Redirect Recital Madness w/ “3 Before Me”
When’s the recital? How do I order tickets? What shoes do they wear? How should we fix their hair?
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t it?? If you’re finding yourself flooded with questions that I am sure have already been answered in the recital packet and in multiple emails (that’s a blog for another day), perhaps it’s time to implement the “3 Before Me” rule.
The “3 Before Me” rule is a studio-wide system to make sure everyone is getting their questions answered without your staff being bombarded and overwhelmed. As you are creating your studio culture around recital prep, teach your students and dance families who they can go to for help or if they have questions.
When it comes to your dance parents, this system will only be successful if your recital information has been thoughtfully crafted, is well-organized, and easily accessible for your families to find what they need, when they need it. If parents have questions after the information has been communicated, teach them they can:
- ask their dancer, because they probably know
- ask a fellow dance parent
- ask the office staff during office hours
When it comes to your dancers, teachers can go over this rule during class. If they miss a class and don't know their choreography, teach them to ask 3 dancemates before going to the teacher for help. If they are in class with a school friend, they can catch up during recess. If they have a dance friend over to their house, they can catch up during the next get together, or they can catch up in the studio lobby before class begins.
Be sure to share how they can get help during rehearsals and performances too. If they need help securing a costume strap or a hairpiece, teach them they can:
- go to a fellow dancemate
- go to their dance buddy (if you have a buddy system in place)
- ask a backstage volunteer, all before going to their teacher or the studio owner.
“3 Before Me” teaches your dancers and families that this is a team effort and there are people all around able and happy to help. Now, this won’t magically happen overnight. You have to communicate this rule clearly and often, but the more you share about it, the more it will become part of your recital prep culture. Keep at it!
