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Updated December 28, 2021 All destinations and suppliers have their own rules related to COVID-19. For example, you may be required to quarantine upon arrival in some locations. Some locations may require masks or social distancing, or they may require you to provide proof of vaccination or negative testing. While Forum Educational Travel will try…

If you’ve been with us for a while, you probably understand our scheduling process.  However, if you are a “newbie” to Forum, you may need an explanation of how our scheduling works. Some of our competitors “sell” performance spots.  This works for early registrants if they absolutely must have a location and a time spot…

Not all of us are uber planners.  Some of us need to catch our breath before launching into another big program.  Those folks start planning trips after the holiday concerts are done, January classes are set, and reality sets in that a music trip hasn’t been booked quite yet.  Never fear!  There’s still time! Give…

At this beautiful season, we can’t help but think of all the gifts that music education provides to students and teachers.   As we celebrate our 25th year, we’re honored to be part of those gifts. The gift of music is magical.  The hope and joy imparted to both performer and listener cannot be taken lightly.…

Recently, this article regarding Mister Rogers’ impact on music education appeared in the NAfME e-newsletter.  Given its timeliness with the release of the recent movie as well as his enduring legacy that touches parents, teachers, and all of us, we are honored to reprint the article here. This article was originally posted on Cued In,…

Gaining support for organizing the perfect trip can be frustrating and time-consuming.  You need a strategy for creating a base of support from parents, students, and administration.  We’re here to share some great guidelines for promoting your trip. Enlist the help of another teacher!  If you and another teacher at your school or in your…

Consider using a tour operator.  Your expertise is teaching.  A travel planner’s expertise is to know the nuts and bolts of millions of elements that make a trip run smoothly.  Many directors or booster clubs think they can do it themselves on the cheap.  A travel planner earns bulk discounts with hotels, restaurants, and attractions…

The American String Teachers Association (ASTA) is an organization whose mission is to provide professional development, career building and support, and a community of peers for all teachers of stringed instruments. The organization promotes advocacy for string programs and string teachers through many brochures and publications available on their website at www.astaweb.com.  As members of…

1. Is the festival scheduled in an appropriate venue? Choosing a festival with a great performance venue really makes a big difference to your students.  Many times, we’ve heard from discouraged directors who scheduled another festival where a school cafeteria, a multi-purpose room, or a gymnasium was considered a suitable venue.  At Forum, that’s just…

Developing a jazz band at your school can be fun and inspiring.  A jazz band can serve as a mighty tool for recruiting. It helps students with sight reading.  It teaches leadership, self-confidence, and reinforces creative expression.  If your background does not specifically include jazz performance, you can still start a jazz program for your…

When taking a student group on any trip, you are faced with the prospect of feeding a lot of hungry teenagers.  Feeding the endlessly ravenous can be a pretty daunting task.  How about a short list of ideas to feed the crowd?  Meal vouchers – Offered at most theme parks, students can individually redeem vouchers…

It takes the pressure off remembering to register when school starts. Your first choice date is locked in. You can announce your plans to parents & boosters at Back-to-School night. Potential students are attracted to sign up for band, orchestra, choir, etc. More time for fundraising! It allows more time for grant writing or to…

Include your students in a big musical thank you to administration & staff for supporting the music program this year! Include your students in a big musical thank you to their parents and boosters! Tell your students to sign up for next year and give them a reason why they should!  (Music trip, friendship, choir/band/orchestra…

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week!  Never too late or too early to thank a teacher for his or her impact on your life!  Melissa Salguero built an remarkable music program at P.S. 48 in New York City.  When she started, the program had absolutely no instruments, no funding, and the school hadn’t had a music program…

Your students are lining up to choose classes for next year. The time to recruit students for your music program continues.  How about sharing with your school community a list of famous people who participated in school music programs?  Maybe you’ll light an artistic fire in a celebrity of the future! Blake Lively – The…

Over the past 24 years, we’ve hosted thousands of music groups at festivals.  But, guitar ensemble registrations have markedly risen over the last 10 years.  NAfME’s ongoing series, “50 States of Guitar Class,” features interviews with respected music educators across the country.   According to the series, some programs have developed because of the teacher’s own…

A young middle school jazz band instructor recently came to a festival armed with handwritten notes on school notepaper and thrust them at me on the way to the warm up room. His plea as he ran – “Please make the judges read this!”  Wading through the notes, I learned that Johnny so and so…

In our history, we’ve welcomed groups of all sizes and abilities.  Whereas some festivals require a minimum number of students, that’s something that we’ve never done.  Because our founders were themselves music educators (with big programs, by the way), they felt that the quality of the program was not necessarily determined by the quantity of…

As we get ready to celebrate the holidays, we reflect on the privilege of hosting many of you at festivals over the past 24 years. We hope that you will enjoy the holidays and focus on friends and family. Our staff wishes you the very best in the coming year and  a season of health,…

It’s that special time of year – excitement is definitely in the air!  You’re preparing your students for their holiday concert which is bound to bring a lot of angst to you and to them.  “I’ve only had them at school for a few short months.  What will we get when they file out on…