AS important as the fact we say it together. So what is our
As Donald says, "When you confuse, you lose." So…
Music: (five words that describe who we are, who we serve, and what we do).
I have my answer. What's yours?
Hit me back if you are so inclined.
Have a great week!