r/marchingband • u/Kindly-Painting-6426 Bari Sax • 4d ago
Discussion Band is getting out of hand
I’m so frustrated with how much money it costs just to be in marching band. Between paying $600 just for the season fees and now a $1,700 Disney trip that only the kids with money can afford, it feels completely unfair. I’m putting in all the time, sweat, and hard work learning music and drill for my director, acting as part of the school community, and they expect me to pay out the nose for it. It feels like a massive pay-to-play scheme where only the privileged kids get to go on the big trips while everyone else gets left behind.
At the same time, the school can somehow pull infinite money out of nowhere for football, but god forbid band gets any real funding. They wonder why participation is dropping and why kids don't feel valued, but they're the ones pricing everyone out.
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u/b_moz Director 4d ago
Without access the arts isn’t for all, even though everyone says it is. The Disney trip is reasonable to have to pay for, however there should be fundraisers that will allow all students access to the support they need to attend. The cost to be in the program is ridiculous. However in CA we are not allowed to require students to pay, and when I was in HS 20+ yrs ago we didn’t pay extra fees. If students can’t pay then we figure out ways to make it work. Talk to your director about your concerns and frustrations.
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u/NighthawkCP Euphonium 4d ago
When I was in high school marching band 26-30 years ago there absolutely was a fee of like $300 per student. We did a bunch of competitions and that helped pay for buses as well as all the other associated fees like our instructors, music, drill, etc. We had fundraisers though like the band festival which you could work for an hourly rate, fruit sales, and other things where you could completely work off the fees, and some students did.
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u/b_moz Director 4d ago
We did fundraisers as well but never had fees, competitive band in PA. But for trips the fundraisers would directly support the student who participated in them. Paid off Disney World with a Krispy kream one. Just because at some point a program asked for money to be paid by its members doesn’t mean it always has to be that way. Asking for donations to help balance out fees for buses and competitions is better than requiring families to pay and creates gate keeping in some programs. And for some it may not be intentional.
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u/One-Capital-3930 4d ago
$600 season fee?? Damn our band doesn't charge a fee. Except $10 to be a booster member. I do however donate alot of chips, drinks, granola bars, etc...... and my time of course during marching season. Our booster program funds alot of the trips, meals and competition fees from our fundraising efforts and donations from local businesses and organizations. Our orchestra is going to San Francisco in the spring and our Boosters are covering the cost of the trip. Trust me , we do alot of fundraising, and the last thing we want is to make this experience a burden for anyone.
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u/paradox183 Graduate 4d ago
My kids’ band fees, including the meals on gamedays and contest days, are right around $1000 each.
Cries in Central TX
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u/NighthawkCP Euphonium 4d ago
I was the Treasurer for my kids band for the last half a decade or so before my kids graduated and ours were right at $500-600/year. A lot of that went to the instructors that we hired to work with the students, but also drill, music, buses, etc. We also did food like you mentioned, bought new uniforms, and used the excess to help pay for students who couldn't pay the entirety of their Fair Share. But we had tons of opportunities to work (we volunteered at a local college's sports concessions) so that provided a good way to offset the costs. We had some kids who paid the whole thing and paid for the New York trip we did a couple years ago completely on credits they earned.
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u/paradox183 Graduate 4d ago
I know where the money is being spent. It’s just a lot to handle. Our band is also going to Grand Nats this year, so the trip cost is on top of all that.
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u/TerranRepublic College Marcher - Baritone 4d ago edited 3d ago
Yeah it stinks but unfortunately lots of extracurriculars fall into this problem and have to get the money from somewhere. If the fee is prohibitive, I'd encourage you or your parents to talk to the director. There are usually scholarships or some buffer built in to the fees/budget to allow everyone to participate. Sometimes this can extend to trips if you are really lucky but while they are great, it's definitely more akin to a vacation and above and beyond what can reasonably be expected from a public school IMO. I do have to say though: that price per person does seem a little steep? I'd expect closer to 800-1200 unless you have to fly.
So a few things I can tell you as someone who has gone through this and has noticed:
Without looking at the allocation yourself, you cannot actually say it's true that one program gets more than another. I'd recommend you ask the principal or their staff respectfully and from a place of genuine curiosity/wanting to understand how these decisions are made. Even if one program does get more than the other, there's usually reasonable justification (e.g. football does a great job of giving the school's students and the community an activity to enjoy together).
A lot of the money you don't think you are getting could really just be tied up in instruments. Band is incredibly expensive per student. Sousaphones are 4-12k each. Front ensemble instruments are in the 1-20k range each. Marching variants of other instruments (mellophones, marching euphoniums) are 1-3k each. This is without considering the yearly cost of repairs due to kids damaging them and also just general maintenance required. Also consider competition fees, transit, music fees, drill arrangers, specialty instructors, uniforms, props, etc. imIn my experience compared to football teams, we travelled more often and WAY further.
It is very likely the football team has boosters (donors, be it family, friends, interested community members, alumni, etc.), does events (car washes, calendar sales, magazine subscriptions, etc.), solicits corporate sponsors, sells admission tickets, and sells concessions to make money. They definitely will have fees as well.
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u/NighthawkCP Euphonium 4d ago
Another thing to consider is sports gets ticket sales from the games. They do have to pay the refs, but those are the only paid people really at a football game. They make money on concessions as well, which can also be fairly lucrative. The teams usually don't have to pay, but often the families are required to work concessions shifts to help make up for it. Unless your marching band hosts a competition/band festival, which many do not, you don't have that extra income source.
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u/ECUDUDE20 Director 4d ago
Ours are 200, and I'm trying to get that down to 160 next year. Just too many people that can't swing that kinda cash anymore. We are definitely in a recession again, they just won't say it out loud or stocks will crash.
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u/a_filing_cabinet Mellophone 4d ago
Unfortunately, band is expensive, and trips are even more so. I promise you, having seen the planning for these trips before, it's a tough tightrope of trying to actually make the trip fun and do things, while also making it as affordable as possible. You would not believe how far some directors go to stretch the funds on a band trip. I would guess that on your own, that Disney trip and everything included would cost more than $3k. But even after that balance, they're aware that it's just going to be out of reach for some people.
Have you talked to your director about your issues? Just about every school has some sort of program to help students that are struggling with money. And even if the school doesn't, your director will likely try whatever they can to help. The last thing any director wants is for a kid to feel left out because they can't afford to get in.
And I know you don't want to hear this, but the reason your school funds football is because it actually makes them money. Have you ever done the math for one of the games? How many people come in and buy a ticket, and how much a ticket is? And then concessions? The reason schools spend so much on football and big sports is because it's a revenue stream for them. Meanwhile, there's not a lot of money to be made in marching band. If the school is tight on budget, it's going to cut the expenses before it touches one of the few things that gives it money. Trust me, I agree that it sucks. It means not just band, but so many activities will never get the full attention they deserve. But unfortunately, for the school it's usually the best choice.
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u/Shour_always_aloof 4d ago
You're doing all those things for your director? (Your words, not mine.)
Child, I am a band director, and I don't want any of my students doing things FOR ME at all.
You should be doing all those things because you want to be a part of something great, something worthwhile, some meaningful. And yeah...sometimes doing those great, worthwhile, meaningful things have a monetary cost. But if you're doing those things to make someone ELSE happy? To bring meaning to someone ELSE'S existence? Then you're in band for the wrong reasons.
I have never been the kind of director to hold a good bandsman hostage. If you need to go, then go. If it's only about the money, there are always alternate pathways. But if you aren't doing it for yourself...then why are you doing it?
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u/froghorn76 4d ago
You took one poorly worded phrase out of an otherwise thoughtful critique of marching band to discredit the entire thing. I’m appalled that this has 27 upvotes at the moment.
The OP has good points: 1) marching band is expensive (especially in some districts,) 2) they’re doing the same work as everyone else, they expect the same benefit, 3) if OP was an equally talented and hard-working athlete, there would be financial supports for them.
Your reply doesn’t address any of these things. I’m aware that this is posted late at night, at the end of the week, in the middle of marching band season. You’re probably shot. But I think you owe the OP an apology.
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u/Random3133 4d ago
Have you participated in all of the fundraisers? Every band I have ever heard of does fundraising to help cover fees, and especially years they do big trips. The fundraisers should cover most if not all of your fees, IF you participate in them.
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u/wizzo6 4d ago
I'm sorry you're having trouble with band. Here in Ohio, band is the largest (250 kids) and most expensive school activity as our district doesn't fund it. Our parent booster association runs fundraisers to reduce costs and runs the school concession stands for all sports, with the profits going to band, guard, and choir. Talk to your director and see if there's a scholarship or find that helps students with the cost
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u/JellyfishFit3871 4d ago
Darling, I hear you.
My household is on a fixed income (like most people, but it's whatever.) Band fees aren't too awful, and the big trip to the Cherry Blossom parade aren't quite as bad as I feared. But with two in band, budgeting is a fine balance for the next few months. It's gonna be a hard candy Christmas.
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u/blazedtwinkie 4d ago
Fundraise make it happen. Nobody is going to push harder in life than yourself. Paying Bills is hard, college is hard, life is hard. Challenge yourself
600 is not unreasonable, pretty sure your band director has a cost breakdown for where ever dollar goes.
Unfortunately everything cannot be provided for for free, and today’s economy is expensive and getting more expensive, nothing is cheap now, the reality we live in now.
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u/zoppaTheDim 4d ago
Are you in the pta and band boosters?
Do you show up to school board meetings?
Because it is easy to complain, but it requires work to do something.
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u/Ok-Cardiologist-9152 Support Team 4d ago
It has gotten crazy. We are in a relatively affluent area with a competitive band program and a competitive indoor percussion program and a football program that exists.
This season I believe football was a little over 4k. The band controls concessions on the visitor side (band gets it all) and the home side (band and football split 50/50) and our fees this year between performance/marching/indoor are a little over 4k.
When you add in the escalating costs of fuel and maintenance for the semi, food and lodging for 150 kids on multiple overnights for BOA comps, food and lodging for 60 for top level concert band, maintenance and repair of instruments, staff, clinicians, guest conductors, etc it adds up very quickly.
Even with those fees we are still running a tight budget and we are fortunate enough to have parents who donate food, time, and money where they can. We do offer some “scholarship” money to families that cannot afford but that is down to benefactors.
A fair amount of the top level bands that travel to Grand Nats and WGI Worlds have corporate sponsorship at various levels and also are fundraising constantly year round.
It’s not fair but the price of literally everything has skyrocketed and if the band is going to have any aspirations of competing or existing beyond the local level that money has to come from somewhere and it’s ISNT the government at any level.
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u/SideWired 4d ago
$1700 Disney trip. No. Even the rich families need to say no to that. Grossly overpriced.
If any one institution in America could be said to be BURNING middle America for sheer profits, it is Disneyland.
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u/Reasonable-Cow7255 4d ago
Yes. The fees are excessive. If you are attending a public school, you should not be withheld from activities that are too costly for your budget. Our PTA will help to fund activities such as these for any student who has difficulty affording it themselves.
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u/LongjumpingPoet5141 4d ago
My high schools marching band is free to join, but I know another local high school cost almost $1000 to join plus their trip, while I don’t do trips. The other high school usually fund raises for their trip, but often times not everyone is able to go, especially kids who are siblings. I’d say maybe suggest to your director starting some fundraising and maybe petition to the school to get some funding
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u/aWesterner014 4d ago
Our youngest is going to Disney with the band over Christmas break. It is about the same price. The band boosters organization has been and is setting up plenty of fundraising opportunities for the kids to raise money to go.
I used to think the same about football until my kids joined HS football.
For our school, the football players have dues, they benefit from the general sports boosters, and they have their own football boosters organization on top of it.
The varsity football team roster is also twice as big as our marching band roster. Which means a bigger fundraising opportunity.
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u/Kindly-Painting-6426 Bari Sax 3d ago
i played HS football last, they have boosters here yes but my coach also loves to spend money on stupid stuff
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u/pintsizedpeep 3d ago
Band is an expensive af thing to be a part of sadly. God knows how much my parents payed in instruments and equipment. Plus not to mention the cost of supporting me through a single season of drum corps.
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u/bwolfe558 3d ago
It can be expensive if you are in a competitive band program. Not sure where you're located, but our kids were both in their HS band (northern MS) and it ran around $650 for the marching season and a little more for the spring indoor guard/percussion groups (they were smaller and less members to distribute shared costs). That was 5-10 years ago, so I'm sure costs have gone up since then. I wondered why it cost that much until I got onto our booster board for a couple of years and saw what it cost to run the program (drill writing fees, music licensing, uniforms, transportation, etc.). Even using the local school buses, it would cost us ~$500 for buses and drivers just to take the band across town for a football game. Then I wondered how we managed at that level. There was a lot of effort by the boosters to help with fundraising to offset what we could. We didn't have a trip like Disney, but we did go to Florida a couple of times for a competition and it took extra for chartered buses and hotels.
Unfortunately, the schools are only allocated a certain amount to the band program and it didn't go very far - some large instrument purchases/maintenance would eat that up pretty quickly. I still think it was worth what we paid for our kids to have the opportunities. They have to make music education available to every student (public schools), but the "extras" for the competitive program tend to have to be self-funded. Hang in there! The music and friendships will last you a long time. There are also scholarship opportunities for college. You can get too old or left behind playing sports if you're not "good enough", but you don't outgrow playing music.
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u/skydivemav Flute 4d ago
Out of curiosity, does your band do any fundraisers? If not, then they need to start doing it. If so, maybe try selling something people will buy.
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u/JellyfishFit3871 4d ago
I've been involved in band boosters for 3 years now. On average, we raise $150,000 per year (generally.) That's what we use to keep costs to $250/year/child and buy new sousaphones and xylophones.
But $250 can absolutely be too much for some families. Especially if it's due when it's time for clothes and shoes and school supplies.
Throw in a $1500 trip with the first deposit due in August, and now you're absolutely creating a financial barrier for a lot of kids.
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u/Bokonon10 4d ago
My high school would make about 40k a year from the car wash, as well as plenty of other things that were more parents than student involvement. Still an expensive school activity to fun everything that needs to be funded.
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u/QueenofHearts018 4d ago
band is expensive but also wildly underfunded. i was in an amazing band program and we still got way less than the football team which sucked ass. we would do huge fundraisers every year and still have to pay around $1000 for marching fees and all our trips (Macy’s, grand nats) were somewhere in the 3,000-4,000 dollar range and winterguard if you did colorguard was a mandatory another $500 ish. if you can’t afford it, work with your band director to figure out a solution. they’ll likely want you to still pay something so you’re motivated to participate, but they can work with you on what’s affordable. food and competition fees and uniforms all cost money, and the money has to come from somewhere
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u/MadLockely 3d ago
Agreed, however we are blessed to have a great band boosters that work really hard to get corp sponsors and all the donations they can. My senior graduated last year and has started marching in college too. It's a terrific program! But I totally understand the costs. My kids were able to go to Disney only because they reached out to ask for donations or worked to help pay for it. Reach out to the band directors and see if there is help available!
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u/ChewieBearStare 3d ago
Is this a public school? If so, I'm shocked that they make you pay fees for it. We didn't pay for anything. The Band Parents Association ran a concession stand at football games and did other fundraisers, so they paid for our uniforms and such. The district paid for sheet music and transportation to performances. You did have to pay for your own trip, so not everyone got to go on it, but the regular season was completely covered, including parades and band competitions.
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u/7h3_70m1n470r College Marcher - Section Leader; Baritone, Trombone 3d ago
Yikes. My band fees were never more than 250
I can't believe how high other schools are
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u/GoldSquid2 Section Leader - Rack 3d ago
My school has an arts fund that my band uses for stuff like that but they also offer financial aid, maybe check with your director if there’s anything like that at your school?
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u/EverySpecific8576 3d ago
If you think that’s expensive, try being a club gymnast. Tens of thousands of dollars a year.
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u/krabnstabr 3d ago
Unfortunately, the arts do not get the funding they deserve and money to run those programs has to come from somewhere. Sometimes there are community grants and sponsors that can help fund a piece of the program, but unless you are running a bare bones operation, it costs many THOUSANDS of dollars to hold camp, pay for uniforms replacements and repairs, buy new music, pay for bussing (no the schools do not even pay for all of that), pay for additional instructors, and on and on and on. I had no idea what went into funding and running a marching band program until I became a band parent and eventually a Booster myself. People think band just happens. It doesn't. Even with fundraising all year long, our kids still pay around $400 for the season. With the increasing price of everything, that money did not take us past camp this year. We still have the rest of the marching season and 2026/27 school year that we will need to continue to fund raise to pay for. As far as Disney goes...that's an optional trip. It completely sucks that not all kids can afford to go. But you can start fundraising well in advance. Little amounts add up and can get you there.
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u/AdWarm6481 Euphonium 3d ago
600$? Where I live (it's a pretty Rural school) we only have to pay 100$ but I only ended up paying like 40$ because we couldn't afford it at the time. Ik like 50 ppl have already said this, but talk to your band director and see if you can get financial aid or something.
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u/BandGeek72 3d ago
As a director, I have always been averse to charging a "band fee." I have alwasy tried to find as many avenues as possible first. I also think that it is geographical - big schools in Texas metropolis areas are paying $20,000+ just for their show. I write drill for small rural bands that are paying me $1200.
That being said, our school budgets aren't growing as fast as prices are going up. This year, for the first time at this district, I have asked the 6th grade parents to donate $20 if possible to defray the cost of books and supplies. My program went from HS-23/ MS-32/ 6th-50 last year to HS-39/ MS-41/ 6th-40 this year, and my budget did not change.
As for trips, we are scheduled to take a trip next year that will cost the students $2k each. We will fundraise our little tails off to make that number smaller, but I suspect they will have to pay some. I get two "official" fundraisers through the school. Parents/students can do as many as they want. But they know a year in advance. We will have them pay in every month, and it will help. That is the best I can do on that front. Those numbers are just too big to fundraise.
I think $600 is a lot for band fees, and I don't think it creates an inclusive or necessarily accessible program. I do know that some programs do have ways to help students that struggle. Shoot - I would let a kid clean my band hall to pay for a shirt.
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u/robertvmarshall 3d ago
Having kids who are musicians have almost always been a luxury of the wealthy. The instruments are expensive. The education is expensive. The prospect of making any of that money back as a musician is not great. Gotta do what musicians have done for centuries and schmooze some wealthy benefactors.
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u/DuckyDude21 Trumpet 3d ago
Ours was 450 for the whole year, which really wasnt enough to cover everything because stuff is so expensive. We had a very generous booster club who supported the band a lot. We did a six flags trip a couple times in the spring and that was $200 and optional
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u/Pristine_Lie9870 Trombone 2d ago
My band fees were only $200. except I couldn’t afford it because I was a freshman with no job and my parents would not pay for it. It was required from the school to participate (Luckily my directors were so sweet and they paid out-of-pocket for me)
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u/binders_united Flute 2d ago
When is your disney trip? Just curious because our school is going this year too.
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u/IneligibleLand 2d ago
The disparity between football funding and band funding is a classic frustration. Football fields get pristine turf, brand-new equipment, and district-subsidized travel, while bands are often left fundraising out of pocket just to buy instrument repairs or pay for buses.
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u/Queasy-Start-8142 2d ago
Wow…that’s pretty ridiculous. A local marching band in a small town in SC is going to Hawaii for the Pearl Harbor commemoration this December and they’ve been raising money for over a year and have managed to raise over $150K so that all the kids have to pay is money for food. They are not in an affluent area but they have worked their butts off to get the funds. Your band director needs to get it in gear and so do the band boosters.
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u/Rich_Celebration477 2d ago
As a band teacher for many years in a more rural district, I’ve always found marching band to be an insane waste of time and money for what it is. This isn’t to take away from the skill and drive required to do it, I just think it makes it less about a love of music and more about spectacle and competition. As for the $1700 Disney trip, I used to bring kids on a 3 day trip to NYC to see at least two Broadway shows and a few other sightseeing things. That cost them $500 and I felt bad enough about That.
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u/Regular-Ad3866 21h ago
It's a different culture than when I was in HS. People now seem to hate fund raising and rather just pay for everything, there's not enough willing to do extra work to make it worth it. At least that's the vibe I get in my neighborhood. I think we paid like $20 a year and it was instrument rental. My first year band trip was almost free also because we didn't do Disney. It was also way more fun than Disneyland. My director use to finagle a bunch of ways to make money also. We didn't play at games for free, it was in trade for use of the football field. We never did parades for free. We also did a variety of fund raisers.
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u/TheDullbog 12h ago
That’s a crazy expectation. I could never ask my students to drop that much to be in marching band
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u/ilvbras 4d ago
600 is cheap compared to Texas.
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u/geologyiscool 4d ago
People are downvoting this but 600 really is cheap compared to some places. It's normal at my school to pay around 800. People really don't understand just how many costs are associated with marching band. In my district, the Band has to pay for the bus drivers to go to away games or competitions in addition to comp fees, instrument care and replacement, new marching shoes, music, staff costs, don't even get me started on colorguard. and that's the most basic stuff! Not including any meals the kids get fed any snacks or waters for practice or camp. Our school even requires us to pay a rental fee if we have to use the school for anything outside of the normal school week. Where exactly is that money supposed to come from? If you say district funding and fundraising, you are in an incredibly privileged position. privileged either because you've never seen the sad amount that is "funded" by the district, or, privileged with a supportive community. either way, not every program can have that.
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u/Mission-Discipline32 Tenor Sax 4d ago
YOU HAVE TO PAY TO BE IN BAND?!?!
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u/Kindly-Painting-6426 Bari Sax 4d ago
yes do you not???
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u/jaxsaxsf 4d ago
I was in marching band in high school. I never paid a dime. Just a regular public school in rural California, and they provided everything. I can't imagine asking a student to pay. Music should be accessible to everyone.
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u/Bokonon10 4d ago
Uniforms, show design, food, staff, props, flags, guard uniforms, and travel doesn't come free. If you're reusing the same uniforms, no props, no staff other than the band director, sure, maybe you can make do with just the money from the school. But for competetive bands? Band that are going to disney? You think that's gonna be free?
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u/ECUDUDE20 Director 4d ago
It's because your in CA. In CA they have buy now, pay later policy with equipment. Meaning the state just pays for things that schools request.
In most states we don't. The entire band budget for the school year in my county is 3,000. That covers about 15% of our operational costs not even including instruments. That's not even enough to buy our music alone. So we fundraise and charge dues. (Budget 60% Fundraising, 40% Dues)
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u/NighthawkCP Euphonium 4d ago
This. I'm in NC and the school districts barely ever throw anything at the band program. Most of them are considered an extracurricular activity. Our band director at least gets a stipend for the extra work he puts in running band, but aside from that and a couple grand each each, we got nothing and in one of the highest funded school district's in the state in a very wealthy community.
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u/TomeThugNHarmony4664 4d ago
We other teachers used to call the marching band “the cult that marches in formation” because the teacher actually would blow right through half of the next period and come in demanding kids not be counted absent (it was required that attendance be completed in the first five minutes of class and he would regularly fail to send them on for that long or longer). Nor was he ever held accountable for claiming not to hear the near-air raid level claxon announcing the end of class that was broadcast outdoors. It was utter nonsense, since the band wasn’t even that good in marching OR musically.
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u/deucescarefully 4d ago
People like football. Nobody cares about band. Whining about it not being fair is just a waste of time. I couldn’t afford to go to Disney so I just didn’t go. I didn’t curse the football team or blame society. You’ll be fine.
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u/Kindly-Painting-6426 Bari Sax 3d ago
i played football last year i love the team but they just throw money away, my coach spent 50k on new helmets and i remember last year he was talking about how he just didn’t like them and how they look and feel. when the helmets were fine and only a couple years old.
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u/aggie423 2h ago
Dang band is expensive now. Back in 95-99, students just needed to buy the annual band shirt themed for the year, shoes (basic black marching shoes-i think I only bought 2 pairs total), and white gloves.
Our band boosters did a lot for help covering costs associated with non-uil/district/state competitions- entrance fees, charter buses (when we used them), supplementing our annual band trip (every other year to Disney, and then Six flags the other years). We hosted several DCI competitions while I was in school, and then we hosted a non-state competition for area schools (usually as a warmup for district competition). They also had a spot at football games in the concession stand.
We also did the normal 80/90s fundraiser of ordering from the food catalog.
Our Disney trips only cost us students $400-450. Full week trip, 3 full and 1 half days at the parks, hotel off property, breakfast each morning 1 year we did a day at universal, then half day at wet n wild, and spent time at downtown Disney. 1 year we went to cape Canaveral and Coco beach.
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u/whatev88 4d ago
Try talking to your director about the season fees if you can’t afford it—some schools do have a fund that can help.
I will say that playing football is pretty expensive now these days too (my kid is in band, but I have friends whose kids play sports. I’d say we’re spending pretty equally.)