Christmas Concert For My Students, tips for it to run smoothly? Options

[Suepea]

I do something similar to you, Beagle, but I put out the programmes on the pews, using the front rows to discourage people dispersing themselves all over the church, but reserving the two foremost rows for my pupils. The donations so far have covered the cost of hiring the church, plus surplus for charity. I issue tickets, which I number by hand so that I know roughly how many to expect. I do these on Word, using the columns feature, and fit nine into an A4 sheet of card - sample below.

A New Year Concert

by Suepea's Music Students
will be held on

Sunday 17 January 2009 at 2 pm at
St M’s Church, Church Road, Musicford

Entry free, but retiring collection for church funds and the Shooting Star Hospice.

I do this in a fancy script and centred, but I can't show this here as it will neither space nor alter the font.

Does your church charge by the hour? I'm lucky that mine is a flat rate for the afternoon. I usually split the donations down the middle and last year they received £30.00 each. Is there anywhere else that you could hold it? I know this can be a problem as you do need a decent piano - in fact, I'm thinking of changing my venue for that reason (and because it's never warm enough for the performers, eventhough the heating is on).

[Martin Clarke]

At the last student concert I organised, I had one young pupil who was very nervous, but the promise of home-made cakes and biscuits after the concert did the trick!

[twinkle]

At the last student concert I organised, I had one young pupil who was very nervous, but the promise of home-made cakes and biscuits after the concert did the trick!

Yes. I'm thinking I might bribe my adult students with mulled wine haha

Thanks so much to everyone for their comments. I think I might write a little letter to the students, asking about who's provisionally interested and available, and then I can work out what to charge. I like the idea about putting the surplus towards a charity: I didn't want to feel like a con for taking money off them!

[dcmbarton]

This might be some use to you http://www.davidbarton.org.uk/performance.php - I have found student concerts to be rewarding and a real inspiration and would encourage anyone who hasn't tried them to do so. They do take a while to get going - the first is always the hardest - my experience is that they just grow and grow after that.