For the
advisor.

Structure beats motivation

Weekly mandatory practices with a written agenda outperform optional sessions every year. Give members a schedule at season start and hold to it. Remove the decision of whether to show up.

External judges before competition

A student who has never had a stranger judge them before DLCI is unprepared regardless of how many internal mocks they've done. Recruit parents, teachers, or alumni to judge rehearsals.

Event selection is an advising decision

Students consistently self-select events based on title recognition rather than format compatibility. Read every event entry with the student before confirming their registration.

Written entries need early starts

Students who start written entries in October produce measurably better work than those who start in November. Set an internal first-draft deadline eight weeks before DLCI.

Score sheets are the curriculum

Students should know the judge rubric for their event before their first practice. Teach directly to the rubric. Everything not on the rubric is secondary.

Debrief is not optional

For members who don't advance, sitting down with their score sheets after districts matters more than almost anything else. It's what decides how much they improve before next year.