Designing Summer Workshops: Registration and T-Shirts
You might be wondering why I titled this “Registration and T-Shirts.” What do those two things have to do with one another?
Let’s face it – this time of year can be really busy for kids and parents. There are spring sports, band and chorus concerts, musicals, and students are sent home with piles of papers about summer schedules and activities. If you are planning summer events in your studio, you don’t want your paperwork to get lost in the pile. This is where the t-shirts come into play.
Last year I decided to have summer t-shirts printed. Every student who signed up for a workshop or camp would also get a free t-shirt. It sounded like a perfect plan. The students would get cool t-shirts and the studio would get a little bit of advertising.
There was one problem: I didn’t set a cut-off date for t-shirt orders.
Because of that, I ended up having to do two printings and I had to spend quite a bit of time tracking down sizes. The process was just too complicated.
This year I decided to do another t-shirt, but with a different process. The shirts are still free for students who sign up for workshops or camps, but only if they register before a set date. I’m hoping that this will give students and parents the incentive to sign up earlier, and in turn give me a better head count earlier in the season. I’ll most likely order a few extra t-shirts in the most popular sizes, and have them for sale for those who miss the early sign-up date.
2014 Studio T-Shirts © Sara’s Music Studio
I’m really excited about our t-shirts this year. I wanted something that the students could wear year round, and this design was the first thing that popped into mind. (These shirts will be on sale in the studio for those who are not attending any workshops or camps this year. I’ll be taking orders for sizes at the Spring Recital, and collecting money shortly after that.)
As for the registration forms themselves, here are a few items that I always make sure to include on mine:
- Regular and Emergency Contact Information
- Student Allergies
- Photo/Video Release Statement
- Student Level / Current Repertoire
Since I like to document the workshops, I included the third item as protection for parents, students, and myself. “Does the instructor have permission to feature photos and/or videos of this student (never using last names) on the studio website, Facebook page, and/or promotional items?” Parents are given the option to agree, disagree, or I can ask on a case-by-case basis.
I never use any pictures without permission, and I never include any last names.
If you would like to see the rest of the form, CLICK HERE to download the PDF file.
The next installment of the Designing Summer Workshops series will feature information about how I plan the workshop itself. If you have any questions that you would like me to answer in future posts, please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!
- Part 1: Basic Planning
- Part 2: Scheduling
- Part 3: Announcements!
- Part 4: Registration & T-Shirts
- Part 5: The Daily Schedule
Looking for more?
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