"To get the parents to know one another in order to recognize each another at football games & competitions we host a parents-only dinner. It's gotten too big for my house therefore one of the parents "hosts". I bring several lasagna's, alfredo shells, tiramisu & cheesecake... Part way through the evening the guard captains show up to thank parents for their support (we hand out something for them to wave or shake in the stands and each guard member writes a thank you note to their parents)...We have time for questions & answers with the coach (and band director) and the rest of the evening is spent talking about "the kids"."

Parent Power! 

First, if you've ever worked with a great, cohesive, supportive group of parent volunteers you know that when you have a strong support network everything gets easier.  Yes, you have to do some volunteer management.  But that's overshadowed by the amount of stress and work the parent crew can take off your plate. Some of the biggest leaps forward in my program over the years came when I had a great group of parents who enjoyed each other's company and understood they were part of the team.  

I've had parent volunteers take ideas for props, uniforms or flags and fly with them - making my designs come to life within our limited budget and at a higher quality than I could have purchased or done myself for the same cost.  My volunteer crew hosted competitions and fundraisers, counseled me through challenging decisions while on trips, supported my wacky ideas like, "Okay. This year we're not only fundraising for our team but also Race for the Cure!"  The guard parents even saved the season the year I was "expecting" and so very, very sick.  Those parents took care of me and the kids making sure everything was going to be alright.

I think if you let your guard parents know their ideas are valuable and appreciated while structuring a climate where they enjoy participating as much as their kids do, your program will benefit leaps and bounds.

Introductions and Approachability

An Example of Gratitude

Having the students write their parents thank you notes is the icing on the cake for me with Heidi's idea.  It's something I always do at the end of each season with my own teams.  It's so easy for kids to forget how much their parents sacrifice so they can do this activity.  In addition, giving them the gift to wave in the stands invites parents to come be a part of each performance cheering on the team, connecting them to the kids on the floor.
 
Heidi, what a great idea!  Thank you for sharing with all of us!  This idea got me especially excited because my parent volunteers were always so integral to the success of my programs. 

If you have a great "FUN" idea for our new Friday column send them our way !  We'd love to hear how you make things fun for your performers and in sharing you can help make things fun for hundreds more students around the world!  Imagine that!

Happy Friday and have a great weekend of rehearsals, competitions, (or...like me... being snowed in here in the mid-atlantic region!).

Catina is the founder/editor of the CGE blog and has been participating in the color guard activity for more than 20 years, first as a performer and since the fall of 1994 as a coach and choreographer for high school color guards in Maryland and Northern Virginia.  She taught high school biology and chemistry prior to leaving full-time teaching to start a family and is now working on starting a photography career.  She holds a Masters Degree in Education and serves as the education specialist for the Atlantic Indoor Association.  She writes a color guard technique column for Halftime Magazine and has written several feature articles for Halftime as well.  She is passionate about the mission of promoting positive coaching techniques and providing educational support for instructors in an effort to contribute to the growth of the overall colorguard activity.  \n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .