What Music School Owners Can Learn From The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl isn’t just a football game—it’s a cultural phenomenon. Millions of people, many of whom aren’t even football fans, tune in every year to experience the spectacle. What the NFL has mastered is the art of creating rituals, traditions, and unforgettable touchpoints that turn a single game into a shared national experience.
Now, think about your music school recitals. They may not have the scale of the Super Bowl, but they share one crucial element—they’re an event. People gather, they anticipate, and they experience something together. By borrowing strategies from the Super Bowl, you can elevate your recitals beyond just a series of student performances into a true community experience.
The Power of Rituals and Traditions
The Super Bowl isn’t just about the game. It’s about the pre-game hype, the national anthem, the halftime show, the commercials, the post-game analysis, and even the infamous Puppy Bowl. Each of these elements adds to the experience, giving people multiple ways to engage. The key takeaway? The NFL didn’t just rely on the game itself—they added layers of excitement and ritual that made it a must-watch event for everyone.
Your music school can do the same by embedding rituals and traditions into your recitals. This helps foster a sense of community, strengthens retention, and makes families excited about participating year after year.
Creating Meaningful Touchpoints
A touchpoint is any moment when someone interacts with your music school and forms an opinion about it. The Super Bowl excels at maximizing these moments, from the first teaser commercials to the last post-game interviews. Every touchpoint is designed to enhance engagement.
Now, let’s apply this thinking to your recitals:
- Before the Recital: Instead of just sending an email with recital details, create a fun, engaging promo video featuring clips of students preparing for the big event. Make it lighthearted and celebratory—something parents will want to share on social media.
- Arrival Experience: As families walk in, create an experience. Instead of simply handing out programs, consider adding a themed welcome station, a student-led greeting team, or even a fun entrance element like a bubble machine or music-themed decorations.
- Program Design: Upgrade from a simple printed list to a beautifully designed keepsake program. Maybe even add a ‘golden ticket’ element where one lucky attendee wins a small prize.
- Engagement Between Performances: Recitals can feel long when parents are waiting for their child’s turn. What if you gamified the experience? Consider adding music-related trivia, audience raffles, or video montages celebrating the students’ journey.
- Performance Enhancements: A little production value can go a long way. Adding simple stage lighting, a slideshow of student memories in the background, or even a fog machine for fun moments can elevate the energy in the room.
- Post-Recital Touchpoints: The experience shouldn’t end when families walk out the door. Send a follow-up email the next day with a short, heartfelt message highlighting their child’s achievement. Encourage them to share feedback or leave a review. You could also create a short video montage of recital highlights set to uplifting music—something parents will want to share with friends and family.
Turning Negatives Into Positives
One of the NFL’s most brilliant marketing moves was transforming something people dislike—commercials—into one of the most anticipated aspects of the Super Bowl. Can you do the same for elements of your music school that students or parents struggle with?
Take practice, for example. Many students see practice as a chore. What if you turned it into a school-wide challenge, a leaderboard system, or a fun reward-based program that shifts the perception? Just like the Super Bowl took a disruptive moment (commercials) and made it a highlight, you can reframe aspects of your school to make them more engaging.
Bringing It All Together
The key lesson from the Super Bowl is that people don’t just engage with events—they engage with experiences. Your music school recitals, summer camps, and other events can go beyond the expected by adding meaningful touchpoints, traditions, and moments that build a true sense of community.
By thinking strategically about how to maximize engagement before, during, and after the recital, you transform it from a routine event into something that families genuinely look forward to. And when parents and students have an unforgettable experience, they become your biggest advocates, sharing their excitement with friends and helping your music school grow—without needing to spend a dime on ads.
So, what small but impactful changes can you implement at your next recital to turn it into a can’t-miss event?
