How to Organize and Promote a Schools Music Festival

How to Organize and Promote a Schools Music Festival

Most primary and secondary schools offer music classes. Students learn how to play an instrument or sing. Most times, these courses are designed as group classes so that the participants can enjoy practising and playing together.

Often, the school decides to plan an end-of-year performance, that can involve music, dance, or theatre. It is an opportunity to celebrate with parents and other students the results and the achievements of the school’s young musicians and performers.

Some of these performances are so good that it’s a pity they can only be enjoyed during a one-time event. That’s why principals or school coordinators can think about coordinating with other schools and organize a festival for their very own young talents.

Organization

The first step is the coordination between other schools. It’s important to know how many people will participate and what kind of performances will take place on stage.

You will have to book the venue in advance, considering the number of attendees that are expected. Also, you have to check if the stage is wide enough for group performances.

If you are the organizer, you should plan a meeting with the venue’s manager, to discuss your needs from a technical point of view. You should also check what kind of backline (piano, microphones, amplifiers) they have available.

Before the show, you should plan an accurate soundcheck with the sound engineer and the gaffer, so that they can assist you with the right musical level and lighting choices during the show.

Promotion

It is essential to promote the event through the school’s social channels and mailing list. You could choose to create a video promo of the occasion, using pictures of previous performances and edit with text and music, to make it look professional.

When you add music, be careful to choose a free non copyrighted music, as some platforms may block content that features music protected by a license. Add some sound effects and a call to action to make it more engaging.

After the festival, you can use some of the footage to compose a video of the key moments of the show. It’s a nice souvenir for the people that have taken part in the performance.