MARCHING BAND UNIFORM CAMPAIGN
As public education provides a benefit to the entire community, public education is necessarily a community endeavor. The Dansville High School Marching Band is a high-profile institution that provides a critical link between the school and the community it serves.
After 30 years, the Dansville High School Marching Band’s current uniforms have served the school well and are due for retirement. While age alone does not dictate value, most school band programs replace uniforms after ten to fifteen years. They are outdated, incomplete, worn, and water-damaged: sub-standard compared to other similarly sized schools in mid-Michigan. The summation of these factors on each student-performer is a uniform that is unpleasant to wear, stifles the pride that students ought to feel in their work, and enforces a perception that the band is undervalued. The primary audience of a band uniform is truly the student who wears it, and it should inspire some level of pride.
Through an evaluation of three uniform manufacturers, the cost to provide quality uniforms for a 40-50 member ensemble has been assessed at approximately $30,000; certainly a substantial investment. However, the result will be a marked improvement in the student experience and enhanced perception of the band by audiences and adjudicators alike.
Furthermore, this improvement will widen the appeal of music at Dansville Schools, encouraging more students to study music, which has a measurable, positive effect on both academic achievement and quality of life.
Improved uniforms, to be acquired for the 2018 or 2019 school year, will intentionally harken to Dansville’s past. In so doing, they will reflect the community’s long-standing pride in its school. Moreover, they will provide students with the quality performance-wear that is standard across the activity and mold the perception of the marching band into that of a first-class organization.
In a traditional marching band, uniforms serve three complimentary purposes:
1. Feature the visual element of a performance.
2. Promote pride and unity.
3. Project a positive image of the school.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The manufacturing and construction of band uniforms has dramatically changed and improved over the last decades. Zippers are covered to enhance aesthetics; trousers are constructed as bib-overalls to improve fit and function; new materials consist of synthetic/polyester fabrics, which serve the duel benefit of reducing unit cost, while also extending the life of each garment.
Design selection focused primarily on a cost-effective uniform that is built to last, yet the new uniforms are also modeled after those from the band’s history. The “West Point” style, while common among certain high school bands that maintain a military marching tradition, is unique in Michigan and embodies the traditional, conservative aesthetic that is characteristic of the Dansville Band.
The budgeted amount reflects the purchase of 70 uniforms for an approximately 50 student band. Each uniform costs approximately $500. To provide the first components of the uniform for the fall 2018 season, an order must be placed by January 2018. The estimate also includes plastic hat boxes and garment bags which not only prolong the useful life of each garment, but are essential equipment to protect uniforms during future band trips.
MANUFACTURER DESCRIPTION
The band program is evaluating products from three manufacturers:
1 - Orefice LTD (Grand Rapids, MI) Uniform provider for: Grand Valley State University, Jenison High School, and others.
2 - DeMoulin Bros. & Co. (Greenville, IL) Uniform provider for: The University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and others. Manufactures in the United States.
3 - Stanbury Uniforms Inc. (Brookfield, MO) Uniform provider for: Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Williamston High School, and others. Stanbury has provided design service for this project at no additional cost. Manufactures in the United States.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
The Dansville High School Marching Band has been performing at concerts, parades, and athletic events in Dansville and across North America for more than 90 years. As the district’s marquee ensemble, it has three primary functions:
1. Provide a high quality music education to Dansville students. In 2016, the High School Band provided instruction encompassing music, discipline, and leadership development to 32 students. In total, Dansville’s music program educates about 400 students each school year. Participation in the arts is not only rewarding to each student, but also provides tangential benefits that enhance all aspects of student life at Dansville Schools and beyond. Quality arts education, including music, is a vital component of student growth and the development of engaged citizens.
2. Enhance appreciation for the arts in the community. Music education is not only for Dansville’s students. In 2016, school ensembles performed in front of nearly 3,000 combined community members at concerts, parades, and athletic events. For many Dansville citizens, the High School Marching Band is the only live music they will experience. As such, it is incumbent upon the band to communicate to a large audience that is not reached by other means.
3. Be an ambassador for Dansville Schools. The band was enthusiastically received by collegiate adjudicators and thousands of spectators at the 2016 Grand Ledge Marching Band Exhibition. Much like an athletic team, when the marching band travels, it represents the entire school district. We strive to make Dansville’s image a positive one, wherever the band performs.
The success of the High School Band indicates the success of the entire music department, and we are proud that our program continues to grow. Improving the student experience by replacing uniforms is one crucial element in the positive momentum of the total program.
For some students, the High School Band may provide a springboard to collegiate ensembles and careers as professional musicians or music educators. For most, it will be the capstone ensemble of their musical experience and they will continue on to pursue education and employment in every imaginable field. As a component of Dansville’s comprehensive approach to public education, “The Pride of the Aggies” provides life-lessons that enrich the lives of students and audiences alike.
The Dansville High School Marching Band has a proud history, but its best years are ahead. As an innovative ensemble, solidly rooted in tradition, the band maintains a limitless capacity to Educate, Inspire, and Succeed. With your support, we will uphold the Dansville Band’s “Tradition of Excellence” and sustain a program of which the students, school, and community will be proud.
DART FOUNDATION GRANT (AWARDED MARCH 2017)
Dear Mrs. McNabb,
Congratulations! The request for your project titled Dansville High School Marching Band Uniform Campaign has been approved for funding, in the amount of $5,000.
The grant is conditional and considered ‘last dollars in.’ The award will officially be made once Dansville provides evidentiary support that its fundraising efforts have been successful and the amount remaining to complete the project has been acquired. The ‘evidentiary support’ can be in the form of documentation provided hard copy or email confirming the amount(s) received along with the source(s). Individual donors who wish to remain anonymous can be listed as such. Dansville will have until June 30, 2018 to meet the condition of this grant.
A Letter of Agreement will be sent to you in the next few weeks, which we request that you sign and upload to your grantee portal.
Upon receipt of the confirmation that the difference needed to purchase the uniforms has been obtained, the Dart Foundation will generate a check for $5,000 made payable to Dansville Public Schools.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Dart Foundation
As public education provides a benefit to the entire community, public education is necessarily a community endeavor. The Dansville High School Marching Band is a high-profile institution that provides a critical link between the school and the community it serves.
After 30 years, the Dansville High School Marching Band’s current uniforms have served the school well and are due for retirement. While age alone does not dictate value, most school band programs replace uniforms after ten to fifteen years. They are outdated, incomplete, worn, and water-damaged: sub-standard compared to other similarly sized schools in mid-Michigan. The summation of these factors on each student-performer is a uniform that is unpleasant to wear, stifles the pride that students ought to feel in their work, and enforces a perception that the band is undervalued. The primary audience of a band uniform is truly the student who wears it, and it should inspire some level of pride.
Through an evaluation of three uniform manufacturers, the cost to provide quality uniforms for a 40-50 member ensemble has been assessed at approximately $30,000; certainly a substantial investment. However, the result will be a marked improvement in the student experience and enhanced perception of the band by audiences and adjudicators alike.
Furthermore, this improvement will widen the appeal of music at Dansville Schools, encouraging more students to study music, which has a measurable, positive effect on both academic achievement and quality of life.
Improved uniforms, to be acquired for the 2018 or 2019 school year, will intentionally harken to Dansville’s past. In so doing, they will reflect the community’s long-standing pride in its school. Moreover, they will provide students with the quality performance-wear that is standard across the activity and mold the perception of the marching band into that of a first-class organization.
In a traditional marching band, uniforms serve three complimentary purposes:
1. Feature the visual element of a performance.
2. Promote pride and unity.
3. Project a positive image of the school.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The manufacturing and construction of band uniforms has dramatically changed and improved over the last decades. Zippers are covered to enhance aesthetics; trousers are constructed as bib-overalls to improve fit and function; new materials consist of synthetic/polyester fabrics, which serve the duel benefit of reducing unit cost, while also extending the life of each garment.
Design selection focused primarily on a cost-effective uniform that is built to last, yet the new uniforms are also modeled after those from the band’s history. The “West Point” style, while common among certain high school bands that maintain a military marching tradition, is unique in Michigan and embodies the traditional, conservative aesthetic that is characteristic of the Dansville Band.
The budgeted amount reflects the purchase of 70 uniforms for an approximately 50 student band. Each uniform costs approximately $500. To provide the first components of the uniform for the fall 2018 season, an order must be placed by January 2018. The estimate also includes plastic hat boxes and garment bags which not only prolong the useful life of each garment, but are essential equipment to protect uniforms during future band trips.
MANUFACTURER DESCRIPTION
The band program is evaluating products from three manufacturers:
1 - Orefice LTD (Grand Rapids, MI) Uniform provider for: Grand Valley State University, Jenison High School, and others.
2 - DeMoulin Bros. & Co. (Greenville, IL) Uniform provider for: The University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and others. Manufactures in the United States.
3 - Stanbury Uniforms Inc. (Brookfield, MO) Uniform provider for: Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Williamston High School, and others. Stanbury has provided design service for this project at no additional cost. Manufactures in the United States.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
The Dansville High School Marching Band has been performing at concerts, parades, and athletic events in Dansville and across North America for more than 90 years. As the district’s marquee ensemble, it has three primary functions:
1. Provide a high quality music education to Dansville students. In 2016, the High School Band provided instruction encompassing music, discipline, and leadership development to 32 students. In total, Dansville’s music program educates about 400 students each school year. Participation in the arts is not only rewarding to each student, but also provides tangential benefits that enhance all aspects of student life at Dansville Schools and beyond. Quality arts education, including music, is a vital component of student growth and the development of engaged citizens.
2. Enhance appreciation for the arts in the community. Music education is not only for Dansville’s students. In 2016, school ensembles performed in front of nearly 3,000 combined community members at concerts, parades, and athletic events. For many Dansville citizens, the High School Marching Band is the only live music they will experience. As such, it is incumbent upon the band to communicate to a large audience that is not reached by other means.
3. Be an ambassador for Dansville Schools. The band was enthusiastically received by collegiate adjudicators and thousands of spectators at the 2016 Grand Ledge Marching Band Exhibition. Much like an athletic team, when the marching band travels, it represents the entire school district. We strive to make Dansville’s image a positive one, wherever the band performs.
The success of the High School Band indicates the success of the entire music department, and we are proud that our program continues to grow. Improving the student experience by replacing uniforms is one crucial element in the positive momentum of the total program.
For some students, the High School Band may provide a springboard to collegiate ensembles and careers as professional musicians or music educators. For most, it will be the capstone ensemble of their musical experience and they will continue on to pursue education and employment in every imaginable field. As a component of Dansville’s comprehensive approach to public education, “The Pride of the Aggies” provides life-lessons that enrich the lives of students and audiences alike.
The Dansville High School Marching Band has a proud history, but its best years are ahead. As an innovative ensemble, solidly rooted in tradition, the band maintains a limitless capacity to Educate, Inspire, and Succeed. With your support, we will uphold the Dansville Band’s “Tradition of Excellence” and sustain a program of which the students, school, and community will be proud.
DART FOUNDATION GRANT (AWARDED MARCH 2017)
Dear Mrs. McNabb,
Congratulations! The request for your project titled Dansville High School Marching Band Uniform Campaign has been approved for funding, in the amount of $5,000.
The grant is conditional and considered ‘last dollars in.’ The award will officially be made once Dansville provides evidentiary support that its fundraising efforts have been successful and the amount remaining to complete the project has been acquired. The ‘evidentiary support’ can be in the form of documentation provided hard copy or email confirming the amount(s) received along with the source(s). Individual donors who wish to remain anonymous can be listed as such. Dansville will have until June 30, 2018 to meet the condition of this grant.
A Letter of Agreement will be sent to you in the next few weeks, which we request that you sign and upload to your grantee portal.
Upon receipt of the confirmation that the difference needed to purchase the uniforms has been obtained, the Dart Foundation will generate a check for $5,000 made payable to Dansville Public Schools.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Dart Foundation