The Band Dads Podcast

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Fundraising. Every band needs it, every parent has experienced it, and somebody somewhere is probably still trying to sell a roll of wrapping paper.
But before we talk about how to raise money, the Band Dads start with a bigger question: Why are band programs responsible for raising so much of it in the first place?
Scott and Chris are joined by Band Mom Leah Lang, fundraiser extraordinaire, for a conversation that starts with school funding, instruments, uniforms, and the basic costs of running a band program. What should schools be responsible for providing? And are band parents sometimes so good at filling the gaps that we've unintentionally made it easier for those gaps to remain?
Then it's time to make some money.
Leah takes us behind the scenes of a crowdsourced fundraising campaign that brings success year after year, and the Band Parents break down what made it work—from choosing the right platform and timing the campaign to branding, student participation, group goals, incentives, corporate matching, director buy-in, and creating an experience the kids actually want to be part of.
Because successful fundraising isn't just about asking people for money. It's about building a campaign people want to support.
And yes, there are pies in the face, shaved facial hair, car washes, mattresses, mulch, and apparently even manure involved along the way.
Whether you're a director, booster, or band parent trying to fund the next season, Money Money Money is packed with ideas to help you raise more, keep more, and maybe even have some fun doing it.
Have a crazy fundraiser that's actually worked? A brilliant incentive your students loved? Or a fundraising horror story we simply have to hear? Send it to feedback@banddadspodcast.com. We want to hear how your band makes the money happen.
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Competition changed marching band. But after decades of pushing the activity further, faster, bigger, and more competitive… when is enough, enough?
In this episode, Scott and Chris step back and ask some uncomfortable—but important—questions about what competitive marching band has become. Over the past 25 years, the activity has evolved tremendously. Performances are more sophisticated, productions are bigger, and what students accomplish can be astonishing.
But all of that comes at a cost.
How much rehearsal is too much? How early is too early to start the season? How much money is too much to spend? And most importantly, is competitive marching band as it exists today still consistently creating the positive experiences and outcomes we want for kids?
Then comes the harder question: if something needs to change, how do we get our hands around it?
The Band Dads explore the limited oversight that exists across much of the activity and look at places like Texas, where the UIL provides defined rules and guardrails. Would other states benefit from similar structure? If you were suddenly put in charge of marching band, where would you draw the lines around rehearsal time, season length, spending, competition, and student welfare?
This isn't a rallying cry against competition or a declaration that marching band needs to change. It's a thought exercise about an activity we love enough to question—delivered with the usual Band Dads mix of serious conversation, practical perspective, and not taking ourselves too seriously.
Now we want to hear from you: If you were in charge of competitive marching band tomorrow, what would you change, what would you protect, and when would you finally say, “Enough is enough”?
Send us an email to feedback@banddadspodcast.com and tell us. We have a feeling the Band Dads community is going to have a lot to say about this one.
Thank you Fenton High School in Bensenville IL for the fantastic intro!
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Band camp doesn't come with an instruction manual. So the Band Dads made a playbook.
For the Season 4 kickoff, Scott and Chris take a different approach to the band camp conversation. Instead of simply talking about what happens at camp, they dig into the strategies and philosophies behind it—and why getting those decisions right can have such a tremendous impact on the season ahead.
How should a band camp schedule be built? Should every program approach it the same way? How should those precious hours be used most effectively? What goes into the operational side of running a successful camp? And perhaps most importantly for parents: how do you best support your student through the process?
There are an incredible number of moving pieces that have to come together to make band camp work, and there is no single formula that is perfect for every program. But that doesn't mean there aren't important questions every program, director, student, and parent should be asking.
The Band Dads walk through those questions and help you think about band camp as a whole—from the schedule and instructional time to logistics, expectations, student preparation, parent support, and everything in between.
Because here's the bottom line: there is no other time in the marching band season when a program can accomplish what it can during band camp. The concentrated time, shared experience, intensity, and opportunity for growth are completely unique to marching band—and what happens during those days can lay the foundation for everything that follows.
So whether you're a first-year band parent wondering what you've gotten yourself into, a veteran parent looking for a new perspective, a student getting ready to tackle camp, or a director preparing to make the most of those precious days, The Band Camp Playbook is here to help you get there.
And now we want to hear from you.
What worked at your band camp? What absolutely didn't? What camp traditions, strategies, disasters, successes, or stories have stuck with you? What happened at your camp that you think the Band Dads—and the rest of our amazing band family—would enjoy hearing about?
Send us an email and share your story to feedback@banddadspodcast.com . Your experience might just make it into a future episode.
We want to here from you! Send us an email to: feedback@banddadspodcast.com
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Welcome to the very first installment of Tools of the Trade—a new Band Dads series where Scott and Chris spotlight innovative ideas, resources, and practical tools that can help band programs of every size become even more successful.
To kick things off, they're introducing Band Camp Quest.
After the overwhelming response to Scott's leadership resource earlier this year, he turned his attention to one of the biggest challenges every band director faces: band camp. The result is Band Camp Quest, a simple but powerful tool that transforms the countless tasks, milestones, and objectives of band camp into an engaging achievement system inspired by modern video games.
As Chris explains, there's something incredibly satisfying about unlocking every achievement and checking every box in a favorite game. Band Camp Quest takes that same feeling of accomplishment and applies it to real life, encouraging students to engage, participate, and take ownership of their progress throughout camp.
The idea isn't entirely new, it has its roots in a tradition Scott used years ago as a band director. At the end of each day during camp, students gathered for Vespers, where staff and section leaders awarded beads that members proudly displayed on lanyards throughout the week. Those beads became symbols of effort, growth, leadership, and achievement. Band Camp Quest reimagines that timeless concept for today's generation, delivering the same motivation through a modern, digital experience that resonates with today's students.
In this episode, Scott and Chris break down exactly how Band Camp Quest works, why gamification can be such a powerful motivator, and how directors can implement it with ease. Best of all, it's priced so that every band program—large or small—can afford to bring it to their students.
If you're looking for a fresh way to increase engagement, celebrate progress, and make band camp even more memorable, this episode is one you won't want to miss.
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When the final school bell rings and campuses empty for the summer, it may seem like band takes a break.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
In this episode, Scott and Chris explore what they call the Summer Trifecta, the three groups quietly working behind the scenes to ensure the next marching band season is a success. What are the students doing? What are the booster organizations doing? And perhaps most importantly, what are band directors doing while everyone else assumes they're enjoying a well-earned summer vacation?
The Band Dads take a closer look at each side of the trifecta, revealing the countless hours of preparation, planning, recruiting, fundraising, scheduling, organizing, teaching, and practicing that happen long before the first note is played at band camp. Because while school may be out, the band machine never really stops.
With band camps kicking off around the country, there's no better time to understand why the work happening now is so critical to the success of the season ahead. Whether you're a student, parent, booster, or educator, you'll come away with a greater appreciation for the people who spend their summers laying the foundation for an unforgettable year.
As always, expect plenty of laughs, practical insight, and a few behind-the-scenes stories that just might change the way you think about summer in the band world.
The season starts long before the first rehearsal... and it all begins with the Summer Trifecta.
We want to here from you! Send us an email to: feedback@banddadspodcast.com
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