Spring Concert Newsletter for Families: What to Include

The spring concert is the last music event of the school year and the one most worth getting right. Families attend knowing it is the closing performance and they feel the weight of the year behind the music. A newsletter that acknowledges that and frames the concert as a celebration rather than a logistics notice produces a different experience for everyone in the room.

The year-in-review opening

Open your spring concert newsletter with a paragraph that acknowledges the year. What did students learn? What can they do now that they could not do in September? How has the ensemble grown?

Be specific. "In September, the orchestra could not tune independently. Tonight, students tune themselves before playing. That sounds small until you understand that tuning a string instrument requires the ear to hear small pitch differences and the hand to make small adjustments simultaneously. It takes the entire year to develop."

That paragraph does something a logistics newsletter cannot: it gives families a reason to listen carefully when they sit down in the auditorium.

Repertoire descriptions that close the year

Spring concert repertoire is often more ambitious than winter concert music. Students have been rehearsing longer and learning more. Your newsletter should reflect that in how you describe the pieces.

"Students will close the concert with a movement from Holst's 'The Planets,' a piece most middle school ensembles never attempt. They have been preparing it since March, and the way they handle the dynamic range in the final thirty measures is something I have not been able to get out of my head since Thursday's run-through. Come and hear why."

Recognizing graduating or advancing students

If seniors, eighth graders, or any group of students is moving on from your program, acknowledge them in the newsletter. Include it in the concert program as well. "This year's spring concert is the final performance for our eleven graduating seniors. They have been part of this ensemble for three years. We will take a moment during the concert to recognize their contributions."

Families of graduating students attend spring concerts at much higher rates when they know their student is being recognized. Name the recognition in the newsletter.

The logistics section

All the standard concert logistics: performer arrival time, audience arrival time, dress code, ticket information, concert length. Spring concerts sometimes run longer than winter concerts due to recognitions or more ambitious repertoire. Give families an accurate time estimate. "The concert will run approximately ninety minutes including the senior recognition." Families who know the length plan accordingly.

Post-concert year-close newsletter

Send a brief newsletter within a week of the spring concert. Thank families for their support all year. Share a moment from the concert. Mention what is coming next fall if you know. This newsletter is the one families remember at the start of next year when they are deciding whether to re-enroll their student in music. Make it worth remembering.