Mr. Hartgrove is often asked why there are additional fees for participating in the Marching and Concert bands.  He put together the following document to offer an explanation of types of expenses that the band programs must cover.

From Mr. Hartgrove:

It is important to remember that our program is almost entirely self-funded. There is no “band budget” that is provided through the district or the state for our day-to-day educational and operational needs.

There are district mandated course and activity fees, which are highly limited in their use and are due upon registration at the bookstore. These fees do not begin to cover the needs of a comprehensive music education program.

The assessments that we collect literally form the operating budget of the program, and include, but are not limited to, the following:

Marching:

·         Instrument acquisition

·         Instrument maintenance and repair

·         Uniform rental, maintenance, and cleaning

·         Purchase of music (either published or arranged)

·         Show design and/or choreography

·         Required clothing such as polo shirts, t-shirts, marching shoes, gloves

·         Payment for supplemental instructional staff

·         Travel expenses including charter busing and meals

·         Facility expenses such as field lighting and paint

·         Miscellaneous equipment such as flip-folders, microphones, speakers, podium and stand maintenance, etc.

·         Band locker and lock rental

Concert - All of the same music, instrument, and locker needs as above, plus:

·         Supplemental instructors

·         Miscellaneous equipment

·         Registration costs for ABODA/AMEA events such as festivals, Solo and Ensemble, Regional and All-State auditions, etc.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. The Administration, Booster officers, and I greatly appreciate the value you place on music education in the life of your student, and for helping to ensure that our Band program continues to be vital and meaningful.

MPHS BAND ASSESSMENT FEES:

$300 for marching, and $200 for concert. As always, we highly encourage all of our families to take advantage of the AZ Tax Credit system (see the Booster site for more info). Families are more than welcome to pay all fees upfront in full, otherwise we ask that you observe the following due dates: (MAKE ALL PAYMENTS AT MPHS BOOKSTORE AND BRING MR. H YOUR PINK RECEIPTS!)