Running Head: Module 6: Marketing Plan

Module 6: Marketing Plan for the Virtuosos

Caitlin Leffingwell
Eastern University

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Competitor Analysis
In part because this organization, the Virtuosos, is really one of the first holistic strings
programs to serve the North End of Hartford, most of its current competitors only overlap
slightly on its territory and could even function as partners if approached from a different
perspective. However, the following three organizations certainly operate in a way that could
potentially limit the Virtuosos impact if not addressed strategically.
The Hartt School Community Division: As an extension of the prestigious Hartt School
of Music in West Hartford, the Community Division offers a wide variety of high quality music,
dance, and art classes to the Greater Hartford community. It has also recently begun trying to
launch Suzuki violin programs in numerous North End schools, which makes it both our most
similar competitor and our greatest potential partner. Their pure Suzuki approach equires a
very high level of commitment from students, instructors, and parents as they invest in private
lessons, group lessons, and ensemblesa requirement that has led to varying levels of success in
these schools so far. The high cost for this program is subsidized for low-income families by
partial scholarships funded by a variety of grants and Hartt School fundraisers that pull more
effectively from the same resource pool as the Virtuosos; similarly, although it has not yet
launched a program at Milner Community School, its proven record of quality instruction attracts
parents from the same neighborhoods who can afford the time and money necessary to pursue
music education at this caliber.
The Gifted Onez: As another after-school enrichment offered by Catholic Charities at
Milner Community School, the Gifted Onez focuses on performing arts such as dance, rapping,
step, and singingall geared toward addressing relevant problems that Milner youth face. Its
founder and lead instructor grew up in the North End and has taught there for the past twenty
years with impressive success; her highly authoritative approach provides strict discipline that
attracts both parents and students, and she is extremely committed to seeing these youth succeed

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despite many odds against them. As such, her program tends to attract many Milner students who
would otherwise join the violin program, and her high-energy performances tend to limit
attention to the more subtle skills displayed by violinists during school showcases.
Artists Collective: Situated just a few streets down from Milner, the Artists Collective is
another very well-established arts organization that seeks community development by helping
North End youth learn various art forms. Although focusing more on cultural elements from the
African Diaspora, it also offers instruction in violin and various other instruments that tend to
attract families that would otherwise be interested in joining the Virtuosos. Much like our other
main competitors, the Artists Collective is well-established within the community and is known
for excellent programing, which makes both parents and funders more likely to choose it over
our similaryet newer and outsider-operatedprogram in the same neighborhood.
Target Market Analysis
As a small and relatively young organization, the Virtuosos cannot successfully pursue
the same goals and use the same resources as these competitors; even more so, such inefficient
redundancy would ultimately undermine the shared vision for community progress. As such, our
organization seeks to avoid these pitfalls from the outset by targeting a very specific market that
exhibits both great need for and previously limited access to the services that we offer. This
target market is comprised of 2nd-8th grade students at Milner Community School whose families
lack the resources otherwise needed for quality strings instruction, and it focusesby nature of
the community school modelon both boys and girls who live only in the Clay Arsenal and
Upper Albany neighborhoods in Hartfords North End. Most of these students are West Indian or
Puerto Rican, and the majority of them come from low-income families; many have learning
disabilities or do not speak English as their first language, and even more have experienced
trauma or abuse at some point in their lives. However, these struggles do not define these
students nearly as much as their resilience, talent, and intelligence. They consistently exhibit an

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impressive ability to thrive off of arts of all kinds, and their unique challenges and strengths
combine to make this specific population a perfect match for the unique holistic programming
offered by the Virtuosos.
Description of Products and Services
In its quest to serve this unique population, the Virtuosos provides Milners 2nd-8th grade
students with Suzuki-based violin instruction (both semi-private lessons and group classes)
combined with a trauma-informed and arts-integrated curriculum that builds active awareness of
both personal and community value. Approximately four performances occur throughout the
school year, and students enrolled in summer school or summer activities can continue their
musical instruction year-round with an additional performance as well. These concerts include
school showcases and service trips to places within the community, such as nursing homes,
farmers markets, and homeless shelters. Most students can only bring their instruments home in
preparation for such events, but the schools community partner, Catholic Charities, does provide
loaner violins to the organization free of charge through grants and donations.
Through this music instruction, the Virtuosos provides students not only with better violin
technique and musical appreciation but also with stronger character and more life skills as well.
Learning to play this difficult instrument develops high levels of self-control, teamwork,
communication, and respect that can ultimately help students become creative, confident, and
compassionate leaders who value themselves and those around them. Such growth also impacts
social and academic skills as well, such that violin instruction is linked to greater resilience and
higher reading, writing, and math scores. Through diligent monitoring and evaluation, this
organization seeks to offer these services and all of their related benefits as effectively and
efficiently as possible for the benefit of these students and their community as a whole.
Marketing Goals, Strategies, and Tactics
Goals

Strategies

Tactics

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After the Board of Directors and

The Student President will research general
Student President agree on how this
Facebook etiquette and strategies for
site will contribute to our vision and
nonprofit organizations, then begin
#1: Launch mission, the Student President will,
gathering necessary media components
a Social
with technical assistance from the
(pictures, videos, blurbs, etc.). He or she
Networkin Program Director, design a Facebook
will set up a weekly schedule for adding
g Site
page for the Virtuosos. He or she will
media to the page at a reasonable pace, as
then update this page every week and
well as meeting periodically with the Board
lead efforts to build this online
to assess its ongoing effectiveness.
presence on a regular basis.
Students involved in the summer
With help from the Program Director and
violin program will spend one class
approval from the Board, students will
(out of five) each week contributing
research and brainstorm relevant fundraiser
to a fundraiser intended to fund
ideas for their specific community and
#2: Raise outfits, props, instrument materials,
event. Upon reaching a consensus, they will
$500 for
and ticket scholarships for the fall
map out a detailed plan of how to
Annual
showcase. The first week will involve implement this fundraiser (ie. spreading the
Showcase brainstorming and planning, the
word, creating or ordering supplies,
second and third weeks will involve
arranging the space, managing the money,
preparation, and the fourth and fifth
etc.). They will then run it at the end of the
weeks will involve implementing the summer and contribute input on how best to
fundraiser.
use the money earned through their efforts.
During the first week of the schoolAfter brief training in proper equipment use,
year violin program, the Student
students and volunteers in the Media
President and Program Director will
Crew will receive necessary equipment (ie
appoint a group of interested students
cameras and editing software) and a
#3:
and volunteers to obtain quality
calendar of important event dates. They will
Document media from all Virtuosos events,
be responsible for documenting as many
Program
including classes, performances, and
events as possible and promptly giving all
Events
field trips. These pictures, videos,
media to the Student President for use in
etc. will be used for the group
further marketing endeavors. If funding
Facebook page and other marketing
allows, they may receive a small stipend for
endeavors, as well as for monitoring
these crucial efforts.
and evaluation.
The Five Ps: People, Place, Promotion, Product, Price
People: Because the Virtuosos is still a young and rather small organization, its current
employees and volunteers play an exceptionally important role in forming the solid foundation
and positive face that will lead to future growth. As such, we have chosen to balance the

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multifaceted roles of Program Director and Lead Instructor (currently held by one person, the
founder) with a Board of Directors comprised of community stakeholders. Moreover, we are in
the beginning stages of launching a Student President role as well, which will ensure additional
accountability to the community, improve student advocacy, and provide invaluable leadership
opportunities for students. These positions and the high quality people chosen for them make up
the background of this organization and will determine how best to help it expand over time.
Place: Although we plan to launch a social network presence in the next few months, our
current marketing location is simply the Milner Community School and its two surrounding
neighborhoods. Our services are provided exclusively at the school, and our performances are
focused very intentionally within the immediate communityincluding local nursing homes,
farmers markets, and other community spaces. This very specific location allows us to know
stakeholders as deeply as possible and therefore make our services fully relevant to them.
Promotion: In order to honor and build our commitment to this specific community, the
Virtuosos plans to promote its services as personally as possible. This strategy involves building
awareness by performing regularly within the school (in large school-wide showcases, but also
for smaller classroom events, spontaneous drive-by concerts, and staff functions), handing out
printed advertisements at school events (posters, cards, stickers, etc. with program details and
contact information), and even just speaking with parents and teachers before and after school
regarding what the violin program offers, who can participate, how to enroll, and other relevant
details. Through these personal strategies, we hope to build a positive presence within the school
community and help our services reach as many interested students as possible.
Product: As explained more elaborately in the Products and Services section, our
primary product is Suzuki-based violin instruction that intentionally utilizes trauma-informed
and arts-integrated components for maximum impact. Through semi-private lessons during the
school day and group classes after school, we help students develop not only musical technique,

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but also character strength and countless life skills as well. Such multidimensional growth also
involves improved academic performance, fewer behavioral issues, and an active awareness of
both personal and community value.
Price: Because this program specifically serves a target audience that lacks the resources
necessary to invest in music education, our pricing must remain lower than the typical cost.
However, research shows that offering programs without any cost can often undermine
commitment and responsibility. As such, we have chosen to subsidize a great deal of our costs
through methods detailed in the following Budget section, yet maintain a small participation fee
that ensures attendance, improves overall care for instruments, and provides scholarship funds
for students in times of extra need.
Marketing Budget
As seen in the following table, the budget for this annual school-day strings program is
currently fairly minimalespecially after significant in-kind contributions made by volunteers
and local program supporters. The fact that the Program Director currently does double duty as
Lead Instructor also lowers the budget significantly, but this position will need to be expanded in
the near future. While fundraisers and grants will provide the majority of this program budget,
fees-for-service will account for approximately $2000 annually ($30/trimester/student), which
will be used entirely for scholarships, instrument repairs, and replacement materials.

Budget Annual School-Day Program

Category

Staf

Events
(3/year)

Details

Cost (TBD)

1 Program Director:
20 hours/week, 45 weeks
1 Lead Instructor:
20 hours/week, 45 weeks
3 Assistants: 10 hours/week,
40 weeks
3 Members of the Board of
Directors:
5 hours/week, 45 weeks
Tickets

$22,500
($25/hr)
$22,500
($25/hr)
$18,000
($15/hr)
$16,875
($25/hr)
$600
($200/event)

Source

Total
(TBD)

Grants
Grants
Volunteers

$79,875
($45,000)

Volunteers
In-kind donations

$1200
($300)

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Travel
Meals
Replacement materials
Repairs
Supplies

Scholarshi
ps

7
$300
($100/event)
$300
($100/event)
$200
$200

Additional violins

$300 (2
violins/yr)

Covering Program Fees for

Continuing Students in Need

$300 (fees for

about 10
students)

In-kind donations
Fundraisers
Fees for service
Fees for service
In-kind
donations;
Grants

$700
($400)

Fees for service

$300
($300)

ANNUAL TOTAL

$46,000

Six-Month Marketing Timeline

The following timeline reflects our marketing plans leading up to our first fall showcase
in the upcoming academic year. Many activities, such as collecting media for evaluation and
further marketing, will be ongoing or cyclical in preparation for each performancealways
expanding in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.
Month

1 (May)
2 (June)
3 (July)
4 (Aug)
5 (Sept)
6 (Oct)

Activity
Launch primary social marketing website using existing media (videos, pictures,
feedback blurbs, etc).
Design and begin a streamlined process of collecting media on an ongoing basis.
Brainstorm and reach out to potential partners (donors, grantors, stakeholders, etc.).
Design and distribute initial marketing materials to the school community
(brochures, business cards, signs, event flyers, etc.).
Launch fundraiser campaign with summer students for fall showcase
Recruit new students by promoting program with class visits, publications, small
performances, and communication with parents.
Promote fall showcase by distributing flyers, invitations, posters, sneak peek
clips, etc.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The main objectives of the Virtuosos program will be evaluated and monitored through a
combination of recordings, interviews, surveys, academic scores, and written assessments. Our
goal of helping students develop musical skill will be monitored through written tests and
recorded performances at the beginning and end of each trimester (including the summer term).

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We will monitor program engagement through general attendance and evaluate overall program
satisfaction through focus groups and surveys administered at the end of each school year.
Similarly, we will evaluate character growth and life skills gained by our students at the end of
each year primarily through anecdotal evidence from teachers, classmates, and family members,
while academic performance will be monitored through academic scores in correlation with
program attendance. Constant documentation will allow us to evaluate our overall effectiveness
and efficiency over time, which will ultimately help us improve the program for the sake of
better serving our students and their families.

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References
Ahn, R. (2013) The productive artist's business plan: How to create the business and life you
want as a creative entrepreneur. Kindle Edition.
The Five Ps of Marketing (2014). Business and industry portal. Queensland Government.
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/running/marketing/marketing-basics/five-psmarketing