Human nature prefers familiarity. For many of us who are rural music teachers, choosing this area of education may not have been our initial career objective. Many individuals, myself included, attend our teacher training programs with the objective to teach at a school similar to our recent high school experience: most often a large, comprehensive suburban program (Kelly, 2003). However, as our job searches progress, we may find ourselves applying for, and accepting, a job teaching music in a rural school.

Now this is not to say that accepting a rural teaching job is "settling." At the time, it may seem so for many individuals, but teaching in a rural setting may be found to be more rewarding and gratifying than in a large, comprehensive suburban school despite the inherent challenges of a small school. These challenges may include time management issues such as teaching multiple different classes across buildings, lack of resources and/or skewed expectations of administrators who want an idealized band/choir/orchestra (Bates, 2011). Thankfully, these challenges, though seemingly insurmountable, are easily rectified using a small school's greatest resource: the surrounding community.

While communities are important to every school across the country, there is a particularly close relationship between a small, rural school and the surrounding community. For instance, my former school district had 800 students from three small towns in grades preK-12. The president of the board of education lived one block away from the high school and even acted as announcer for football games. The school and the community would regularly schedule events jointly as the town and school calendars were closely aligned. In a town with three stoplights and two restaurants, the school was an icon in the community. Though it took me a little while to realize the extent of this connection, I eventually decided to engage more with the community. Over time, the community began to express its gratitude and support in a multitude of ways, which not only helped support my program through word of mouth and attendance at performances, but also influenced perceptions of administrators and non-music students. Once I began to recruit new, previously non-music, participants into my classes, I felt like I had hit the gold mine: More students enjoying music leads to more adults enjoying music leads to more support for music. Though it may take a while to begin, it's a beautiful cycle when it gets going.

Strategies for Expanding Community Engagement

Though each school and community may be unique, here are some strategies that may work for you:

1. Be Patient (Isbell, 2005). Altering perceptions takes time and effort. Depending on your objectives, results may take months or even years. Use the intervening time to remain consistent with your plans, identify new strategies and diversify your methods. For example, one of my biggest campaigns, the return of previously cut music classes for grades K-3, took four years. During those years I consistently advocated for elementary music classes and found ways to give back to the community what its members desired out of a music program.

2. Observe and Listen. What are the expectations in the community? Are there events for which community members expect participation of your ensembles? What types of music are preferred in the community? Music selection is particularly prominent for marching bands as they may be the most visible component of a music program. Will the community support a show band, a competition band, one show, multiple shows, etc.? The potential data to be gleaned from simply observing and listening is a treasure trove of information to assist you with garnering support for your program.

3. Become a Fixture in the Community (Hicks, 2010). If your ensembles are asked to perform for an event, consider saying yes to any event that is going to be a positive experience for your group, even if it means you may not get to go home at 3:30. (Who does that anyway?) Developing good will in the community by supporting community events and meetings will pay dividends in the future. Determine which events have the greatest impact on the community, and find ways to become involved. If there happens to be a county fair, that is an excellent place to begin. Becoming a fixture in the community doesn't apply to just your ensemble, either. For instance, if you're asked to attend the local soup dinner fund-raiser, go! Not only are you likely supporting a good cause, but your presence will further develop good will-and the home-cooked food is almost guaranteed to be delicious. You are your program's biggest and most vocal supporter as well as the face of the program.

4. Know Everybody. Not literally, but it certainly helps. Figure out who are the best contacts for the local community organizations. Maybe you have a football field question for the Quarterback Club, or you want to take a group to perform in the historic turn-of-the-century opera house downtown. Know your administration, including board members, the superintendent and the treasurer. Attend board meetings, and find ways to make yourself known to the members (positively, of course), because face and name recognition will help when agenda items show up in a meeting concerning your program. Don't forget about the rest of the district staff including, but not limited to, custodians (make them your new best friends), office staff and bus drivers. Definitely do not forget to seek out other musicians in the community. More often than not, they would love to be engaged with your program or share performances and offer a unique local style of music in addition to your offerings. I was fortunate to have a retired elementary general music teacher in town who was always willing to share instructional ideas, and later she was successful in her campaign to become a member of the board of education.

5. Embrace the Concept of "Good Show." We are all musicians and performers used to being on stage in front of an audience. In that setting, we have studied how to carry ourselves, present ourselves and beautifully execute our musical selections. Don't let this mindset simply languish in the concert hall; put on a good show anytime you are in public. This concept covers everything from quality of performance to dress code, professionalism and the way you and your students carry yourselves. I was particularly struck by this concept after my boosters raised some funds over a two-year period to purchase a nice set of concert wear for my small band. The impact of a well-dressed group was immediately notable for two reasons. First, my students, having initially balked at the idea, all exuded a greater degree of confidence and carried themselves in a very professional manner. By the end of the first concert, I think they began to enjoy dressing up for such a special occasion. Second, the response from the community was outstanding. Our first performance in our new uniforms was a community performance as part of a holiday walking tour through downtown. The following day I received numerous phone calls, letters and emails about how good the band sounded and how professional the students looked. These first impressions matter and greatly affect the frequency and magnitude of support you receive. It should be one of your primary goals to minimize if not eliminate any negative perceptions while increasing both the frequency and magnitude of positive reactions.

As mentioned earlier, having the opportunity to teach in a rural school may be more rewarding and gratifying than in a larger, suburban district. Yes, there are some challenges unique to these small schools, but the personal nature of interaction both with your students over many years and the surrounding community makes the memories much more salient and special to you. At the end of the day, it is not about winning a trophy or playing a level six piece with full instrumentation, but rather it's about providing musical opportunities for all students while engaging and informing the surrounding community to develop a culture of music lovers. References