A cappella group performing on stage
The A Cappella Blog

Working With Your College

Dos and Don'ts

DO: Use the facilities and publicity opportunities offered by your college to your group’s advantage.
DON'T: Disengage from your college.

When I think of what characterizes a college, I come up with a laundry list of items including:

-Large facilities
-A dense population of students
-A diverse faculty base
-Drinking (soda, milk, etc.)

Most colleges have at least one or two adequate venues in which your group can perform. At my alma mater, there are at least three very good places to put on a show--and the school itself is relatively small. While I condone venturing out to coffeehouses, bars and restaurants, using your college’s facilities can be a convenient and cost-effective way of drawing attention and giving back to your school.

OK, so you’ve booked a show on campus. But how will you get people there? Word of mouth marketing is one of the most effective ways to get the word out about businesses, news, and events. With such a high concentration of students in one spot, talking your friends, posting flyers, and even e-mailing students and faculty are great ways to increase hype about your group or show.

One of the best ways of all to get the word out about your group is to leverage your faculty and staff connections. Let’s face it, faculty and staff are generally more established at a college than even the most prominent student leader. They are much more likely have more pull in terms of reserving facilities (“sure, I’ll reserve the biggest lecture hall on campus for you”), drawing outside crowds “want extra credit? Support your classmates at their a cappella show!”), and providing necessary equipment (“The school of music won’t loan you their best mics for Saturday night? Let me have a word with them.”). These are good resources to have, and you should recognize and take advantage of that fact.

Your college is there to support you and enhance your experience as a student. Don’t let the opportunities it affords you pass you by.

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