Supplies & Fees

It is against Spring ISD policy for payments of any kind to be paid with a personal check

We are now able to accept online payments for band fees. Please click here to visit our Revtrack online store. 

Please email or print your receipt and turn it into one of the band directors in order to see your balance updated in your charms office account. 


SUPPLIES

All students will need the following materials for their band class (this applies to Symphonic, Concert, and Beginning Band members). 

There are some supplies that benefit the whole class that may be donated to the program at any time. These are not required supplies, but donations will benefit all students in the program to help maintain a successful learning environment. 

These supplies include:

EXPLANATION OF FEES

Below is a breakdown of what our fees cover as well as a few answers to commonly asked questions. We are extremely flexible when it comes to money. If there is ever a concern over a fee, you may contact us at any time. 

Item: Instrument Rental Fee, District Mandated

Cost: $80 for the school year, $40 for the summer

ALL STUDENTS USING A DISTRICT INVENTORY INSTRUMENT ARE REQUIRED TO PAY THIS FEE. 

Description: Spring ISD provides school district owned instruments for students in need.  There is an $80 user fee for using this instrument for the school year and $40 for the summer. It is expected that this instrument will undergo no more than a normal amount of wear and tear. The user fees are used to offset expenses for normal end-of-year maintenance. 


The $80 fee can be paid with cash or money order. Individual payment plans can also be arranged, but non-payment will result in the instrument being recalled by the school until payment is received as well as students may not qualify for events throughout the year. 

NOTE: Families in need of assistance for this fee will be handled on a case by case basis privately with the band directors. We do not want money to ever prevent a student from being a part of the program. 


Item: Supply Fee

Cost: $45

ALL NEW AND RETURNING STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO PAY THIS FEE.

Description: The Supply Fee is the primary classroom fee for SIS Bammel Band. This fee is used to pay for all the supplies your student will be provided in class to be successful. These supplies include a 3 ring binder, pencils, and sheet music. Additionally this fee also pays a portion of the various uniform cleaning fees, transportation fees for busses for academic field trips, and entry fees for some competitions. This fee does not cover the costs of extracurricular events such as our end of year reward field trips, however if a student does not pay the supply fee, they may not eligible to attend such extracurricular events.

The fee also pays for our Blue Polo shirt is customized with our SIS Bammel Band logo (shown below). This shirt serves as our informal uniform for all performances and public outings at which our students are representing our school and program. Once a student has purchased their shirt, they are not required to buy it again in subsequent years they are in the program. Students that already have a shirt may choose to receive a new one, donate it to the program, or give it to a friend in need. The shirt is considered a school spirit shirt and may be worn by any student of any grade level on Fridays and may be worn as a standard dress code shirt for 7th graders any day of the week.

NOTE: Because different versions of this shirt have been part of our program for so long, it is common for older siblings and family members to pass their shirt down to their younger siblings. Due to the rebranding of Bammel Middle School into the School of International Studies at Bammel, we have redesigned the shirt to reflect the new school name. We will no longer sell shirts with the former Bammel MS Band logo, however, we will still allow the old shirt to be worn for events. Overtime the old shirt will be phased out and the new logo will be used exclusively.


Item: Reeds

Cost: $3 per reed for Clarinets & Saxophones, $15 per reed for Bassoons & Oboes

Reeds are required in order for the instrument to produce a sound and cannot be played without them. 

Description: For clarinets and saxophones the preferred reed of the Bammel Band are the Vandoren "Blue Box" reeds. Beginners will typically start with a 2 or 2 1/2 strength reed, and then be moved to different strength reeds as the directors or masterclass staff deem appropriate. It is important to first speak with someone on the music staff if you are unsure about the type of reed to purchase. 

For bassoon and oboe reeds the Bammel Band prefers to purchase reeds that are made by our selected masterclass staff. This allows reeds to be tailor-made to the needs of the students, and are of a superior quality compared to other available options. 

Reeds do not need to be purchased through the band program however we do provide this option to be more convenient and to help keep reeds cost-effective for our students and their families. All reeds can be purchased from your local music store, though they may be more expensive, as well as for clarinets and saxophones can online be purchased by the box. 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FEES

Many of the questions you may have regarding fees are answered below. Please contact us if you still have questions regarding fees.


Q: Do I need to buy the a new polo every year?

A: Once your child buys a Band Polo, they may use it for their entire time they are a part of the Bammel Band program. We have created a new design to reflect the changes made to The School for International Studies at Bammel, however we will allow students that have our former design to continue using their shirts. The only reason a student will need to buy a new polo is if their shirt becomes too small or damaged. 

If you would like to purchase a blue band polo with our new design you are more then welcome to. 


Q: I already bought my older child a Band Polo when they were at Bammel. Can my younger child use the same shirt?

A: Possibly! The band polo was redesigned for this school year to reflect changes made to the campus. New polos will be made from a different material and have the updated design. For informal performances, students are welcome to use either the new or old polo. However if we have a formal performance students will need the new polo. We can allow students to borrow a polo for our extra inventory if they are available, however shirts need to be returned or students will be asked to buy the polo. If there are multiple children from a family in the program at the same time, each child active in our program will need their own shirt.


Q: My child already has a blue collared shirt. Why do I need to pay $25 for your shirt? That seems steep.

A: Our polos are made from a high quality performance material that will last for the entire time your child is in our program. It is custom embroidered with our logo (shown above) and cannot be purchased anywhere else. This shirt is used for public performances and on field trips as well. This shirt is our informal uniform and failing to have this shirt means that your student isn't in uniform. We sell our shirts at cost meaning we do not make any profits off them. We buy them for $25 each from the manufacturer and that is what we charge you. At this time it is not possible to order shirts directly from the manufacturer, however this is an option we will explore in the future if it becomes available. 


Q: What exactly does the supply portion of the band fee pay for?

A: The Supply Fee pays for the cost of the school supplies we provide to your student (3 Ring binder, sheet protectors, pencil pouch, highlighters, pencils), printer paper, sheet music that we must own to legally perform it, transportation costs for school buses for academic field trips, and entry fees for certain competitions. We have to pay for every supply, school bus, and entry fee we provide to our students whether the fee is paid or not. This fee does NOT pay for extracurricular field trips that are not a class requirement (i.e., Skating, Baseball or Waterpark field trips).


Q: What do I do if my student runs out reeds or other supplies?

A: If a student is a single reed player (ex. Clarinet and Saxophone) they will have two options to get new reeds. They may either go to Music and Arts/H&H on their own and purchase a new box of reeds, or they may bring money to the band hall and purchase individual reeds for $3 each from the directors. Double reed players will primarily talk to the band directors to purchase reeds. The reason for this is our private lessons staff have the ability to make Oboe and Bassoon reeds by hand that are not only better in quality, but in some cases better in price as well. Also due to the cost of these reeds the band directors help sponsor a portion of the cost to assist families. 


Q: I have multiple children in band at the same time. Do I really need to pay a fee for each child?

A: Yes, however the band directors are more than willing to work with families that are in need of financial assistance with these matters. Arrangements will be made on a case by case basis. If you are in need of financial aid with fees please contact the band directors to discuss the situation as soon as possible.


Q: What if I can’t pay? What are the consequences for not paying?

A: If your family is experiencing hardships, please communicate that to the directors as soon as possible. We have worked with families in the past to create payment plans, waive partial fees, or waive total fees as situations dictate. 

Students that fail to pay their balances without communicating hardship are in jeopardy of being ineligible to attend extracurricular trips. We do not want to keep students from attending trips with us, but their education comes first and the payment of fees goes toward their band education. A student will never be forbidden from participating in academic actives, including concerts, contests, and competitions for failing to pay their fees.


Q: If we have to pay band fees, why does my child have to fundraise?

A: Only a portion of our program is funded by the Supply Fee. The remaining funding comes from fundraising. Students are encouraged to fundraise, however no student is required to fundraise. Fundraising is not a replacement for paying the $45 fee. Both are critical towards ensuring our program has the necessary funds to give our students the best possible experience at the lowest cost for parents. When a student fails to turn in fundraising money, it is the equivalent of stealing from the band program. We have to pay for every box of chocolate we order whether we sell it or not. Students that fail to turn in their fundraising money will not be allowed to fundraise in the future, or attend extracurricular trips until their balance is paid off.


Q: What happens if every student paid their fees and outstanding balances?

A: We realistically understand that 100% of students will not pay their fees. Our program goal is 80%. As previously mentioned, we have to pay for the items we provide, or sell to students whether students turn their money in or not. Often times the “profit” from fundraising is necessary just to break even from uncollected fees. 

However, when all, or even just most of the outstanding fees are collected, we can turn around and use any "profit" from fundraising to provide additional opportunities to students such as lowering the cost of extracurricular field trips that are not covered in the Supply Fee cost. 

Bammel MS Band is a non-profit organization and will always use funds that would otherwise be referred to as "profit" from fundraisers to improve student experience in and outside of our classroom. Our goal is to reduce costs where we can. We cannot do it when our students have unpaid balances. We will never use supply fees to pay for extracurricular activities, only "profits" from fundraising as long as enough fees have been paid to allow the extra funds to be applied towards extracurricular activities. 


As always if there are any further questions you may contact us.