In-Person Invite

In the modern social-media announcement/event world, I like to remind my students that nothing beats an in-person invitation.

I tell them that in the week before our end-of-year concert, I won’t have very many human interactions where the concert doesn’t come up. The bank, the grocery store, the dry cleaners: all will hear about my talented students and the hard work they’re doing to prepare for their concert on June 1 at 7pm – with a free ice cream social afterwards!

Put another way: there was an associate dean who made it a point to attend every student recital to which he was personally invited. He certainly couldn’t attend the 100+ recitals every year and continue doing his job; but he could prioritize the ones who prioritized him. So I tell my students: personally ask your teachers, ask your friends.

It’s not enough to share the picture on your Instagram story or post the link on Facebook. It’s a start, but it’s not enough. That’s too easy to scroll past and immediately forget.