A New Beginning for the Emerald Alliance Website

The old website has been sent packing!

It's January, 2019-- a new year for all of us, and a new year for the Emerald Alliance Bremen Band Program. With a new year comes new things, and this website is no exception!

Over the years the band program has grown immensely, and our website has always been the place where people could go to find information about what's going on.

But, things could be better. I have been taking a critical look at the way we spread information about the Bremen Band program, including the website, emails, our Facebook group, our Twitter feed, printed letters, and even occasional use of the Remind app.

Here's a few areas where we could improve:

• We want to do a better job of getting the right information to the right people. Students and parents need different information about the program than the general public.

• Currently, only 25% of people on the email list actually open the email sent. Information is not reliably getting to those that need it using this method.

• With all of those different methods, there was no single place to go to get answers to questions about the band program. With a staff of one band director, it was difficult to keep up, and made it more likely that an error would occur.

• The website was beginning to look dated and cluttered. Some parts of the website were not completely updated. Again, with a staff of one, it was hard to keep up.

Time for Change

Like the frog, it was time to send the website packing! This new website is clean, fresh, and simple to navigate. It's optimized for mobile phones. Information here will focus on upcoming performances, results of competitions, and other general band related news. Information specifically for students and parents has been moved to a different medium (more on that later).

What to expect here:

• Upcoming Performance Information

• Awards and Accolades

• General Band Related News

• Fun Music Related Posts

The posts on this website will also be shared on our Facebook and Twitter feeds, with links back here.

What about students and parents who need more?

For students and parents who need more detailed information, we have been testing a new app that has yielded positive results. BAND.us is a terrific tool for allowing groups to communicate effectively using their phones or computers.

Benefits:

1. Comfortable, easy to under stand social-media-like interface

2. Simple for all members to share photos with each other

3. Calendar with all events easy to find

4. Can send notifications directly to phones which people actually read!

5. Can organize volunteers within the app

6. Can chat directly with other members of the group

What to expect here:

• When to be at events

• What is required

• What to wear

• Who is involved

• Opportunities to volunteer

• Rehearsal information

• Fund raising information

• Reminders of forms or paperwork due

• Last minute changes to announcements

It is very important that every student and parent stay aware of what the expectations are within the band program. To make sure that everyone is looking at the same information, please note: This will be the ONLY way we disseminate this information to our band students and parents.

Want to sign up for the BAND app? Click on "Students and Parents" above to find out how!

It's a new year, and these changes are exciting! Please help spread the word about our new website and communication app by sharing this post, or sharing www.bpsband.org on your favorite social media site.

Until next time-- keep practicing!