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Planning a School Concert? Start Here!
Planning a school concert can feel like a huge undertaking, especially when you're trying to think about music, rehearsals, costumes, equipment, communication, and a hundred other details all at once!
One of the best ways to make concert planning more manageable is to start with the big decisions first. Before choosing every song or planning every detail, take some time to think through what your concert actually needs to look like.
This week, we're sharing some of our favourite tips to help you get started with concert planning and make the process a little more manageable.
Concert Planning Tips:
1. Start with a few guiding questions.
Before you choose your music, think about the big picture:
- What are your own musical strengths and abilities?
- What are the expectations of your school and community?
- What is the goal of the concert?
- Will you use a theme or season?
- What venue and performance space do you have available?
- What will your students realistically know and be able to do by concert time?
- What is your budget?
- Who will be participating: the whole school or selected grade levels?
2. Know your space and equipment
Take some time early in the planning process to think through exactly where your concert will take place and what you'll need to make it work.
Start with your venue. Will the concert take place at your school or at another location? Check the venue capacity and fire code, determine how many chairs you'll need, and find out whether a stage and risers are available or will need to be rented.
Measure your performance space! Know exactly how much room your students will have on stage. One of my favourite tricks is to mark out the dimensions of the stage in the music room so students can rehearse within the actual space they'll have on concert day.
Think through your equipment needs. Does your school or venue have a sound system that will work for your concert? Will you need microphones, speakers, monitors, or additional equipment for instruments? Consider whether you'll need lighting, and decide what you'll use for a backdrop. A backdrop doesn't have to be elaborate—it could be digital, or you could ask parents, teachers, or students to help create something.
3. Get your admin and staff on board
A school concert is a school event, not just the music teacher's big show!
Connect with your administration early to discuss expectations, staff responsibilities, concert dates, rehearsals, and what concert week will look like. Communicate important dates and schedules with staff as early as possible so everyone knows what to expect and how they can help.
4. Work backwards from concert day
Once your concert date is set, work backwards and decide when the major pieces need to be completed. Add those deadlines to your calendar so you're not trying to tackle everything at once as concert day approaches.
From booking your venue and choosing music to preparing choreography, organizing props, setting up equipment, and printing programs, breaking the process into smaller tasks can make a big production feel much more manageable.
Concert Planning Guides:
If we're stressed, this won't be a positive experience for our students!
A little organization up front can make concert season much more manageable. Use our editable Concert Planning Guides to assign responsibilities, set deadlines, and keep track of everything that needs to happen before, during, and after your concert.
Find all this plus many more resources in the Concert Planning Unit on MusicplayOnline!
NEW! Musicals and Revues for Fall 2026!
Wednesday Webinars are BACK!
Winter Performance Ideas and Choral Reading Webinar
with John Jacobson
Wednesday, October 7th, 2026 @ 4:30-5:30 MST (60 Minutes)
A recorded version will be available if you are unable to watch live.
About the Webinar:
Join John Jacobson for our webinar on winter performance ideas and choral reading! Explore the choral resources on MusicplayOnline to get your students prepared for your winter performances and celebrate the holiday season!
Musicplay Team Updates:
We wanted to take the opportunity to share some updates from the team:
Content Updates:
- Notation and lyric slides and videos added to new musical Kick It
- Echo sing videos added to Solfa Practice Level s,l,t,drmfsl
- Echo sing videos added to Solfa Practice Level s,l,t,drmfsltd’
Development Updates:
- New Drum Machine interactive
- New Staff Lesson bass resources
- Support for 2 beat rhythms in Word Rhythm Composition tool
- Added the ability to disable student codes
- Navigation now remembers the last open state.
- Notifications can now be dismissed more easily
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