It is great to have new parents and students become involved with the Bellbrook Marching Band. Involvement with the Marching Band is hard work at times (for everyone) but leads to fun and excitement for the entire family. It is natural for rookie parents and students to have lots of questions. This booklet is an effort to answer some of your questions and get you off to a terrific start. After you have read through this information, if you still have questions be sure to ask someone who has been involved with the band for some time, or better yet, ask someone on the current Booster Leadership Committee. You can find information on the current leadership committee at the Marching Band website.

Booster Basics

• Why consider marching band for your child?
  
• What is music boosters?
  
• Who is part of the music booster organization?
  
• Why should I, as a parent, need to be involved with the music booster?
  
• How can I become involved with the boosters?

Parent Information - Concerns

• What is it going to cost me for my child to march with the band?
  
• What type of fund raising do I have to do?
  • SCRIP
  • UD concessions
  • Bellbrook Invitational 
  • Flower sales
  • Calendars
  • Dayton Dragons
  
  
• What is expected of a parent of a marching band student?  
• How can I get in contact with other parents in the band?  
• What kind of supervision does my child have when they are with the band?   
• Should I continue private lessons or add private lessons for my child?   
• When will I ever get to see what my child is going with band?  
• Am I responsible for all transportation of my child to events and practices?   
• I am going to be at a band event, does my child have to ride home with the band?   
• I never seem to know what is going on with band, how can I find out the information I need?

Student Related Information

• What is expected of the students in marching band?

• How much time is spent practicing?

• How easy will it be to get to know other band members?

• What kind of physical conditioning do I need to march in band?

• What can you tell me about uniforms?

• What kind of recognition is given to marching band members?

Band Camp Information

• What type of supervision is there at band camp?
  
• Where is band camp held?
  
• What should I bring to band camp?
  
• What is expected of the students at band camp?
  
• I have heard horror stories of band camp fatigue, what can I expect?

Competition Information

• What is the difference between MSBA(Mid-States) and BOA(Bands of America)?
  
• Can I take pictures at competitions?
  
• When and where do I get tickets for competitions?
  
• Where should I stay and when should I get hotel reservations for competitions?

Miscellaneous Information

• How do I found out where the band is performing?
  
• Where can I get all those neat souvenirs I see others have?
  
• Do you have any final words of wisdom for rookie parents?