Grow Your Program
How to tailor fit your arts classes to your community: 6 fun ideas
Making your courses stand out is a challenge for any education program but unusual and fun classes can help. The trick is to choose classes that appeal to people in your community and fit their unique interests.
Classes chosen with care can show students you understand and value them. They make your course catalog more robust and set you apart from others offering classes in similar subject areas. Plus, they create great entry points for new students to get acquainted with your program and its offerings.
How to tailor classes to fit your community
Even if you offer classes online, the majority of your students are likely to come from your local community. That means it’s worth figuring out what people in your community value, and what they might like to know more about. These six strategies can help.
1. Root classes in place
Classes tied to your city, town, region or state can add unique flair to your course catalog. Consider what makes your area culturally distinct from other parts of the country. This could be art, music, dance, historically significant events, or even the homes of famous people.
The Reeves Downtown School of Music in Elkin, North Carolina offers a class in Appalachian Folksongs and the Stories Behind Them. This course is perfectly suited to Elkin’s place near the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Yadkin River. Courses like these celebrate what is unique and beautiful about your community.
2. Consider broader cultural trends
Pay attention to what’s trending on social media and in your community. Cultural trends influence how your students think, interact and spend their time. So your program may benefit from riding that wave.
Might your students like a class in finding your style with inspiration from Taylor Swift? Maybe they’d rather figure out how AI could impact their lives. Or maybe they’re part of the growing sober-curious movement and would appreciate a Mocktails Class like the one offered by Allerton Folk School.
3. Explore local industry needs
Look around at the industries that are growing in your community. Alternative energy, medicine, and computer-related jobs are all on the rise nationally. But what’s going on in your region?
Think about how you can help train professionals of the future. These classes may be directly rooted in the industry, or designed to build more general professional skills like business communication, leadership, or emotional intelligence for the workplace.
4. Think seasonally
Tie courses to seasonal changes, whatever those look like in your area. For example, Augusta Adult Ed in Maine offers Introduction to Nordic Skating and Ice Safetyto help people prepare to safely enjoy the Maine outdoors in the winter.
Think about the weather, food, and foliage as you brainstorm ways to create seasonally inspired classes rooted in your region. In other words, what do people feel, eat and see as the seasons change in your region. Each of those presents multiple opportunities for classes.
5. Set the stage for a long-term relationship
Classes for kids can be the start of a lifelong learning relationship. MoCA Westport, they offer a range of summer workshops that might not sound like your traditional art museum camp experience. Customizing Sneakers taps into something kids like to foster a love of art. Ditto with their Storytelling through Graphic Novels, Comic Books and Manga Class. Classes like these help kids discover a life-long love of art.
You might also attract a small group of very enthusiastic adult students by offering something unique and specific like a Bob Dylan Poetry appreciation class. But ideally, you have even more to offer.
Think about how these offerings fit into your course catalog to keep students coming back. For example, might these students be interested in a more general poetry writing or music appreciation class? How about a songwriting workshop?
6. Ask your students!
The absolute best way to tailor fit classes to fit your students is to ask students directly. What are they interested in? What do they want to know more about? How can your program help them? Here’s how to collect and use student feedback to build better programs.
More programs with fun classes to inspire you
Of course, selecting courses that are rooted in place, consider cultural trends, and shift with the seasons is easier said than done. Here are three programs that are doing it well.
- Art Camp 504 in New Orleans has tons of cool classes, like Mardi Gras headpiece workshops. Their 2024/2025 season has the theme: Journey into Space, including holiday camps for kids with titles like Alien Horse Races and Build the Spaceship. highlight the sense of place/local community aspect of their classes
- In addition to Appalachian Folksongs and the Stories Behind Them, Reeves Downtown School of Music offers music classes for people of all ages and experience levels. From Elkin JAM (Junior Appalacian Musicians) to Song Structure Deep Dive, they encourage musicians of all ages while maintaining strong roots in the community.
- The Farms: An Allerton Folk School is built on the idea that members of the community have valuable knowledge to share. They offer everything from Fall Migration Bird Hikes to Beginning Mountain Dulcimer to Chicken Freezer Meals 101.
What all of these programs have in common is a commitment to offering classes that uplift their community and engage local people. You can take the same approach with your classes. For more on creating classes that drive registrations, check out How Cultural Trends Can Help You Create Popular Classes.
Natasha Wahid
Natasha is a seasoned marketing leader with a curious mind and a passion for storytelling and community. A mission-driven person, Natasha has spent the majority of her career in industries that impact people, including HR and education technology. A firm believer in lifelong learning, Natasha is currently sharpening her roller skating skills and dusting off her Italian.