February is now upon us, and march is right around the corner, when we along with many other school show performers and school assembly companies begin scheduling for the coming year. This is the very best time of year to begin gathering school assembly ideas for next year! Why? Simple. The best dates and programs fill in quickly.
Every year in the Fall we receive calls from well meaning schools looking for specific programs on specific dates. Sometimes we can help them but often we cannot. Why? because the dates have already been taken by savvy schools that called us in March! If you are in the market for ideas for elementary school shows or middle school assemblies, you should be aware that arranging a visit from a performers or school show presenter is not like ordering a pizza. Performers of elementary school shows have a limited number of dates in the year when they may visit a school, even if they are resident in your area.
However, the best school show performers are often on tour most of the year and visit schools in multiple states. So the available dates in your city, town or neighborhood may also be further limited by when the tour is in your state. As dates fill in it further limits what is possible because school show performers rarely want to finish a show in, say, Chicago, and then have to perform the next day in Saint Louis. We school show presenters may be magnificent to watch, but we are human after all!
So, the earlier you contact your school show provider the better the chances that we can get a date for you at a time when you want it. Or at all! Don’t forget that many school shows are in such demand that they simply sell out. Stronger Than a Bully, for example, is virtually sold out this year in most areas (some isolated dates still remain in one or two areas) and has a long waiting list for next year already.
So gather your elementary school assembly ideas soon so you are ready to make plans as soon as dates are open in March. Oh, and if you fear that your funding will not be available at that time, fear not! Most good companies will allow you to schedule now to hold your date, and cancel later if funding falls through. I know we do at Mobile Ed so I assume all reputable companies do.
In the meantime, here is a video shot at one of the Indiana schools we visit quite often. Washington Elementary in Warsaw, Indiana recently hosted our newest science assembly - The Invisible Wonder:Air! - and the principal, Mr. Tom Ray, put this together and was kind enough to allow us to share it with you. Thanks, Tom! Enjoy!