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Reagan @ Macy's Parade


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Just saw Ronald Reagan HS on the parade and thought they looked and sounded amazing!!

 

I am wondering....how much does a trip like that cost?  Do they use Music Travel Consultants (MTC) like we did for GN?  How do you feed that many kids for that many days?  I saw they were there on Monday so that makes this trip 4-5 days long so I am assuming there was some sight seeing too?

 

Depending on the cost and logistics, I can see why a band would seriously consider this over GN since it costs $1,500 for Indy and no sight seeing!!

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Just saw Ronald Reagan HS on the parade and thought they looked and sounded amazing!!

 

I am wondering....how much does a trip like that cost? Do they use Music Travel Consultants (MTC) like we did for GN? How do you feed that many kids for that many days? I saw they were there on Monday so that makes this trip 4-5 days long so I am assuming there was some sight seeing too?

 

Depending on the cost and logistics, I can see why a band would seriously consider this over GN since it costs $1,500 for Indy and no sight seeing!!

Someone with the program said on Reddit that they did fundraising but each family still paid $2800 for their band kid to go.

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Just saw Ronald Reagan HS on the parade and thought they looked and sounded amazing!!

 

I am wondering....how much does a trip like that cost?  Do they use Music Travel Consultants (MTC) like we did for GN?  How do you feed that many kids for that many days?  I saw they were there on Monday so that makes this trip 4-5 days long so I am assuming there was some sight seeing too?

 

Depending on the cost and logistics, I can see why a band would seriously consider this over GN since it costs $1,500 for Indy and no sight seeing!!

My understanding is that is more expensive than a trip to Indy due to the extended period of time and the fact that New York is not a cheap place to stay. I recall a post earlier this year from a parent that breakfast alone for their programs was an obscene amount of money and they had 350 students there - 

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Maybe the poster on Reddit was including their regular band fees in his total. These trips ain’t cheap but they are oh so worth it I’m sure.

 

On a similar note, I’m appalled at a YouTube video of Leander at GN where people are commenting on how the only reason these schools win competitions is because of money. They obviously have no clue how hard these kids work. Yes, money can buy great designers and directors but not every great program has tons of money. Also, some are just tremendously good at fundraising. Not every district gives their bands (or their directors!) a ton of money. It takes a lot of factors and I hate to see such hard work and talent degraded in such a way. I guess it’s inevitable but it’s a shame really. At least the band kids know the truth!

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Maybe the poster on Reddit was including their regular band fees in his total. These trips ain’t cheap but they are oh so worth it I’m sure.

 

On a similar note, I’m appalled at a YouTube video of Leander at GN where people are commenting on how the only reason these schools win competitions is because of money. They obviously have no clue how hard these kids work. Yes, money can buy great designers and directors but not every great program has tons of money. Also, some are just tremendously good at fundraising. Not every district gives their bands (or their directors!) a ton of money. It takes a lot of factors and I hate to see such hard work and talent degraded in such a way. I guess it’s inevitable but it’s a shame really. At least the band kids know the truth!

Absolutely! The truth is strong MS programs, minimal attrition of students, and retention of staff are the major contributing factors to success. Money opens doors for sure in terms of design, but it surely won’t make the kids more attentive during rehearsal or mean directors will be more effective and efficient with use of their 8 hours or inspire parents and kids to buy into 7 years of band. District support at all levels, and minimal competing programs (not having orchestra class in 4th grade competing with band for students for example) are also factors. I think money is fundraised by successful programs because parents and students are involved and driven to be successful in band and in everything else in their lives. On the flipside there are plenty of programs with plenty of money (member’s families and/or from the district) that aren’t nearly as successful as Leander. Period. Money matters, but only so much.

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Absolutely! The truth is strong MS programs, minimal attrition of students, and retention of staff are the major contributing factors to success. Money opens doors for sure in terms of design, but it surely won’t make the kids more attentive during rehearsal or mean directors will be more effective and efficient with use of their 8 hours or inspire parents and kids to buy into 7 years of band. District support at all levels, and minimal competing programs (not having orchestra class in 4th grade competing with band for students for example) are also factors. I think money is fundraised by successful programs because parents and students are involved and driven to be successful in band and in everything else in their lives. On the flipside there are plenty of programs with plenty of money (member’s families and/or from the district) that aren’t nearly as successful as Leander. Period. Money matters, but only so much.

Great points all around. There are so many factors in what makes a band like Leander (and so many others!) so good and it takes EVERY one of those factors to succeed at such a high level.

 

Also, it’s good to see you again friend!

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