Is Our Band Coming To D.C.?
by Nestor on Dec 14, 2009 11:04 AM PST
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PrintI am hearing rumors that our band might not be coming to DC. However, have not seen anything official posted anywhere yet. So throwing this fanpost up so that we can hear directly from band members who are either member of BN or hang out in this community.
Are the rumors true? Are you guys not coming to DC? If it is true what are the reasons for it?
Just how much does it cost for UCLA to send a band to DC? Can they look to outside sources for it?
Let's see a school like Alabama can cancel couple of days of classes (which they will make up later per my understanding) and yet UCLA administration cannot spare change to send the band to DC?
Again, would like to hear if the rumor is true about the UCLA administration not sending our band to DC. If it's true, would love to hear who we should blast with emails letting them know about our thoughts on this. Thanks.
GO BRUINS.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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I don't have numbers or insider info
but I remember from being in the band in the early 90’s that it takes a lot of money to travel. Airfare, lodging, and food for 250-300 people is huge right off the bat. Some instruments are easy to transport, but drums, sousaphones, and others need to be shipped. I know the band does fundraising well in advance when trips are planned to places such as Notre Dame or Tennessee.
I am not at all trying to be an apologist, nor am I suggesting for a minute that the band should not go. I strongly believe the full band should be there. I’m just saying I wouldn’t be shocked if the number-crunchers decide not to send the whole band.
No worries
I am just trying to get an idea on how much does it cost to send a small group. Also, haven’t seen any confirmation here that the rumor is true yet. So was hoping to hear directly from the band members on BN.
Sad but true
Bowl trips are one of the most exciting parts of marching band, we love to get to travel, see new places, and of course support the team. Especially after there not being a bowl game last year, we were all very excited for the prospects of a bowl trip this year. Sadly, there will not be one for us. There is not enough money in the bowl payout apparently to send a band, even a small pep band.
This is really disappointing my (5th year) senior year to not get to go to a bowl game. I do know that sending a band across country with flights and hotels is very expensive. I remember when we played Florida State in the emerald bowl my sophmore year, they didn’t send a band across country. Mid-tier bowl game, low pay out = no band. I wish there was more money for bands but sadly we’re low on the totem pole of athletics
by truebluebruin24 on Dec 14, 2009 11:58 AM PST reply actions
Agree -- Let's get a number
and see if it’s realistic to help out.
I would think the band should travel on the “profits” from the bowl game.
I think they are as much a part of the program as is the team.
They, too, give up a lot of time and effort and to me, they are, part of what makes UCLA football UCLA football.
sjh
by Class of 66 on Dec 14, 2009 12:35 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Money
The actual costs of planes/instrument travel/lodging/food is not something band members have access to, but i can try and forward that question along to our directors to see how much the cost is. I know that our trip to tennessee used up all of the money the band had saved up (and had spare from the Notre Dame trip). That trip was purchased though way in advance, i’m sure buying tickets with only a month notice during holiday season is even more expensive.
When we look around the nation at some schools (mostly private) that have much more money for their bands to travel, it makes you very sad and aware of the plight of music and the arts in our public schools, just look at what is going on in LAUSD right now.
by truebluebruin24 on Dec 14, 2009 12:15 PM PST reply actions
Money
I know that the Notre Dame trip ended up costing over $200,000 for the entire band. We fund raised for about 4 years to get that trip and had a massive campaign in ’05. Heck, sending the band via bus to El Paso for the sun bowl, staying two nights, and coming back was over $80,000. I really doubt the band would have nearly the funds required to send even a portion.
Again question for you guys
1) what exactly is the budget we are looking at in terms of sending the seniors from our band (the group who deserves it the most) to this roadtrip?
2) who within the UCLA administration we can lobby vigorously to make this happen?
contacts
You can find contact info for marching band director Gordon Henderson and assistant director Jennifer Judkins (“JJ”) at uclaband.com. They are not the budgetary decision makers, but I have to believe if someone came to them with a well-reasoned approach about wanting to help, they would be able to guide potential donors toward the right decision makers.
It would be a horrible sign & fiscally irresponsible to send a band to DC when they’re raising fees. I’m all about school spirit, but not when we’re spending tax dollars.
Even just sending a small band (say 50 people) would be upwards of $50,000 for airfare, shared hotel rooms. Not including food, transportation in DC, other misc costs.
Now, if it was done with donor money, that’s cool. I’ve donated to the band, the alumni association, etc in the past so I’d be willing.
Maybe the athletic dept can cover it from revenue?
oh yeah, my estimate is based on years of logistics planning… Again, that’s just for airfare & lodging. Oversized instruments, vans/buses, food, tickets to the game would easily add another $150-200 per person…
Also can you please use the subject line your post
To give us an idea of exactly what the point of your post is. You do that a lot. It’s kind of lazy, message board posting that gets annoying.
Why would something horribly and fiscally irresponsible?
If the fund was raised through private donations from boosters and alums? Moreover, why wouldn’t something like this budgeted through the revenues generated by the football team, which actually raises millions of dollars for the university. The concept is called brand marketing, enhancing its profile for the long term, bringing in additional revenues for the institution.
It’s the classic long term thinking that has been missing from the UCLA’s athletic departments marketing personnel. So knee jerk reaction connecting it to the optics of fundraising is shortsighted and displays a lack of understanding in terms of looking at all angles to enhance a program and the university around it.
costs
Roughly 60,000 for a 50 piece band with all the expenses. By contrasts, the trip to notre dame was 140,000 for full band, though that was with the benefit of purchasing discounts much in advance and not during the holiday time
by truebluebruin24 on Dec 14, 2009 8:19 PM PST up reply actions
Now is when we need to find three wealthy alums, even if they're not influential
Didn’t someone furnish a plane for Coach Neuheisel (or maybe it was a helicopter.) Anyway, I want the band to be there. I guess I’m old fashioned, but it doesn’t seem the same without the band.
We need a number, then we need to figure out how to get to that number.
Something tells me this isn’t going to be easy.
It's just a tough situation all around.
If this was a Pac-10 affiliated bowl or even the Humanitarian Bowl, the costs may have been more reasonable. As it is, any outside trips to regular season or postseason games (such as this year’s Tennessee trip) are less feasible for the time being. As truebluebruin24 already said, we were fortunate to have extra money available for Tennessee (and no one will ever convince me that we didn’t make a difference in the outcome of that game, haha).
But right now, it’s more important for the band to be able to recruit, retain, and provide for current and future members than to take these kind of trips, and that’s where the money that we personally receive needs to go first and foremost. That’s just the reality.
And as always, the support you guys give us really is appreciated.
good post
Just a question: How much (if any) do band members have to pay out of pocket during trips?
it really depends on the case
there’s no set number. I’m not sure how it’s determined, usually is dependent on how many people we have on the trip and how much help we get from the athletic dep’t.
Thanks for the info HR
Again, can’t make it any more clear. If you guys need help, please come on over here and tell us. I was really hoping to see you guys in RFK. Listening to you guys in DC would have been epic.
Another time.
not to be overly snarky, but all bands recruit.
200 – 300 students don’t fall out of trees, even if you make all the music majors do band as a graduation requirement.
A full band trip is quite expense. It’s as much gear as the football team, and twice to four times the people.
Go Bears Go
by Rocksanddirt on Dec 18, 2009 4:33 PM PST up reply actions
Sad, but true...
My (band member) son already knew when he came home for winter break that the band would not be traveling to the bowl game. And this was before the Army-Navy game was even played!!
This may sound silly but.....
the main problem is that the marching band is part of (and funded by) the music dept. instead of the athletic dept.
For the most part, I believe that schools where you see the band at every game are funded by the athletic depts of those schools.
Someone up above asked about spending money. Back in my day (when we used to go to rose bowls!) we would get about $300 each for spending money.
The hialrious part of that entire post
Is that you guys were getting $300 for ‘spending money’, but if that had been a member of the football team, the football team would have been forced to forfeit all of their games.
Oh, the irony of the NCAA.
Are most fans funded by the athletic departments?
It would be interesting if they were and we could get a pros and cons list of each. This would be for someone with a far greater music knowledge than I.
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Dec 16, 2009 2:12 PM PST up reply actions
The bands are in different places in different schools
Many are part of the music dept, and generally music performance majors have to do a certain number of years of band to graduate.
Cal and Stanfurd (and I’m sure others) have it as part of the general “student activities”, where things like fraternaties and other clubs are.
a very few have it as part of the Athletic Dept, but that’s rare as the missions are so different.
When it is not part of the music dept, the budgetary flexibility for last minute travel can be greater, and not competing with other academic activities, but generally lower tier bowls don’t provide enough by way of expenses support for the full band to go, unless it’s really close. Cal could do the emerald bowl last year, becuase it was a 30 min bus ride, this year only enough $ is available for a small group to attend the poinsettia bowl in SD.
It’s to bad, that there’s not enough for even a small group to go to the bowl, I think it is very important.
Go Bears Go
by Rocksanddirt on Dec 18, 2009 4:40 PM PST up reply actions
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