So i had a pretty good idea and i want your opinion. Next year i was thinking of collecting dues from everyone in the drumline. We have more than 30 people in the drumline, so 20 dollars from each person is at minimum 600 dollars! Our BD is a little slow on buying stuff for the drumline, so this money would go to new heads (for snares too, like nine new ones before football season starts) and new auxiliary percussion etc...Quints always need new heads so this is what the money would go to. When the money runs out we go back to using the bands money. What are your thoughts? Good? Bad?

There are goods and bads to that. The bads are that there is a chance that not everyone will pay, and no one except the staff (like band director) can really force students to pay..even then they cant pay but then there will be consequences, but thats an entire band thing..it can be just a section. I think if you were to say collect donations, instead of dues, than that would be good. Good part is that is a good idea to get those kind of things on your own as band directors can be slow on percussion items.

My drumline doesn't do that, we rely on the band budget and thats not really even a budget since the school system doesn't really like us, we barely get a budget, which is like 100 times smaller than the football budget..which is a very unsuccessful program right now. If we collect money, its for drumline shirts nothing more.

As long as your not forceful than im sure some people would be willing to donate and that can help..even if its $100 and not $600, thats better than $0.

seems that donations would be a more courteous way of extracting money...And i guess if the drumline knew what the money was going to they would probably be willing to donate.

Thumbs down on the idea. Any sort of money collecting should by done by the band director only. You can bring up that idea with your band director, but if he/she isn't paying for your percussion stuff, there's probably a financial reason why.

Unless the school district refuses to fund the band appropriately, no student money should be spent on maintance and upkeep of school equipment. Even in a situation of scholastic poverty, there are plenty of ways to raise funds beyond out-of-pocket payment. In my opinion it's morally wrong for students to rely on themselves to fund their education, be it difficult-to-purchase musical instruments, gym equipment, or textbooks. Your parents pay tax money already, so you should be getting your buck's worth.

If it's simply your BD being lazy and not taking the initative to go out and purchase what's needed to run his/her ensemble effectively, then just ask them about it. It's sort of stupid that a person who is in charge of an ensemble is refusing to take the time to buy the goods to make his/her group better.

Some things that I COULD see it being appropriate to collect money for, however, are sticks, since some people abuse their privilege of being granted sticks whenever a pair breaks, and goods that aren't necessarily "needed" but are desired, such as drumline uniform essentials like wristbands, or any other decorative items, as well as t-shirts and things that are just fun to purchase as a group.

Clearly, none of the responses thus far have been from anyone who is an actual educator.



In all seriousness, do you plan on going to college? Because according to your moral beliefs, you can't.

Collecting dues, or the "tour fee" that my program has is the way we fund almost everything except fuel and repairs. Both indoor and outdoor members pay a flat fee of $100 to participate in each program, which covers everything except implements.

It also makes it much easier to pay staff members that the district doesn't have the money for.

False.

I know that if my dues were OPTIONAL, I probably wouldn't pay them even if it was for the good of the order. Plus, there's always going to be someone who gets upset because they're giving more money so they deserve better equipment than those who weren't willing to donate, blah blah blah.

Believe me. It's easier just to say "Everyone bring in $20 for equipment." and post a list of who hasn't paid up for everyone to see.

He can't force anyone to pay. He can do that list thing, but without the directors permission to enact a due collection, he just doesn't have the power to collect an actual due.

College is a choice. Public education for grades 1-12 is not. I know that this is a vague response to a well-pointed rebuttal, but I haven't a lot of time at the moment to respond in detail as to why I feel that way.

Actually, grades 1-12 is a choice as well. There is no law that says you must attend school.

You'd be shunned by society for the most part if you didn't go to school, but it's not a law.

False.

Federal law mandates that a child must participate in some form of education until the age of 16. Doesn't matter if it's private, public, or home schooling. Individual states have the right to raise the minimum age requirement for dropping out but cannot lower it.

Yes, False, because, as akeith said, you have to have some kind of education until you are 16. We have been sent to court for missing 7 days of school in a semester without a doctor's excuse, but the got me and another person messed up, still In high school, you have seat time, which you can only miss 5 days unexcused or you dont get credits for the semester. I have been told that you must have a minimum if 145 days at school every year until you are 16, which you are aloud to drop out, but lose diver's liscens's and other important needs/privlages. You would be shunned by society though

Exception- You move to a different school in late november, during finals studying, so I got to wait until January to go back, which was not a problem.

Also, I belive certain religious beleifs can be an exception, but I'll have to get back to you on that.

That's a little harsh. It really depends on the situation at hand. Growing up in rural Kentucky I knew numerous people who left school as soon as they turned 16. Not because they hated school or didn't think education was important. It was mainly due to the fact they needed to work. Many grew up on the family horse farm or raised their own tobacco crop and they needed to help support their families rather than be in school all day. I never really subscribed to this point of view but I understood it. When your family has been on the same farm for 150 years priorities are at home. These people weren't trying to build a resume or go job hunting. They had a job and it was a job they would be doing for the rest of their lives. The things they needed to learn for their occupation were taught to them by their parents.

I'm a huge proponent of education and I think everybody should at least get through high school but I would never shun someone or make them an outcast until I knew the circumstances surrounding them.

I completely understand people leaving school to work the family farm. My wifes family is a farming family so I can see what that might happen.

General society, not rural societies, you drop out of HS, you're treated differently typically.

You're exactly right. Having spent the last decade or so in the Chicago area it's a little different story. Without stereotyping, most of the kids who are leaving school here are doing so for reasons such as laziness, behavioral issues, expulsion, etc. Something tells me they're not leaving school to work the family farm on Lake Shore Drive.

I can't quote the numbers from memory but the Tribune ran an article last year and stated that somewhere around 51% of all freshman in Chicago Public Schools will not graduate in four years. On top of that, only 6% will go on to obtain a bachelor's degree.

I honestly thought "No Child Left Behind" was supposed to fix this problem. What a joke.

I'm imagining rows of corn in Millenium Park...

BRILLIANT!

...or a herd of cattle drinking out of Buckingham Fountain.

if they are decicated enough to the activity then they will be willing to pay a mere $20. And it will help them be prepared for college when they have to buy their own instruments and music books etc etc...

Actually, there are laws in place that say if you are of school age, you must go to school. School age varies from state to state, but it is usually from 6-17 or 5-18. So, sorry to say, it is illegal to not go to school. Compulsory education actually began about sixty years ago.
http://www.enotes.com/everyday-law-encyclopedia/truancy#rational-for-truancy-laws

Yeah, thanks for the post long after I was corrected.

(are we trying to boost our post count?)

Oops. Sorry, I didn't see that post. Too quick to jump to the trigger I guess.