New Families 

We're gearing up for another year of great music and performances at South City! Our ensembles include concerts bands, choir, jazz band, winter guard, and winter percussion groups and a growing marching band and colorguard. Some groups practice during the school day as scheduled classes while others, such as marching band, require attendance after school on weeknights and weekends.

We look forward to sharing the fruits of our hard work as you support your students at concerts, practices and competitions. 

We also need your financial and volunteer support. The success of the music program depends upon an ongoing partnership between the directors and South City Band Guild (SCBG), a nonprofit organization of families and friends dedicated to supporting our music program. 

In a typical year, your donations to SCBG are needed to fund over a dozen additional staff members and music coaches who assist the directors, music, instruments repairs and replacement instruments, classroom supplies, out-of-town competitions, and more. Some years we have additional expenses when ensembles are invited to perform out-of-state.

Each year we calculate costs for each ensemble, divide by students participating, and determine a suggested tax-deductible donation. Precise amounts for these "asks" are determined in the spring, when budgets are finalized. To help with budgeting and meeting expenses, a portion of the amount is requested in the Spring before the school year starts and the remaining amount is requested during the school year, starting at Fall registration. 

As a public school, all students may participate in the music program, regardless of financial contribution. This model only works if most of our families donate.

Parent volunteers also help to plan, budget, raise funds, and staff events such as the Spaghetti Dinner, Mardi Gras dinner, and other annual fundraisers. Throughout the year, we need ushers for concerts, chaperones for competitions, cooks to prepare and serve food, builders to create and move props... and leaders to help organize our efforts! 

To keep our community strong, please do your part to support your student's participation. We ask three things of each family: