March Music Class Newsletter: What We Are Learning

March is the best month in the music calendar for communication. Music in Our Schools Month gives every music teacher a cultural occasion to tell the program's story, and the approaching spring concerts give families a concrete reason to pay close attention. A March newsletter that uses both of these levers together is one of the most impactful of the year.

Connect to Music in Our Schools Month meaningfully

Do not just mention the month in passing. Use it as an occasion to share a specific number, a specific accomplishment, or a specific student story that demonstrates what music education produces. National recognition is most powerful when it is grounded in local specifics. "March is Music in Our Schools Month. Here is what that looks like in our program this year."

Name the spring concert program

Tell families exactly what students will perform in the spring concert. Name each piece, describe its style and difficulty, and say something about why it was chosen for this group at this moment in the year. Families who understand the repertoire listen to it differently at the concert.

Describe the rehearsal focus right now

March rehearsals are usually about polishing rather than learning. Describe what polishing looks like: which passages are being cleaned, what technical skills are being refined, what the ensemble sounds like now compared to January. Families who know what 'cleaning a passage' means can have a more specific conversation with their child about practice.

Give families a specific practice assignment

Name a specific section or skill for home practice this week. "The opening of 'Springtime Overture' at measures 1-16 should be solid by Monday. Ask your child to play it for you at full tempo. If it is not solid yet, this is the week to focus there." This kind of specific assignment turns the newsletter into a practice resource.

Sample newsletter template excerpt

Dear Music Families,

March is Music in Our Schools Month. To mark it, I want to share something specific: this ensemble can play things in March that would have been impossible in September. That is real. It is the result of consistent practice and consistent rehearsal and it is worth celebrating.

Spring Concert is Thursday, May 8th at 7:00 PM. Student call time 6:15 PM. Concert dress all-black. Three weeks of concentrated practice between now and May will determine how that evening sounds.

Share any upcoming festival results or events

If students participated in solo and ensemble festival in February or March, share results in the newsletter. Name any superior ratings, outstanding soloists, or groups who received recognition. Recognition shared in the newsletter reaches families who did not attend the festival and tells the whole community that the program is producing excellent work.

Close with what you are looking forward to in April and May

End the March newsletter by naming what is coming. The remaining rehearsals, the dress rehearsal, the concert itself. Build toward the end of the year with the energy of someone who knows the work is nearly done and is proud of what it has produced.