<p>My D is in high school marching band. They go to local band competitions, and I had noticed that some of the high schools seem to have more elaborate shows and equipment, but then last night we were online looking up marching band 'cool moves (visuals) for a band assignment and some of them were just amazing. On one video there had been a discussion started about the school’s band budget…some saying their was 250,000, one saying over a million??? hmmm…
then the discussion turned briefly to the cost for the students. What is/was your experience with band costs for students and the band’s budget?
At my D’s school, each student has to pay (or earn through a fund raiser) $160.00. (although I don’t think anyone is denied if they can’t do that.) </p>
<p>Last year the band was really small, about 60-70 kids. This year there are just over 100. </p>
<p>At D’s school, they are provided with:
a uniform (which could really stand to be replaced)
a band t-shirt
the band has some instruments that can be borrowed, but most provide their own</p>
<p>Students must provide:
marching shoes (about $30.)
concert attire (specific long gown for girls about $100.)
the $160.00 pymt.
Practice shoes and clothes (white sneakers, black shorts)
instrument and reeds</p>
<p>My DS, now a college freshman, participated in band all four years of HS. He attended a large suburban HS with one of the strongest band programs in the district. About 120 kids participate in band. </p>
<p>I don’t have any knowledge of the program’s overall budget, but I know that the school provided very little money. The band director, students, and parents spent a lot of time on various fundraising schemes.</p>
<p>Basic costs for all participants were about $400 per year - uniform rental, shoes, t-shirt, hoodie, music, instrument maintenance, concert season attire, local travel expenses, etc.</p>
<p>Add some extra to the budget to cover meals and snacks for football game nights and competition days (around here, these can last up to 16 hours!). You will also likely be asked to participate in various fundraisers, so be prepared to buy coupon books, cookie dough, candles, wrapping paper, candy, etc. </p>
<p>Also be prepared to donate a lot of your time. I know our program would not survive if not for the hundreds of hours spent by parents doing everything from designing and building props, to sewing uniforms and flags, to working in the concession stand at football games, to driving the equipment trailer, to dragging pit equipment all over the place. It really is a huge effort to keep it all going.</p>
<p>The cost per year for registration is roughly what you’ve said here - $160-$180 to cover those things you’ve mentioned:</p>
<ol>
<li> Uniform cleaning</li>
<li> T-Shirts (there are 2 different ones)</li>
<li> Under Armor shirt (for under their marching uniforms)</li>
<li> Gloves</li>
<li> Administration fee (for music/copy machine, etc)</li>
<li> Horn repair fee (for equipment needed through the year)</li>
</ol>
<p>The Band Boosters run concessions, manage fund raisers, basically work very hard to make sure the kids have meals before football games and water during the games. We help load equipment, supervise, chaperone/escort, take care of errands and mild health complaints, etc.</p>
<p>I’m a Senior and was in Colorguard for the last 3 years before quitting this year (YAY! Freedom!). It cost my family about $150 each year for marching band and then another $100 for Winterguard (doesn’t really matter to you though). That doesn’t count in costs like gas, required t-shirts, uniform cleaning, new shoes, and my time ;D</p>
<p>We had fundraisers every month at a fast food place also. My school’s budget focus is on football, even though we lose almost every game -.-</p>
<p>Well, both my sons spent 4 years in public high school marching band. I don’ t think we paid for anything other than their instruments, shoes, a Tshirt, gloves, food and …nope, that’s it. School system paid for transportation, uniforms, incidentals. Band travels to 2 or 3 away games (it used to go to all of them, but no more). We are one of the few districts who have managed to make ends meet without fees for activities or sports.</p>
<p>Public high school. We pay for shoes, gloves, and a $35 uniform cleaning fee. Our uniforms are 20 years old. The district gives each band director $1500 per year to cover EVERYTHING, including music, new instruments, uniforms, truck rentals, busses, competition fees…</p>
<p>Our boosters do fundraising constantly to cover costs. We make a LOT of money by working concessions stands for pro baseball and football games. We get a percentage of the gross, and will have earned enough for new uniforms $50,000 in two years of concessions work.</p>
<p>Until recently a neighboring high school in our district charged $400 per student to participate in marching band. After the economy crashed parents complained to the school board and they are no longer allowed to do this.</p>
<p>My son is a band kid at a private college prep school. There are about 70 kids in the band. </p>
<p>Band fees are $400 and includes competition fees, transportation, meals at the competitions and t shirts. It also includes the fees charged by any clinicians that are hired by the band director.</p>
<p>Parents are expected to donate one case of water for the kids to drink at football games.</p>
<p>Kids have to buy marching shoes, gloves and a duffel bag, which can all be used for more than one season.</p>
<p>Band camp also costs money and is mandatory. I can’t remember what it costs but it includes 2 meals a day, and lasts 12 hours a day.</p>
<p>We don’t do much fundraising specifically for marching band. Any fundrasing we do covers both concert band and marching band. The school has a spring fling that raises money for all of the performing arts. The kids sell candy during the school year.</p>
<p>I think the HS band I teach has like a $400 fee for marching band…</p>
<p>they also have to wear black dresses and tuxes for concert season.</p>
<p>They also take a spring trip, which I think is generally $600+</p>
<p>They work hard to raise money… they sell citrus and white house ornaments. They sell baked goods on election days. Sell ads in their concert programs, sell car magnets, and sponsor a 5K race. They also go door to door one Saturday in the fall to ask for money, with the goal of hitting every house in the zone/district for that high school.</p>
<p>I think the budget for the whole band is probably in the high 5 figures (80-90K).</p>
<p>Keep in mind they have to pay the staff too… write the music, write the drill, get rights to the music. Then they have to teach the show. Marching technique, color guard, brass playing, woodwind playing, marching percussion, pit percussion. This is way more than any 1 director can do. Some of these bands have 5, 10, 15, or even 20 or more staff members. The band I teach has about 10 staff members, and we are not even close to “a lot” of staff in the very competitive band arena. The marching band is probably better than 95%+ of marching bands in the country, but it is very far away from the top .5%</p>
<p>Also, these programs cannot function without huge parental support and the free labor they provide.</p>
<p>My sons were in band. Parents were responsible for marching shoes and then paid about $50 and were given a band shirt, uniform and white gloves. Most people bought a couple more band shirts. Our school does a good job of supporting the band. At a recent board meeting a vote came up about buying new band uniforms. Without any discussion, it passed.</p>
<p>BOA band here–we pay $900 for fees-covers travel, band camp, etc. Shoes are $35 but usually you only have to buy them once. Extras are food on the various trips (all food at band camp is included though–stay on a college campus for camp). Each section usually gets a t-shirt each year-usually $15 or so. They get a band t-shirt that they wear for parades that is included in the above fee. I have no idea what the overall budget it but I know the buses to our BOA competition alone are $10,000+. Transportation is the biggest cost really. We have just under 200 kids in our band.</p>
<p>I know there are rumors that Broken Arrow’s band (Oklahoma) has a million dollar budget but I’ve heard from BA parents that it’s a rumor and not true. They do have about 500 kids in their marching band but only bring about half of that to competitions.</p>
<p>Billed fees =
must have ASB card $60
sheet music fee $25
transoportation fee $25
uniform cleaning fee $50
school instrument fee if applicable $50 (mine is percussionist, so yes)</p>
<p>Additional costs for marching - shoes, marching sticks for snare
cost to march in parade at Disneyland ???</p>
<p>Plus jazz band:
additional sheet music fee $25
additional transportation fee $25
uniform separate from concert band purchased uniform = shirt, tie, jacket
Reno Jazz festival costs ???</p>
<p>S had to purchase a tuxedo for band. That was the only major expense I can recall at this point. We also paid for him to be able to go with the band to Australia. Their band didn’t travel to compete in anything that I can recall, or at least nothing that cost parents/families money. We also had to buy (or rent) his instrument.</p>
<p>Yikes- special practice clothes/shoes??? UW’s top notch marching band website/news photos show all kinds of attire for practice. Colorful as in multicolored versus the red (cardinal) of the performance uniforms.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of buying practice clothes from the school, but our band members have to wear plain white t-shirts for practice, which is no big deal…pretty cheap. Most kids wait until the dry-weave fitted shirts go on sale though. The shirts and shoes you see most people referring to are for actual performances. Uniform t-shirts to wear under vibe so that even when you don’t have your jacket on you’re still in uniform. Pretty important when it’s 95 deg. Outside.</p>
<p>I was the band booster treasurer for our public high school band. The annual band fees were $500 plus: shoes (I had to buy them twice in 5 years), gloves, band banquet tickets for family (kid was included), food at competitions if they bought concessions (you could send food), instrument repairs/upkeep, reeds if necessary. Concert band attire: black pants/skirt with white shirt (easy, could be cheap). </p>
<p>We had 115 band members the last year but only 70 the first year. The boosters had to pay for everything except the band director’s extracurricular stipend. So, the boosters paid for:
Assistant staff pay
Competition fees
Bus transportation
Lunches for all day practices
Band camp (full week away from home, meals, etc.)
Uniform cleaning
Show shirts (new t-shirt annually)
Standard band t-shirt (summer uniform, basically, new one per kid each year… they were pretty well worn after a year!)
Some band banquet costs
Website upkeep/domain fees
props
senior awards
Varsity letters/chevrons
Scholarships (Three senior scholarships plus “need based” scholarships toward the band fee)</p>
<p>It’s a big operation! We did a ton of fundraising. Some fundraisers were for the band only, some were so that parents could raise funds to cover all or part of their $500 fee. There were people who did enough fund raising that they didn’t pay much at all. </p>
<p>It was a wonderful experience for my D and for me. I miss marching band a lot since she is in college now. The bonding among the boosters, the Friday night football games and Saturday competitions. I miss my D a lot, but I also miss being a band parent. It’s like a double whammy! In fact, I’ve volunteered to work concessions at the competition we host this Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing everybody :)</p>
<p>BOA Band here also. We are two years removed from the program but the initial band fee was $300. That was just the program fee. We were also responsible for any t-shirts, marching shoes, socks, food for football games, food for travel days for competitions, band buddy gifts, etc. When traveling to Grand Nationals in Indiana (every other year) there was an expense around $1500 for that competition (flights, food, hotel, registration fee…etc) That fee could be dealt with via fundraising.</p>
<p>The budget for our band hovered in the $250,000-$300,000 range and that is for a highly competitive BOA Texas Band. Our band did not use props but that money was spent on show design, original music, director travel, Semi-Truck for instruments and front ensemble pieces, etc. A great deal of that money came from private corporate sponsors. Just the way of the world in competitive marching band.</p>
<p>Inner city high school here with a competition marching band. It is a class. Band of about 60 kids, no fee. Band members have to buy marching shoes ($20), black slacks, black shirt, black socks, and their own meal at competitions. School provides uniform, cleaning, instruments for about 1/3 the band, transportation to competitions, band camp (at the school), and of course, music and instruction. There is a band booster group that raises quite a bit of money with 4 or 5 events/fundraisers per year. If there were fees, only a few kids could afford to be in the band (over 80% of kids qualify for free or reduced cost lunch). There is a band trip to a festival at an amusement park in May that costs $200- $300 but there are scholarships, and opportunities for kids to earn money for the trip and it does not count toward the grade.</p>
<p>Son’s marching band fees were approximately $500 up front, then nickle and dime stuff throughout the year (shoes, section clothing, trip spending money).</p>
<p>First year of MB for us, in urban public school. Smaller band by local standards, about 60-70 members, individual participation fees were about $75, and could be waived for financial necessity. School provides uniform; my son is drummer/pit players, so school provides instrument as well, though most non-percussionists provide their own instrument. Students had to buy band shoes, band polos but directors were clear that they did not want finances pushing anyone out of band. </p>
<p>Band boosters do an enormous amount of work – build props, help load and unload trailers, set up props and pit, organize and serve lunch on competition days, fix uniforms, and run the major fundraisers which support the program.</p>
<p>In contrast, cruising the website of a larger, suburban public school known for its impressive MB, that school charges $300 per student, for a band with over 200 participants. A whole different picture.</p>
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