Great school assemblies don’t just happen. It can take a little doing to select the perfect program to make a great fit for your school. And finding a great school assembly for a Middle School can be especially tough!

Finding great middle school assemblies is a challenge because there are so many school shows available which, while great for elementary schools, are just too childish for the kids at an average middle school. Let’s face it... kids in grades 6-8 are not the same as kids in grades k-5. 

Duh! That was profound, wasn’t it? 

But you would be amazed how many performers expect to be able to bring the exact same show to an audience of 8th graders as they did for a group of 3rd graders, and to get the same successful result. Naturally they fail, and then usually end up blaming the audience. I have heard so many school show performers complain over the years about how they hate doing middle school assemblies. “Rubbish!” is what I say to them. Rubbish!

I have done performances for middle school students for years, and I love working with them. They are just very different from younger kids and demand to be treated differently and with a respect that says to them that you understand that they are not quite children anymore.

Middle school students are no longer the ever happy little kids that they once were. Hormones have kicked in and their bodies are changing and they are filled with insecurities as they try to navigate the tricky waters between childhood and the teenage years. Cynicism and sarcasm become natural defense mechanisms to fight against the insecurity they face. As a result, a herd mentality takes effect with no one student wishing to stand out for fear of becoming the target of the scorn and derision of the rest.

For performers, this usually means it is really tough to provoke a response, either in laughter or, even worse, in trying to provoke participation.

Still, in this case, silence does not necessarily mean disapproval. Many times I have delivered a performance in my role as Abraham Lincoln impersonator, and been met with stony silence throughout the show, only to be mobbed by clearly delighted students after the performance, all expressing appreciation and full of further questions. They just don’t show their enjoyment during the show the same way younger children do.

So in order to gain good results from an audience at a middle school assembly, a performer needs two things. They need material which is appropriate for the age, and (and this is almost more important!) they also need an attitude that shows respect for the audience as young people rather than children. Not so tough really, but it is amazing how often these ingredients are missing from assemblies that bill themselves as appropriate for middle schools.

At Mobile Ed we work diligently to ensure that when we label a school show as a good candidate for a middle school assembly that it truly is a good candidate for a middle school assembly. And, though we do offer some programs that are not good middle school assemblies, we always offer that information in advance and attempt to discourage schools from scheduling a show that will not be appropriate. We do not want that anymore than you do!

Good examples of middle school assembly friendly shows include Chemistry! It Really Matters, Ben Franklin, Animals and the Environment, Sky Dome Planetarium and, of course, The Living Lincoln, to name but a few!

Rest assured that the almost all of our programs truly are really great school assemblies for middle schools!

If you are looking for ideas for great assemblies for middle schools, give us a call! We know how to help!