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Case study: Lone Star Chorus 2024

(Building a membership and marketing strategy for your Chorus)

Data isn’t just for Baritones!

Carin – introduce this “ted talk” put together with the participation of Lone Star Chorus leadership to bring you a case study on how to use your data!

Big shout out to April Neill, Bonnie Schuler, Rose Bitter, Julie Klemm, and Sandra Beason from Lone Star

Your Region 10 crew consisted of Carin Williamson, Sue Englebert, Beverly Evans, Alice Williams, and Tessa Huber

For the initial presentation, please put your questions in the chat and we will integrate them into to presentation, there will be a question and answer session at the end.

To set the stage: 2 meetings were held by Zoom with Lone Star, this presentation will summarize what was discussed and how they are moving forward with the discoveries made during the sessions

The initial session we discussed what the chorus was doing and what types of information the data about their area revealed….

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Initial Session = review chorus background

Membership drop in 2023
Location
New Director in April 2024
Current marketing efforts
Most recent membership drive

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Initial Session = review Chorus goals and what activities have been done

Lone Star Goals 2024-2025

Drive membership through performance

Strive for Quality performances

Activities to support goals Current �(since May 24)

Performance committee
Show w/guests
Quarterly guest nights

Implemented attendance & audition policies

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Initial Session = review data for area familiarity and discuss potential impact

Using www.city-data.com

Colleges/Universities
10 Big (1,300+) public & private high schools
Concerts series June/July
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
Other possible Venues

Tarrant County

Parker County

Dallas

Alice – we started by looking at where the Chorus members live and rehearse. We also looked at the data from city-data.com to see what membership opportunities or venues seem like they might be something the Chorus could use

Have members in Tarrant and Parker County (1 in Johnson County)
Rehearsal hall is west of downtown Fort Worth – making Lake Worth area and Weatherford area the closest via highway
Concluded quickly that a focus on Tarrant and Parker County would be best due to other choruses in the area and distance

13 Colleges/Universities in Fort Worth &1 in Weatherford
10 Big (1,300+) public & 10 (300+) private high schools in Fort Worth
Concerts in the City Garden series June/July
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
Public Library system
First Monday in Weatherford City open-air market

Looking at just the geography and discussing commute times, the corridor between Fort Worth and Weatherford became a possible focus – this commute is “not too far” and Weatherford is a growing community since CoVid

Some other things we learned in this data set included

Regular Concerts In The Garden City: Fort Worth, TX hosted by the Fort Worth Symphony from June with nightly concerts! The symphony plays at the beginning and end of the series, with musical groups varying from country to jazz to pop music. The Chorus was in this a long time ago – reconnect?
National Cowgirl Museum And Hall Of Fame City: Fort Worth, TX Category: Is a venue that is, impressive and family friendly. The Chorus did some things here in the past – a stronger relationship might be a good idea.
Fort Worth Public Library City system – is extensive – connecting with them for a free concert series might bring in local connections.:
First Monday In Weatherford City: Weatherford, TX Category: There is a Trade Days is an old, friendly open-air market held on the weekend prior to the first Monday of each month. More than 500 vendor spaces are occupied by dealers in gifts, crafts, antiques, junk, and food. Farmers, ranchers, and merchants from the area gather on the square with items to sell. More than 6,000 visitors come to town each month for the fun and trading. This is a “big deal” for the area and Lone Star has not been there.�

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Initial Session = review data for area familiarity and discuss potential impact

Using www.fema.gov RAPT data	Tarrant County	Parker County
# of Households	739,804	50,815
% single-parent households (Ave = 21)	25.9 Above	13.1 Below
% housing owner-occupied (Ave = 62.5)	55.4 Below	74.2 Above
Median annual income (Ave = $72,712)	$73,535 Above	$88,535 Above
% women in labor force unemployed (Ave = 5.4)	5.3 Below	3.7 Below
# of social/civic orgs. per 10K (Ave = .53)	.43 Below	.21 Below
% population that do not affiliate with a religion (Ave = 49.6)	39.3 Below	55.5 Above
Size of change – net gain (Ave = 1.9)	.4 Below	3.3 Above

Alice – we then looked at the FEMA data for both counties and discussing some of the data that really stood out to the group such as

Single parent households in Tarrant county is high – means time management will be tough for these households and less able to participate in civic activities

Owner-occupied housing – Parker county is high – means stable community invested in staying

Annual income – Parker county is high – means potential sponsors and ability to participate in arts/culture programs greater

Unemployment for women - is low for both counties – means women are employed and potentially could be employed in future

Social/Civic organizations are lower for both counties – means there is opportunity for new organizations to come into the area a compete

Population that does not affiliate with a religion – means song content and MC work may need to be more general for these areas for more people to “see themselves joining your risers”

Size change – Parker County is growing well above average – means more potential for new owners/residents looking for things to do

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Initial Session = review data for area familiarity and discuss potential impact

Using www.fema.gov RAPT data Race (top 5)	Tarrant County	Parker County
White alone	44.81%	81.78%
Black or African American Alone	16.62%	1.42%
Asian Alone	5.6%	.68%
Hispanic or Latino	29.51%	13.25%
Two or more races	2.76%	2.46%

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•Travel Distance

•Time

•Finances

Initial Session = review potential barriers and key strategies that may be needed to address them impact

•Director not known/Chorus not known

•Hispanics and Black communities

Bev – we then looked at what barriers might exist to joining the Chorus and looked at some of our R10 discussion from our 2023 sessions on barriers to membership. The group brainstormed ideas to reduce these barriers as part of the discussion. We did the barrier discussion after looking at the data so we had context for where we were talking about and what potential members would possibly have struggles with...we also reviewed any findings from potential members that did not join (informal survey/questions)

For example:

What potential barriers would there be to reaching out to Tarrant County and Parker County?

Like everything in Texas, Distance is an issue – the corridor between Weatherford and Lone Star’s rehearsal hall seems like it lends itself to car pools – and the data showed us that 97.5 % of households in Parker County have cars! So we could have a Dedicated effort to arrange for car pool pick ups

Single parenthood is high in Tarrant county and driving from Parker County will take time – being flexible with rehearsal attendance – maybe including small group work in some areas or online rehearsal options would help with this

While both Counties have above average income, there are still significant cost to first-year members – AND the other choral communities new members could join are either free or of nominal cost (church groups/symphony choir) - having an alternative way to finance the first year in chorus vs. large lump sum due initially could really help with this barrier

A new director is NEWS! Getting the word out about the director is really needed and in Parker County, making the chorus part of the announcement might reach further – a dedicated marketing efforts to profiling new director and getting interviews on “morning shows” or publications

Take this marketing effort further into publications and channels that Hispanic and Black communities read/listen

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Brain Storm Session = after data review and discussion, focus on new ideas (things you’ve never tried before…)

Have quartet sing in Weatherford
Have events or guest nights marketed to young adults
Perform at local restaurants or places

Performance

Leverage College student attendance requirement
Host Karaoke nights!
Collaborate with men's BHS chorus
Partner with other music groups
Develop a volunteer group
Connect with Texas Girls' Choir & alums
Host workshops or visit schools using YWIH program

Community Outreach

Raise awareness within the chorus regarding DEI matters.
Consider financial opportunities to assist with cost of membership.

Members

Get news media interviews & coverage to introduce Director & group
Market in Spanish & make website/FB site bilingual

Marketing

Sue – we left the initial session with “homework”

to think of some “big ideas” that could address

expanding efforts in both Counties and some of

the barriers we discussed….everyone pitched into

to brain storm some new ideas….they included:

Have Vocal Velvet quartet canvas the Weatherford

area for singing valentines. Caryn (bass) lives there, and it is in Parker County, which we want to focus on.

Kerri Mauney put a post on Facebook about what is involved in being a Music Education Major in college. I got a couple of things from that post that I thought was promising for potential membership and marketing to the college age. The post mentioned a Performance Attendance requirement. I thought it might be good to contact the Music programs at the collages in the Tarrant County area to see if Lone Star could be listed as one of the performances that satisfy one of their attendance requirements. My daughter attended Weatherford College and was involved in the theater program there so it could also benefit the Parker County area. It was also mentioned that they had to be in an ensemble.
Have guest nights/events that are marketed to teens/young adults. We can focus on bringing in some of Bri's (director) high school students and others (April's daughters). We plant seeds in the young singers and possibly bring in their parents/grandparents/friends/etc.
A few of our new members have come because they participate in Karaoke around the metroplex and was invited by one of our members. I feel that this might be a good way to leverage those who we already know like to sing and might be interested in expanding their love of singing. We might could coordinate a time for some of our members to go together and also use it as a bonding time together.
Karaoke night! We can host, or we can crash one that already exists. It's fun team-building for the chorus, exposes us to other singers, and we can advertise at the event.
Leverage Medicare program that gives $ for being in an active choir – initial $50 and monthly $20
Make connections with Texas Girls' Choir to contact their alums for immediate members.
Learn more about Young Women in Harmony, either to encourage area vocal directors to in corporate a segment on barbershop with the reminder to students that they can continue to sing throughout their lives or to host workshops on Young Women in Harmony, or a quartet could present to school groups and introduce barbershop to choral groups)
Consider tunes that include community and positive relationships while avoiding unpleasant reminders of racial/ethnic history or use of gendered language or religious themes.
Host discussions within the chorus to present examples of personal observations of situations that should be raised in awareness to eliminate or adjust the way we interact with others, whether verbally, actions or "fixing" property or equipment. (How can we make our activities more accessible to Janice, for example.)
Consider financial opportunities to assist with cost of membership. Prepare a structure for dues, retreat or competition payments to fit members' budgets in a manageable way while still meeting financial obligations. Set out process for scholarships or angel fund for ease of access by members who need assistance while still meeting legalities of accountability. (Perhaps write grants for scholarships?)
Collaborate with Southwest Sound (men's BHS chorus in Fort Worth) and other local music groups of various memberships and styles to expand exposure for all groups.
Sing at Central Market in Fort Worth
Partner with local restaurants during Valentines to have some quartets sing to patrons as they dine (could be done at Christmas too). Partner with local restaurants during Valentines to have some quartets sing to patrons as they dine (could be done at Christmas too).
Develop a volunteer group to partner with events and volunteer
Get new media interviews and coverage to introduce Director and group
Market in Spanish and make website/FB site bilingual

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Brain Storm Session = refine big idea(s), align with goal(s)

and assess level of effort

•Target Parker County with specific performance events

•Expand community profile by partnerships especially youth/college

•Focus Tarrant County efforts with Karaoke activities

Does this support current Chorus Goal? If not, do we need a new Goal?	Estimate level of effort to implement	Who would do this?
Aligns with current Performance Goal	Medium	Performance Committee
Needs its own Goal	Medium/High	Communication& Marketing Committee
Can integrate into current Membership Initiatives w/o a Goal	Low	Membership Committee

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Strategy/Big Idea	Supporting elements needed	Marketing needs
Target Parker County with specific performance events	Research on Area opportunities ID/Build local business partners for venues Have quartet/small ensemble willing and available	Business cards/flyers Develop talking points for groups Find/advertise in local publications & stations
Expand community profile by partnerships especially youth/college	Research /ID Points of Contacts for potential partners Build relationships with meetings Share performances with others Expand understanding of area groups	Business cards/flyers Develop talking points for meetings
Focus Tarrant County efforts with Karaoke activities	Research potential partners to co-host Develop plan/script for event that includes Chorus perf. Equipment Set up day of event	Business cards/flyers Find/advertise in local publications & stations Facebook/Ads

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Quality

Strive for Quality Performances

Supporting element to all strategies: prepare small groups/quartets, and Chorus for performances

Members

Drive membership through Performance

Target Parker County with Performances

Have 6 to 8 performances in locations where potential members would be within the next 24 months.

Performance Committee

Members

Drive membership through Performance

Focus Tarrant County efforts with Karaoke activities

Integrate Quarterly guest night w/sponsored Karaoke fun night at least 4 times within next 24 months.

Membership Committee

Partners

(New) Build community through Partnerships.

Expand community profile by partnerships

Invite at least 2 new groups to perform with the Chorus at all performances in the next 24 months.

Communication & Marketing Committee

Team Session = make an objective for each strategy, present to team, integrate into Chorus goals (if needed) & assign a committee to implement

April – Now its up to the team! We developed one new goal for our Chorus and added an initiative to our membership goal. We aligned and assigned them to Committees that exist and then made specific goals for the next 2 years that we believe we can achieve.

This helps the team and Chorus understand how and why you are doing what you are doing with expectations that are clear.

You can see we didn’t change the Quality goal but identified that it was a critical supporting element of the entire membership/community effort!

Goal – Strategy – Objective – Group to implement

Target Parker County with specific performance events – this 2 year initiative will be headed by the performance committee and use quartets/smaller groups as its main focus.

Focus Tarrant County efforts with Karaoke activities (open to the public, has Chorus performance in it, can be partnered with another group such as BHS so men and women can all have opportunity to join groups, can be partnered or advertised at colleges and schools for youth participation)

Expand community profile by partnerships especially youth/college – this initiative is to ensure the Chorus connects and invites other community choral/performance groups to join with Lone Star to build a strong vocal community.

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Tessa & Bev – We want to talk a bit more on those

enabling or supporting initiatives – marketing is key

to everything mentioned….

Why Canva is Important for Marketing:

Visual Appeal: Canva allows you to create visually appealing, professional-quality materials without needing advanced design skills. This is critical for chorus marketing efforts, such as promoting events, concerts, and membership drives.

Consistency in Branding: Canva helps maintain consistent branding across platforms, whether it’s social media, flyers, or presentations. Ensuring all marketing materials have a unified look reinforces your chorus's identity.

Ease of Use: It’s user-friendly, making it easy for multiple team members or committees to contribute to the design process. This enables flexibility and creativity in developing promotional materials.

How Canva Supports Chorus Goals:

Membership Drives: Use Canva to create eye-catching digital posters and social media content for recruitment. Tailored designs can target different groups, such as young adults or specific communities like Parker and Tarrant County residents.

Event Promotion: Canva is ideal for creating flyers, event banners, and programs for performances or guest nights. Customizable templates mean you can quickly design materials for recurring events like quarterly guest nights or special performances.

Partnerships and Collaborations: Canva can be used to design brochures or informational handouts when collaborating with local organizations or schools, such as vocal groups or community events.

Enabling Initiatives Using Canva:

Talking Points Design: Canva can help structure talking points in a visually engaging way, making it easy for chorus members to present information about the chorus to different audiences.

Tailored Marketing: Different areas (Parker County, Tarrant County) may require unique messaging. Canva enables the customization of materials to align with local preferences while incorporating cultural sensitivity, such as bilingual flyers for outreach to Hispanic communities.

Carpool Coordination and Outreach: Use Canva to create easily digestible guides or flyers on carpooling opportunities for members, encouraging participation in rehearsals despite geographical barriers.

Long-Term Value of Canva for the Chorus:

Sustainability: Canva templates can be reused and adapted for future campaigns, reducing workload while maintaining the quality of your outreach efforts.

Empowerment: It enables different chorus committees (performance, membership, etc.) to take ownership of their marketing tasks, fostering creativity and autonomy in reaching their goals.

More on Talking Point Content –you will need to be tailored to who is giving them and what the intent is….for example, the general chorus members need some talking points about the chorus, its initiatives, and why they love to sing with the Chorus, the talking points for the outreach efforts to Parker County need to be tailored to the area, its interests and ensure things like car pool opportunities are included….develop a LOT of talking points – remember other cultures and be sensitive to your audience

What about the other ideas we did in the brain storming session? – Ensure the team and committees see them and discuss them as part of their future strategies – come back in a few months and revisit them – are they still something to consider? If so, the team should discuss them and possible assign a member to do more work on a proposal.

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