Recruiting, Retaining, and Motivating Your Title 1 Students Eric Ji As an eager band director, I actively These typical examples could be the solution, Instead, he found ways to sought guidance and mentorship _resultof poverty affecting our students’ make emotional deposits to each of with regied to improving my music academic and behavior performance. hic students. He greeted students program. Time and time again I was When frustration takes aver due to perscrably at the door and crested a metwith pessimisticnarratives ich, the inability to contol our students’ structured but iavking. atmosphere “Just finish the year and get out” ‘You environment, we mustremind ourselves Once he made encugh deposits, he will never make a 1.” and “Those kids of that which we ——————— ad the ability 10 willneverget it” Lwasdisheartened to can control—the 30-50% of at hear this because I still identified with environment we offer. those very same kids. Unfortunately, We have the ability not much hae changed for colleagues to provide a space redirect students without the fear of “overdrafting. (An overdraft viewed ac seeking the same guidance. As 1 thet is inviting, safe «8 negative reaction oF veansiton fom the band hall sao and celebratory of all S80, 2005 sc teay bchuwioc) higher education, 1 am making the students. For this to translate into When we allow ourselves to see our commitment to provide solutions to your program, I suggest you leam to students as vessels that have the problems we mightexperience serving empathize with your students rather capacity forusto pour positive learning, Title 1 settings than have sympathy for them, experiences into them, we can use DISCLAIMER: I chose the tam “Tile "Ten years o, I attended my first music as our whicle to drive this in order to ince as many of my TBA Convention/Clinic. Iwas fortunate mission, colleagues as possible. To beter ft your collars as rosble To tert yow cough w st clink that shee! Recruitment-Make Band Fi Thenkgedesadarhes rad my axprach to techng, fam that iam ft yar of aching 1 as undercard. theinfomatin tam day forward. A Tile 1 bard director tasked with revitalizing a middle sang osha acimiaton fry shared persona experiences of when school band program that adn ad and researcher of serving students in he attended the middle school he was _a band for several years. | reached out Title 1 now serving The same struggles he to directors for guidance as to what 1 stabi cxperineed years ago contiried to should do fins. My colleague replied, of OUR Sti beevident in his sudents today Some “Get them a band tshirt Kids love Note my intentional use of the of his students walked in wearing the tshins!” He was right. Every program word “our” in this section heading —Stme clothes asthe day before lacking I served has recetved a custom shirt That frame of mind is the first step in Supplies, seep deprived, and hungry design. Additionally, the shirts were understanding, The day you receive Intiallyhe wasdrawnto indingwaysto approved by the administration and a roster, those individual names have Make monetary deposits, bt be knew — became a part of the approved student that vas not a rational nor sustainable dress code. (See designs below) dorit practice” or “They have to go hhome to take care of stings” and become your students. When we seek 2 guidance, we lead not with positive P anecdotes but tather with the issues = ‘we experience. Such as, My students ‘fa : a “They laugh when I redirect them, andmasters Review + Sepiember 2019 1 Texas Bandmastrs Assodation