Why is marching band so expensive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools have one, maybe two sports that actually generate revenue: football and/or boys’ basketball. The other sports/teams generally cost more money than they make. At some schools, the football program helps fund their athletics programs, so everyone benefits.

The football team should pay for marching band as they are there to support the team.

HAHAHA.No.

Why the laughter? Without the band, cheerleaders and dance team, the whole "Friday Night Lights" atmosphere would be very very different. There wouldn't be nearly as many spectators buying concessions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools have one, maybe two sports that actually generate revenue: football and/or boys’ basketball. The other sports/teams generally cost more money than they make. At some schools, the football program helps fund their athletics programs, so everyone benefits.

The football team should pay for marching band as they are there to support the team.

HAHAHA.No.

Why the laughter? Without the band, cheerleaders and dance team, the whole "Friday Night Lights" atmosphere would be very very different. There wouldn't be nearly as many spectators buying concessions.

I think you're overestimating the appeal of the band and cheerleaders. Sure, their parents come to the game. But theyre not drawing anyone else.

I know lots of families (ourselves included) who don't have HS aged kids yet that often go to the Friday night games. We go to watch the football. Not the halftime show

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools have one, maybe two sports that actually generate revenue: football and/or boys’ basketball. The other sports/teams generally cost more money than they make. At some schools, the football program helps fund their athletics programs, so everyone benefits.

The football team should pay for marching band as they are there to support the team.

HAHAHA.No.

Why the laughter? Without the band, cheerleaders and dance team, the whole "Friday Night Lights" atmosphere would be very very different. There wouldn't be nearly as many spectators buying concessions.

I think you're overestimating the appeal of the band and cheerleaders. Sure, their parents come to the game. But theyre not drawing anyone else.

I know lots of families (ourselves included) who don't have HS aged kids yet that often go to the Friday night games. We go to watch the football. Not the halftime show

At QO?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is eligible for marching band next year and I got the school cash online email saying fee pay is available. Holy cow its expensive! Over $400!

Does the football team also have to pay $400 for uniforms and participation?

Does the $600 include instruments?
My kids school required students buy instruments for band class, and the rental on these is over $200 a year. Full price purchase is around $500.

Umm you can get used instruments on facebook marketplace and then just buy new mouthpieces.

As someone who did marching band, I don't think this is outrageous. Buses are expensive and so are those ugly wool uniforms. I don't think food or dinners should be included because some kids could bring their own meals.

I just signed my kid up for soccer and it was $250, no transportation and I have to coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools have one, maybe two sports that actually generate revenue: football and/or boys’ basketball. The other sports/teams generally cost more money than they make. At some schools, the football program helps fund their athletics programs, so everyone benefits.

The football team should pay for marching band as they are there to support the team.

HAHAHA.No.

Why the laughter? Without the band, cheerleaders and dance team, the whole "Friday Night Lights" atmosphere would be very very different. There wouldn't be nearly as many spectators buying concessions.

I think you're overestimating the appeal of the band and cheerleaders. Sure, their parents come to the game. But theyre not drawing anyone else.

I know lots of families (ourselves included) who don't have HS aged kids yet that often go to the Friday night games. We go to watch the football. Not the halftime show

Trust me, the cheerleaders and the kids performing the halftime show aren't catering to you oldies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools have one, maybe two sports that actually generate revenue: football and/or boys’ basketball. The other sports/teams generally cost more money than they make. At some schools, the football program helps fund their athletics programs, so everyone benefits.

The football team should pay for marching band as they are there to support the team.

HAHAHA.No.

Why the laughter? Without the band, cheerleaders and dance team, the whole "Friday Night Lights" atmosphere would be very very different. There wouldn't be nearly as many spectators buying concessions.

I think you're overestimating the appeal of the band and cheerleaders. Sure, their parents come to the game. But theyre not drawing anyone else.

I know lots of families (ourselves included) who don't have HS aged kids yet that often go to the Friday night games. We go to watch the football. Not the halftime show

And I think you're underestimating how much those things (band, cheerleaders etc) add to the ambience, excitement, and fun. I'm guessing you're not going f to the JV football games? Why not? Because it's not as exciting without the extras.

[Anonymous]

My former high school in a high FARMs non DC area stopped having a marching band because neither the school or the parents could afford the instruments, not to mention any uniforms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools have one, maybe two sports that actually generate revenue: football and/or boys’ basketball. The other sports/teams generally cost more money than they make. At some schools, the football program helps fund their athletics programs, so everyone benefits.

The football team should pay for marching band as they are there to support the team.

HAHAHA.No.

Why the laughter? Without the band, cheerleaders and dance team, the whole "Friday Night Lights" atmosphere would be very very different. There wouldn't be nearly as many spectators buying concessions.

I think you're overestimating the appeal of the band and cheerleaders. Sure, their parents come to the game. But theyre not drawing anyone else.

I know lots of families (ourselves included) who don't have HS aged kids yet that often go to the Friday night games. We go to watch the football. Not the halftime show

And I think you're underestimating how much those things (band, cheerleaders etc) add to the ambience, excitement, and fun. I'm guessing you're not going f to the JV football games? Why not? Because it's not as exciting without the extras.

Sometimes we do, bc we knew a few kids on JV.

But we also go to the boys and girls basketball games, boys baseball and girls softball games.

And no marching band there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is eligible for marching band next year and I got the school cash online email saying fee pay is available. Holy cow its expensive! Over $400!

Does the football team also have to pay $400 for uniforms and participation?

Does the $600 include instruments?
My kids school required students buy instruments for band class, and the rental on these is over $200 a year. Full price purchase is around $500.

Umm you can get used instruments on facebook marketplace and then just buy new mouthpieces.

As someone who did marching band, I don't think this is outrageous. Buses are expensive and so are those ugly wool uniforms. I don't think food or dinners should be included because some kids could bring their own meals.

I just signed my kid up for soccer and it was $250, no transportation and I have to coach.

MCPS doesn't always provide buses. Some are parent-kid transportation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My former high school in a high FARMs non DC area stopped having a marching band because neither the school or the parents could afford the instruments, not to mention any uniforms.

They could have gotten donated instruments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is eligible for marching band next year and I got the school cash online email saying fee pay is available. Holy cow its expensive! Over $400!

Does the football team also have to pay $400 for uniforms and participation?

Does the $600 include instruments?
My kids school required students buy instruments for band class, and the rental on these is over $200 a year. Full price purchase is around $500.

Umm you can get used instruments on facebook marketplace and then just buy new mouthpieces.

As someone who did marching band, I don't think this is outrageous. Buses are expensive and so are those ugly wool uniforms. I don't think food or dinners should be included because some kids could bring their own meals.

I just signed my kid up for soccer and it was $250, no transportation and I have to coach.

Thats a ripoff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because the Fine Arts budget is small so there is not a lot(or any) extra to cover electives and activities. Go ask the Band/Art/Theatre teachers what their yearly budget is and then ask how much it cost to put together a competition worthy Marching Band or 2 Theatre productions a year, or ensure art students can experience different mediums and prepare portfolios.

That's all good and dandy but it also excludes a lot of kids for a variety of reasons. We pay a lot for outside music. I wouldn't pay $400 for the marching band. At some point enough is enough, especially when the band director just does the absolute minimum.

So it’s okay to pay $150 for football that gets more funds in the athletic budget and in some schools heavy booster club support. But fine arts programs that get much less budget are suppose to do what? Short change the kids interested in those activities. You just said you pay a lot for outside music, maybe marching band is the outside music that some kids want to participate? Further every activity includes a blurb about if the amount is a hardship please reach out to the school. And who said the band director is doing the absolute minimum? Maybe at your school but at a lot of other schools this is not true.

If you don't how your PTA/Boosters/Foundation spreads the money around, get involved!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is eligible for marching band next year and I got the school cash online email saying fee pay is available. Holy cow its expensive! Over $400!

Does the football team also have to pay $400 for uniforms and participation?

DC didn't do marching band in MCPS, but I did it in HS. Nearly every HS has a sports boosters organization that raises funds to support sports. Only some schools have music boosters that raise funds for music. When they do, it's rare for the music boosters to be as well-supported as the sports boosters.

The result is that parents of musicians may have to pay for things that sports parents don't. When we were in HS, marching band uniforms were used for several years, but they were very expensive when they had to be replaced. Plus, as other people said, there is transportation to/from games. Other costs that may or may not be covered by MCPS include music licensing, paying the person who creates the shows (lots of choreography involved), and summer orientation or band camp.

Most MCPS activities have programs for parents who cannot afford to pay the associated fees. If your family can't afford the $400, I recommend asking your school counselor whether you might qualify for financial support.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in an Equestrian drill team in Silver Spring. I laugh at ya'll complaining about $400. Seriously, your kid likes it so just pay it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is eligible for marching band next year and I got the school cash online email saying fee pay is available. Holy cow its expensive! Over $400!

Does the football team also have to pay $400 for uniforms and participation?

At our non-W, high FARMS High School, it's $600 for cheerleading! And no, football players don't pay that much. I get the feeling that the most loved teams aren't subject to those fees.

The most loved teams have boosters clubs footing the bill.

Our marching band fees were somewhere in between the two extremes, but bands can have booster clubs too. Ours make money by parents volunteering to run the concession stand at football games, selling t-shirts, doing partner nights with local restaurants, where they donate X percent of the proceeds for everyone who eats there that night and sapphires the band’s name, etc.

I don’t find the fees excessive. It’s a LOT of hours beginning in summer through the whole fall semester. There are a lot of expenses. They feed the kids regularly (usually just pizza or sandwiches, but it adds up) on the many very long rehearsal/competition days.

There are, of course, scholarships available for families who can’t afford the fees (not just those who don’t want to pay them) and the directors make that clear to kids at the beginning of the season — just like there are a limited number of school-owned instruments for families who can’t afford to buy/rent one.

MCPS Foundation has instruments available: https://www.mcpsfoundation.org/pages/our-programs/help-me-make-music-

It's very excessive.

It’s not excessive. Shrug. If you don’t want to pay, don’t do it. If you CAN’T pay, financial assistance is available.