Band secretaries - what tools/programs do you use?
- Thread starter Jen125
- Start date
4th Cornet
Well-Known Member
My band has a concert secretary and a contest secretary. Much easier with two people rather than one.
Mesmerist
Well-Known Member
I bl**dy hate muzudo. I'll always be there, at rehearsal or concert unless I really can't. We are bombarded by it and usually repetitively over the same event or for jobs so far ahead it is impossible to know for certain but if you put YES and then have to change you get a right nagging session. It has annoyed me so much I've now started ignoring it and shall probably put it as junk mail. So there.
David Evans
Active Member
Horses for courses, we like Muzodo and find the considerable benefits outweigh any disadvantages. So there we are.
4th Cornet
Well-Known Member
I've just read that Muzodo pricing is changing. After a free 30 day trial, it will be £5 per month per every 10 members. I wonder if this will change its popularity.
I like Muzodo too but can quite see why someone wouldn't. Should the facility ever be used to exert undue pressure on me or restrict my flexibility to respond to changes in personal circumstances then I'd dislike it too - I appreciate that running a band is tough at times but a bit of flexibility can be a good thing.
If the system cost roughly £5 per player per year then I'd wonder whether something more cost effective could be used instead.
Mesmerist
Well-Known Member
So roughly £15 a month. £180 a year just to know who can or cannot attend a rehearsal or event. Personally I don't see that as money well spent.
MoominDave
Well-Known Member
As the band fixer, I do see it as money well spent. Can't recall if you've ever been on the committee side, or lumbered with the dep-booking job, Wendy? A collaborative online tool takes so much of the pain out of it, Muzodo does the job pretty well, and Chris, the guy who runs it, is rapidly responsive to bug reports and feature requests. Some will not fill it out, maybe even reacting with strange emotion to it. Experience suggests that only a few in a band will do so, and these are often people who commit fully, who can be relied on to be present even if they haven't said that they will be.
The solution we used before adopting Muzodo was to have a Google spreadsheet that could be accessed and modified by anyone - set it up with dates along the top and names down the side, then have people type Y or N in the relevant box. Very easy, but there were some editing issues on phones, and Muzodo offers numerous other useful bits of functionality over it. But if one balks at the cost (small to an organisation - how much does your MD get paid? £180 wouldn't cover a 3-date week for us), this is a free option, albeit one that requires a little more setting up.
The solution we used before adopting Muzodo was to have a Google spreadsheet that could be accessed and modified by anyone - set it up with dates along the top and names down the side, then have people type Y or N in the relevant box. Very easy, but there were some editing issues on phones, and Muzodo offers numerous other useful bits of functionality over it. But if one balks at the cost (small to an organisation - how much does your MD get paid? £180 wouldn't cover a 3-date week for us), this is a free option, albeit one that requires a little more setting up.
Mesmerist
Well-Known Member
I've done committee work although not with the current band and won't because of the travel distance. As far as I'm aware our MD does not get paid as the band was in a poor financial state when he joined. Things are alright now and we made money last year which has been spent on new uniforms, stands and banners. Annual subscriptions were introduced at the very low amount of £30 per year. I think my problem with Muzodo is the bombarding of emails and the negative reaction should life mean I can't make a rehearsal even though I said I would 3 months previously. It also feels like a school registration and patronizing. Maybe I'm just grumpy.
MoominDave
Well-Known Member
You can set it up to email less. Perhaps a word with your committee about it?
Mesmerist
Well-Known Member
You are saying that many in a band will not fill it out? Do you think this aversion is because many players do not always know weeks in advance what may come up and then there is a feeling you have gone back on your word whereas there is no problem if you say "next week I can't do Thursday because my child has a school concert ect" ?
MoominDave
Well-Known Member
No, I'm saying that we have perhaps three that persistently don't update it. But that these particular players see it as a bit pointless because they will be there come rain or shine regardless.
You can tell it 'Maybe' if you have genuine unsureness, so that's not a reason not to fill it out. I don't have kids, so a certain amount of variability doesn't enter my life as it stands, but, you know what... I commit to what I put down, then arrange the rest of my life around that. I know different people have different sets of priorities, but a brass band won't function satisfyingly unless a critical mass of people within it is clear that that's the basic expectation. Those who have parental duties get cut sympathetic slack.
You can tell it 'Maybe' if you have genuine unsureness, so that's not a reason not to fill it out. I don't have kids, so a certain amount of variability doesn't enter my life as it stands, but, you know what... I commit to what I put down, then arrange the rest of my life around that. I know different people have different sets of priorities, but a brass band won't function satisfyingly unless a critical mass of people within it is clear that that's the basic expectation. Those who have parental duties get cut sympathetic slack.
Here's an alternative we use in one of the Orchestra's I play in - we have a book and you add your name to those rehearsal dates which you can't do. Easy.
For gigs. once you are booked, you do the gig or find your own dep as is more standard in that world.
In the band, we use doodle.com
For gigs. once you are booked, you do the gig or find your own dep as is more standard in that world.
In the band, we use doodle.com
David Evans
Active Member
I've just read that Muzodo pricing is changing. After a free 30 day trial, it will be £5 per month per every 10 members. I wonder if this will change its popularity.
I couldn't find anything to corroborate this and so emailed Chris, the chap who is reponsible for it. His reply was immediate, within a few minutes, that they have no plans whatsoever to increase their prices and that any future price increases would be incremental and reasonable. So all this hysteria about £180 pa is completely without foundation. It remains free or $50 pa.
I couldn't find anything to corroborate this and so emailed Chris, the chap who is reponsible for it. His reply was immediate, within a few minutes, that they have no plans whatsoever to increase their prices and that any future price increases would be incremental and reasonable. So all this hysteria about £180 pa is completely without foundation. It remains free or $50 pa.
Hi all
I'm Chris Ahern, the developer of Muzodo. Thanks David for alerting me to this thread.
Wow, I had no idea Muzodo was under so much discussion! I've gone through the various comments and have a few of my own (btw, if anyone can point me to where it says the price is increasing, please let me know - it wasn't from me!).
Let me start by saying, Muzodo is just a tool and as such is no silver bullet (as someone pointed out). It relies on considerate use by both the band administrators as well as the members to work well. If used well, it saves time for all involved. Muzodo is all about improving communication within the band.
If, as a member, you're expected to fill out your availability for gigs unreasonably too far in the future, have a word with your administrator. Very often admins find it easy to sit down and put in all the gigs they know about. Muzodo allows you to create an event as a "draft" which can be saved and sent to the band at a later date.
If your band operates on the rule of "let us know if you can NOT make a gig", events can be created with everyone's answer set to 'Yes', only requiring action if you can't make it.
If you're being bombarded with emails, speak to your admin. Muzodo is able to bundle multiple gigs in one notification, so there's no need to send a separate email for each gig. It's easy for administrators to send out follow up details and updates to only the "Yes"es or reminders to only those that haven't replied, further reducing the amount of email being sent.
Also keep in mind that Muzodo doesn't only benefit the band admin. Firstly it provides every member with the gig details. You're able to easily add this info to your calendar (either on a per gig basis or by setting up a calendar feed to automatically update your calendar). Administrators are encouraged to fill in details pertinent to the members such as gig details, times, address and even a map link. These details are available whenever you need them (very often "What time did they say we have to be there?"). You can change your response at any time. If you belong to more than one band, you can have all your gig details showing up in one place.
A good rule of thumb is to keep in mind what the other person is trying to achieve - e.g. yes it's a pain to have to check my calendar and reply but our admin needs to let the organisers know if we can field a band, so had better do it .. and perhaps replying Maybe and putting "..." as your likelihood of making the gig is not very useful, if you think about it.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me - contact details on muzodo.com.
btw, the mobile app is due out shortly (Android only at this point) - providing even more convenient access to all your gig details.
Chris
I'm Chris Ahern, the developer of Muzodo. Thanks David for alerting me to this thread.
Wow, I had no idea Muzodo was under so much discussion! I've gone through the various comments and have a few of my own (btw, if anyone can point me to where it says the price is increasing, please let me know - it wasn't from me!).
Let me start by saying, Muzodo is just a tool and as such is no silver bullet (as someone pointed out). It relies on considerate use by both the band administrators as well as the members to work well. If used well, it saves time for all involved. Muzodo is all about improving communication within the band.
If, as a member, you're expected to fill out your availability for gigs unreasonably too far in the future, have a word with your administrator. Very often admins find it easy to sit down and put in all the gigs they know about. Muzodo allows you to create an event as a "draft" which can be saved and sent to the band at a later date.
If your band operates on the rule of "let us know if you can NOT make a gig", events can be created with everyone's answer set to 'Yes', only requiring action if you can't make it.
If you're being bombarded with emails, speak to your admin. Muzodo is able to bundle multiple gigs in one notification, so there's no need to send a separate email for each gig. It's easy for administrators to send out follow up details and updates to only the "Yes"es or reminders to only those that haven't replied, further reducing the amount of email being sent.
Also keep in mind that Muzodo doesn't only benefit the band admin. Firstly it provides every member with the gig details. You're able to easily add this info to your calendar (either on a per gig basis or by setting up a calendar feed to automatically update your calendar). Administrators are encouraged to fill in details pertinent to the members such as gig details, times, address and even a map link. These details are available whenever you need them (very often "What time did they say we have to be there?"). You can change your response at any time. If you belong to more than one band, you can have all your gig details showing up in one place.
A good rule of thumb is to keep in mind what the other person is trying to achieve - e.g. yes it's a pain to have to check my calendar and reply but our admin needs to let the organisers know if we can field a band, so had better do it .. and perhaps replying Maybe and putting "..." as your likelihood of making the gig is not very useful, if you think about it.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me - contact details on muzodo.com.
btw, the mobile app is due out shortly (Android only at this point) - providing even more convenient access to all your gig details.
Chris