There's a lot to look forward to when it comes to indoor percussion shows. There's liberty to explore more creative compositions, experiment with uniforms and costuming and test your drumline's chops at competitions. But with all these new elements of indoor percussion season come many new expenses, too. As a band director, outlining a budget is extremely important to keep your funds organized and help the program stay afloat. Here are some ways you can better plan this budget and have a great indoor season:
Sufficiently plan it out
Your budget for the winter will share some aspects with fall marching band season, but there will be a few differentiating expenses. One of those will be competitions. Preparing for the indoor drumline competitions takes foresight and planning, factoring in travel and entry fee expenses, purchasing show packages, indoor percussion products and costumes. These can all add up really quickly. If you consider them ahead of time, though, and prepare your budget for any surprise thrown at you in the upcoming season, you're less likely to overspend or run out of funds.
Consider used uniforms
Outfitting your team in uniforms or performance costumes can be expensive. Whether this cost falls onto the program budget or the musicians and their families, looking for less costly options that still reflect the performance or school will keep everyone happy. Uniforms can cost an upward of $300, and that's without the cost of shoes and other accessories. An alternative to buying new or custom uniforms is buying them used. While buying previously owned uniforms has its obvious downsides, they are still easily adjustable and can be altered to fit your needs. It's environmentally friendly to be thrifty, too!
Organize fundraisers
If you've planned out what you'll need to spend for the season but can't arrange your budget to accommodate, it may be time to organize a fundraiser. Not only can the fundraiser help pay for these new expenses, it can offer great exposure for the drumline and allow people in the community a chance to get to know more about the program. You can take advantage of this opportunity by organizing a drumline battle or some other type of performance-based fundraiser that brings the group to the community's attention and help raise money for their upcoming season.
For more indoor percussion tips and techniques as well as complete drill show packages, contact Marching Show Concepts today!