Performer Dues

[eatbreathespin]

I've been marching in a SO guard for the past few years and our winterguard costs on average $1,100 for the season, down payment.

this hasn't changed much since we were in A class a few years back, so I don't think it varies that much by class, atleast for scholastic.

our fall payments are only a couple hundred dollars, but by the end of the season after all the misc. payments made for fabric, new equipment, etc is probably like $500.

but we have a few fundraisers. a big one is our grocery card sales. we have parents who are grocery gift card providers, and if for every $100 in grocery cards they buy $10 goes into their personal account which can pay for their dues. it's really nice because it's pretty much free money, and it really adds up!

[PC]

Fifteen years ago, many, if not most, drum corps and many winterguard and marching band organizations had year-round bingo operations providing a relatively lucrative annual income. Nowadays, most of those operations have been abandoned because over-competition from new casinos and expanding state lottery operations made them unprofitable. Concurrently, pay-to-play policies became commonplace for high school marching band and colorguard/winterguard activities, and since all scholastic and most independent guard and marching organizations draw their members from a pool of kids used to paying stiff fees to participate, relatively high dues are no longer considered unusual by most new applicants.

The independent winterguard organizations I'm familiar with have simply adjusted to these new realities. Actual dues amounts are not defined until after enough auditions have been held to reasonably calculate the number of marching members and budget all the costs for the season minus any other sources of income or subsidy - then they calculate what they have to get in dues/fundraising per member.

It looks a lot more costly in dues than the old days, but that might just be lump sum sticker-shock. While it is certainly unfortunate that some kids just won't be able to afford it, I suspect that many others would rather pay up front, not have to work bingo and fundraisers year-round, and find it more convenient to just save or make up the cost working a conventional job or weedling it out of their parents and relatives. And I know it's a great relief to the organizers not to have to run bingo and fundraising year-round, and actually have summers off.

The local winterguard (IO) I help out has had a number of supporters and alumni chip in to sponsor kids whose families were in tough economic straights. And tough times are pretty common here in Michigan.