Wednesday, February 16, 2011

"What's My Name"

I think I'm back on track here with my blogging... so stay tuned for lots of great stuff while I'm away on vacation!

Yes, you heard me vacation... 3 weeks before competition! Sigh. Dates didn't work out so great, but my best friend is getting married in Punta Cana and I am being forced to go! Sigh. Not only do I think it will help ease my stress before competitions start, it will also be a great time for me to catch up on my writing.

I figured it might be a good time to start a new weekly tradition here, we'll call it - the best parent email of the week! I know all studio owners have tons of great ones stored away, but I figured this one was very appropriate for this time of year!

I spend quite a bit of time re-typing competition schedules out for my students so that it is on a chart for them to clearly see. It lists their call-times (their be there in costume, hair and make-up perfect, in the rehearsal hall stretching/practising, without their parents time!) and the Awards time for that session and everything. I think that's pretty generous of me considering I could just post it on the studio bulletin board and let them all fend for themselves. But, that's beyond the point.

So I wanted to get the first competition schedule out before I left on vacation. Just another thing to cross off the to-do list. Thanks to the organization of the competition director I was able to do so for all of my parents. Sure, I could have held onto it and sent it out when I got back, but I do like to help my parents get organized too.

I emailed out the schedule as soon as I had it completed this week so that parents could book their hotels right away and plan accordingly. I also always send home hard copies at the studio, just to make sure that everyone got sufficient notice and nobody can ever say 'I didn't know!'

This year I have a very large Production that includes all 45 of my competitive students. It is the only routine they are all in together, and for some of the students it is even their only routine. It is very clearly themed and titled, but I figured I would BOLD it on the competition schedule as it pertained to everyone. It wasn't even an hour later that I got an email back from a parent, who's child is only in the Production this year. I'm almost sorry I wasted the extra ink bolding that section!



Hi Robin,

Thanks for the schedule but you didn't put performance on it. I'll get her to look at it again, but she doesn't even know what dance she's in. Can you send us her specific schedule.

Thank you.



I have since invested some time in learning how to use Photoshop on my new computer so that I can add images to the schedule and change the color settings for each child's routines. That way there won't be any confusion moving forward.

I wish I would have received that email while I was on the beach, with a margarita in hand. My response would have been so much more appropriate.

Cheers everyone!