May 27, 2016 by Sara Campbell 0 comments

5 Tips to Create Workshop Schedules

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I create daily schedules for my workshops and camps. So I’m here today to “talk” to all my fellow camp-planning maniacs out there 😉

Creating and using a daily schedule doesn’t have to be difficult!

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about designing daily schedules. Today I thought I’d take it a step further and actually show you what some of my daily schedules look like.

Read on for some daily schedule examples and tips! Please feel free to chime in with questions in the comment area.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my Music Blast Camp Plans!

To start, I thought I’d show you an example of an ENTIRE workshop schedule… Notice that this schedule is NOT highly detailed:

Weekly Schedule

Tip #1: Create an “at a glance” schedule.

My first vocal workshop focused on audition techniques. Now, my personal schedule had a TON more detail, but I wanted a quick-reference schedule that my accompanist and I could use to keep on track throughout the week.

This type of schedule can be a GREAT way to get started if you’re kind of stuck creating a daily schedule. Don’t get too bogged down in the details… just get all the important stuff down first! The rest will follow.

Ok, now that you’ve seen a WEEKLY breakdown, here’s a sample of what a daily schedule might look like. This one comes from one of my intermediate piano workshop schedules:

Daily Schedule Breakdown

Tip #2: Be aware of time-constraints.

Movie Magic was a workshop that focused on film score creation. We only met 2 hours a day for 5 days. On the 5th day we had a presentation to the parents during the final half hour.

Since this workshop required a lot of movie/sound editing on my part, I made sure to get ALL the filming done by the end of Day 2. That meant I could show my students the final “movie” edit and we could work on recording the film score on Days 3 and 4.

In a nut shell: Know your time-line. If you’re creating a finished product, build in enough time in your schedule to get it done.

As another daily schedule example, I wanted to show you part of a daily schedule from my Music Blast Camp:

Music Blast Schedule Sample – Click for Details

Now the above sample is more detailed than the first two, but when you’re running a camp with lots of activities that are material intensive, it’s SO helpful to have a detailed checklist so that you don’t forget anything.

Tip #3: Use highlighter to draw you attention to important details.

I’ve used a lot of detailed camp plans over the years, and my BEST advice is to use highlighters. Now, don’t go highlighter-crazy and cover the whole page. (I speak from experience.)

Helpful Highlighting vs. Hot Mess

Highlight one or two phrases or lines that will jog your memory as to what comes next. This will help you stay on track during your event, and help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Tip #4: Know when you need a helper (and adjust accordingly).

When you’re running a music camp with relay games or lots of students, having a camp helper can be a real lifesaver. Make sure to keep your helpers in mind when you design your schedule.

Experienced helpers might allow you to create stations where you break students into groups and run activities concurrently. Less experienced helpers can help you run relay games and set up activities.

Music Blast Schedule Comparison

Ok… and one last tip for all your camp-planning maniacs out there:

Tip #5: Be Prepared!

Whether or not I have a helper, I always make sure to set everything up before students arrive. Often times I’ll stick around after campers leave and set up activities for the next day. This gives me a little extra time the next morning so that I can drink my coffee 😉

… and we all know that we’re going to need lots of coffee during camp week!