Today's blog post comes from Phil Amalong of The Zoen.

"I used to take lessons when I was a kid and I wish I had continued. I really liked playing but my teacher and I didn't get along."

"I wish I had taken private lessons when I was in band as a kid. I would have enjoyed it so much more if I had gotten good at it! My parents let me try a few lessons with a neighbor who could play, but they didn't want to drive me to a 'real' teacher."

"My band director always encouraged us to take private lessons, but I was just into 'having fun.' Now I realize how much more fun I would have had if I had learned to play better!"

"I wish I would have been more active in getting my kids music lessons—I just didn't know how or where to find a teacher that they'd really hit it off with."

As a professional performer and music educator, I've heard endless variations on the above statements. I'm somehow seen as the proper confessor for these personal divulgences—after performances, at events and gatherings, in everyday interactions with people. Many "I only wish..." stories and sadly, much regret. I find myself offering encouragement: "It's never too late…" and "You're here at this concert—thank you, we need great audiences," both sentiments I strongly believe are true.

1. How you can get more by giving
2. How being uncomfortable is a good thing
3. Why you should double the size of your board
4. How committees are killing your music booster organization
5. The top 5 ways to gain support from your community
6. How you're probably in the same boat as over 2/3 of the music booster organizations we talked to

No worries, though. You can check it all out on the recording! It's usually only accessible to our paid subscribers, but for the month of May, we're opening it up to EVERYONE.

There are some things that can't be replaced by a recording, slides, or even by good notes: face to face conversations with other music parents.

I find that in-person live events like these are really the very best part of an organization like AMP. Our live events are "where the rubber meets the road."

Try as we might, we can't quite duplicate the engagement and the energy in the room on our website or on social media. Last week at Eastern Kentucky, there were knots of people introducing themselves, or catching up. They compared challenges and victories. They shared tips and strategies. Each interaction made the rest of us stronger.

A few insights from last week's event:

Often, it seems that each individual booster organization operates in its own silo: "This is what our organization needs to do for our kids. This is what we do because this is what has always been done."

The thing is, that's EXACTLY what everyone else is doing!

It doesn't have to be that way.

Imagine taking the insights from music parents and booster groups across your region, your state, and across the nation, and implementing them in your own program.

Imagine the time and energy you'd save!

Imagine what you could achieve by working smarter, not harder.

Even within your own organization, sometimes knowledge doesn't pass from one generation of music parents to the next, for whatever reason. Sadly, music parent vets often "retire" and take their hard-won experience with them off into the sunset.

It may feel like there's no way to get the job done without reinventing the wheel.

What if that was no longer the case?

Imagine catching up in person with others who share the same responsibilities within their own booster groups. Just think of the jump in everyone's productivity!

Joining together, even if just for an evening, makes all of us better. Stronger. More powerful.

We're scheduling more of these events across the country. Would you like to bring us us to your town? Just email Scott at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we'll see if we can make it happen.

We had a great time in Kentucky. Thanks to those who helped make it happen: Marsha Mourdock, Marc Whitt and the amazing young professionals of EKU's Public Relations in the Performing Arts (PUB 415S). Thanks also to Miles Davis, John Richardson, and Carrie Ravenscraft at Miles Ahead Music.

And thanks especially to everyone who attended and participated. We appreciate you more than you could ever know.

We're even better together. Just imagine what we can do!

Today's post is by sophomore Mackenzie Keith at Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, Georgia.

On Monday, March 25th, the Fayette County Board of Education (FCBOE) announced the suggestion of making funding cuts that consist of $320,000 to the fine arts programs of our schools. The following day, I created a petition asking the Fayette County Board of Education to reconsider their proposal.

Today's guest post is by Courtney Beard of Vivace Productions.

Be it band boosters, the gridiron club, or prom committees, some of America's most enduring small businesses have been the informal groups dedicated to supporting the activities of student programs in our schools.

Yet despite the significant amount of money they handle, many of these organizations do identify themselves as businesses and do not operate as such. Several programs struggle for this reason. Oftentimes only the most organized make the effort to incorporate themselves as a 501c3 or keep financial records in a computer based system. Unfortunately, we still hear how some keep their funds in a tin lockbox under the teacher's desks and track income by tally papers and then are faced with unanticipated expenses.

The idea of keeping real financial records may intimidate some booster organizations, but you do not need a CPA within your ranks to implement of simple bookkeeping and reporting procedures, paving the way for greater efficiently and responsible decision making.

Here's a story about The Hometown High School Marching Band and how a single, SIMPLE, financial report helped to keep them on the right track.

Did you know that over 30% of the charitable donations for the entire year are made during December? Pretty impressive! If you think creatively, there are lots of opportunities for your organization to take advantage of this goodwill: not just in December, but all year round.

Fundraising is a fact of life for most music booster organizations. Everyone is always looking for a newer, better, easier way to raise the money their child's music program needs. While not an exhaustive list, I hope this post may be a great way to spark your own imagination. Consider your program's unique situation, and choose the best fundraisers for your group.

If you have ideas I haven't mentioned, let me know in the comments, and I'll add them to the master list! A word of warning: Be sure to check the laws where you live. Some states do not allow raffles; others allow them but restrict the types and dollar value of prizes.

Good luck!

His favorite phrase was "And again!"

He constantly reminded us that "We're all God's children."

And when someone inevitably made a boneheaded move, he was quick to smile, shake his head, and say something I still utter to my own kids today: "Bless your pointed head."

Today's guest post is by music educator and mom Julie Zorn.

I am a music teacher of children ages infants – 8th grade. My job is to instill a love of music in the 1500+ kids that I see weekly and to give them as many musical tools as I can possibly squeeze into their brains.

Here's the thing though. I am also the parent of two very musical children who participate in an excellent music program in their public school, take guitar lessons and soon-to-be drum lessons and participate in every musical/talent show/performance of any kind that they can.

Today's guest post is by Maggie Fischer, founder and president of the Music Advocates of Carroll County in Maryland. They are a grassroots organization that is dedicated to supporting music education in our schools.

We have a terrific Board of Education. But you know what? They can't know everything all the time. How can we expect them to support music education if we don't tell them what support is needed?

The last blog in the series "Breaking the Bundle! - A Guide to Organizing a Booster Organization"

This is it—the plan to break the bundle that burdens your band director! Let your director get back to the work of teaching music to your students, rather than stressing about the management of details that someone without a music degree can complete.

A quick review:

With a well-trained executive board in place, with team coordinators knowing their responsibilities, with well organized teams, with well organized notebooks in place, the director's bundle has just been broken. The director will be able to focus his/her energy to the band students where it should be, rather than worrying with the many tasks that can now go to the booster organization. Many will feel a part of the organization; support will continue to grow, and most important of all—the students will be learning music again. After all, isn't that what a band program is about?