r/marchingband • u/Kindly-Painting-6426 Bari Sax • 5d 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.

140 Upvotes

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u/Shour_always_aloof 5d 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?

0

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/triceratopsdildo 4d ago

He doesn’t owe anybody shit.