While I may not call my mom, I may want to.
The question of the century when a director asks for money to purchase new instruments..."Can you do a fundraiser for it?"
While no one likes to hear it, the question still remains. Should we rely on parents and fundraising to keep our music programs going?
Although I feel that part of the money can come from fundraising, I do not feel that all of it should. Yes I understand that parents are roped in there too, but think about it, they have already invested time and money into your son/daughter's musical experience. Whether it is buying music, instruments, lessons, paying for gas to get them to and from rehearsals, taking time off of work to chaperone a trip...you get where I'm going.
Back to the fundraising half...if you are running a music program in your school, I feel that funding for the essentials should come from your district. Although it may be tricky, you should not be relying on fundraising for everything. What it boils down to is the fact that there are some things that are necessary for a music program to not only survive, but provide our students with a good education. Let's look at a choir for example. If you were to go into a program as the new choir director and walked into an empty room, what is one of the first things you would think is missing? A PIANO!!! In this case, I do not think that the choir should be required to raise the money for the piano. This is a piece of equipment that is necessary for the group to learn and grow as musicians. I'm not saying that you need to go out and buy a Steinway Model D. I'm saying that you need something that is fully functional, that will last a long time, and is of high quality. If you are in a district that is tighter on money, look at some of the Yamaha electronic pianos. They are much less money, but at the same time, provide q quality sound with the feel of a true grand piano. If your district is willing to spend the extra money, invest in a baby grand that will last longer. Just remember that it is much more expensive.
How about band?
I personally would walk into that same empty room and say," where are the stands?" No, you don't need the best of the best, but you at least need something that the students can put their music on.
What should fundraising money go to?
I think one of the biggest, if the school doesn't want to pay for it, is marching band uniforms. These can get quite expensive because of the numbers that you need to order. If you consult with FJM or DeMoulin, you will realize that you could be spending upwards of $30,000! That's quite a big number to swallow. What you can do is talk with the district and ask if they will contribute a small amount and you will raise the rest. Even if it takes a few years to raise the money, the students will appreciate what they have done and feel a sense of ownership when they wear the uniforms.
Field trips.
While it would be ideal for a school to fly the whole band to Disney every other year, it's not realistic...it's the same thing as with uniforms. If you can get the district to fund a little bit of it because you are representing the town and what a great school system it is, GREAT. If not, well you need to raise the money. Once again, it gives the students a feeling of pride and ownership that they were able to raise the money so they can have the best experiences of their high school career. I can remember back to my senior year and even my sophomore year where we went on big trips. They were some of the best times of my high school career and all I can do is look back and see how hard we worked as a group to make it happen.
So what's my point?
My point is that I don't think that a music program should be surviving just off of fundraising and least of all parents (they're better for man power!). I believe that it is up to the district to provide the essentials to keep the program running. If there are other things that are desired, it is up to the director and the students to come up with a way to raise the money for them.
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