This time of year is full of the excitement and enthusiasm that recital season and performance brings.

It feels like both an ending and a new beginning.

Year-end recitals and performances celebrate all of the hard work from the year. While summer programs or new sessions are starting the planning ahead for the next school year is upon us.

This week's tip: Always give your students and families something to look forward to and a reason to stay connected to your studio all year long.

These are a few of the ways we've had success with keeping our students connected, enrolled, talking about, and participating all year long at our dance studio:

- Special Events: Include an insert into your recital program that announces your fall registration dates or open houses, upcoming audition dates, weekend special guest teachers, or any special class or program you'll be offering that is new. Post this information around your studio all year-long.

- Reward Them: Encourage summer enrollment by running a give-away or drawing for students that register by a certain date. A great way to do this is to offer one winner a free month of tuition for your next school year. This type of prize has a high perceived value and then the winner is encourage to be a returning student in the fall. There are many variations of ideas like this, just adding some fun around it can often go a long way.

- Be flexible! Parents love the idea of a flexible and drop-in class option for the summer. What can you do to make your off-season be as family-friendly and vacation friendly as possible?

- Come Visit Us: One of the most effective enrollment programs we offer is a 4-week open house, each Thursday of the month of August. It gets people excited for the fall, they can see classes in action because our summer program is running, meet teachers, buy shoes and dance wear from our shop and share the excitement about dance class with friends.

The more reasons you can give your students and families something to look forward to and a reason to stay connected to your dance studio all year long the better!