How to Find Affordable Marching Band Shows & Arrangements
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7 Ways to Create an Affordable Show
Basic Marching Band Music Licensing Requirements
Affordable Music Sources to Consider
Affordable Shows from Marching Monk
FAQs
Creating a competitive marching band show can be a significant investment. With school funding often limited, finding affordable show options is crucial. Community involvement plays a crucial role in creating affordable marching band shows by fostering support and resources. Costs can quickly add up between music licensing, arrangements, and props. However, several proven strategies exist to create high-quality, affordable marching band shows while staying within budget. Whether dealing with budget cuts or simply being fiscally responsible, these seven approaches can help you deliver engaging, affordable marching band arrangements without compromising quality.
Are you looking to browse marching band shows? Explore our marching band show collection here. Whether you’re working with a world-class program or a developing ensemble, there are options for every budget level.
7 Ways to Create Affordable Marching Band Shows
1. Purchase Previously Written Marching Band Show Music
Are you looking for an affordable way to bring exciting music to your marching band program? Previously written marching band show music and arrangements might be your perfect solution. We will review the availability of these shows in your area before proceeding with the purchasing instructions. Let’s explore these and why they could be a game-changer for your program.
Understanding Previously Written Shows and Music
Previously written marching band shows are complete musical arrangements custom-written for other bands. These arrangements can be purchased as complete shows or individual pieces, giving you flexibility in your programming choices. Since these shows have already been performed, you have the unique advantage of hearing how they sound before purchasing.
These previously written shows typically include comprehensive materials such as detailed scores and all instrument parts. However, it’s important to note that while you’re getting the musical arrangements, licensing rights are usually not included and may need to be purchased if the source material is not in the public domain.
Benefits
- It is more affordable than commissioning new custom arrangements
- Immediate availability – no waiting to arrange
- You can hear the music before purchasing
- Proven success
- Often includes detailed conductor scores
- Usually includes all necessary parts
- It may come with performance notes and suggestions
What to Look For
- Appropriate difficulty level
- Instrumentation that matches your band
- Clear licensing documentation
- Quality of arrangements
- Adaptability to your ensemble size
- Complete part availability
- Clear score markings and notations
- Arrangements that suit the difficulty level of your band
2. Leverage Public Domain Music
Public domain music refers to musical works no longer protected by copyright law. Let’s check out how this can be a valuable resource for your marching band program.
Understanding Public Domain Music
Public domain music typically includes works published before 1928, which means you can freely use, arrange, and perform these pieces without paying licensing fees or requesting permission.
Benefits of Using Public Domain Music
Using public domain music for your marching band show offers several advantages:
- No Licensing Fees: Save your budget for other show elements
- Arrangement Freedom: Modify the music to fit your band’s needs
- Familiar Repertoire: Many classical pieces are recognizable to audiences
- Educational Value: Students learn essential historical repertoire
- No Performance Restrictions: Perform the music as often as you like
- Recording Rights: Create recordings without additional fees
3. Use Original Music
Consider using original music for your marching band show. This approach can provide both creative freedom and potential cost savings while allowing you to develop a unique concept that sets your program apart.
Benefits of Using Original Music
Choosing original music for your show offers several advantages:
- No Licensing Fees: Once you pay for the commission, there are usually no additional costs
- Unique Identity: Other bands won’t perform your show.
- Custom Fit: Music written specifically for your ensemble’s strengths
- Creative Control: Freedom to modify the music as needed
- Educational Opportunity: Students can participate in the creative process
- Future Usage Rights: Typically includes rights for future performances
- Full Customization: Allows for tailored shows that cater to the specific strengths and pedagogical goals of the players
4. Purchase Stock Marching Band Arrangements
“Stock” music is arrangements created for general use rather than a specific band. Unlike custom-created shows for specific programs, composers intentionally design stock arrangements to work for a wide variety of bands.
Key Differences from Previously Written Shows
- Created for general use vs. specific band
- More flexible instrumentation
- Significantly lower cost
- Standardized scoring approaches
Benefits of Stock Arrangements
Choosing stock arrangements offers several advantages:
Cost Benefits
- Significantly more affordable than custom shows
- No additional arranging fees
- One-time purchase cost
Practical Benefits
- Immediate availability
- Easy to adapt to different band sizes
- Flexible instrumentation options
- Standard scoring makes teaching easier
Where to Find Stock Arrangements
Stock arrangements are readily available from Hal Leonard, Alfred Music, and J.W. Pepper.
5. Reach out to Local Music Schools or Colleges
Local music schools and colleges can be valuable resources for marching band arrangements. Many have talented student composers and arrangers who are eager to build their portfolios and gain real-world experience.
Key Benefits
Access to Student Composers/Arrangers
- Fresh, creative perspectives
- Enthusiastic collaborators
- Often familiar with current marching band trends
- Eager to build their portfolios
Potential Cost Savings
- Generally lower rates than established arrangers
- Student composers often seek experience over profit
- Opportunity for mutually beneficial arrangements
- Flexible payment options
How to Approach
Contact the Director of Bands at your local college or university and ask for recommendations. They can connect you with promising student composers or recent graduates who understand marching band arrangements.
6. Create a Marching Band Show Music Commission Consortium
Want to make a custom show more affordable? Consider creating or joining a commission consortium. By partnering with other schools, you can share the costs while still getting a unique, high-quality show tailored to your specific situation.
What is a Commission Consortium?
A commission consortium is a group of bands that jointly commission a new show, sharing the total cost among participating schools. Each school gets full rights to perform the show while paying only a fraction of the commission fee. Working as a team with other schools can make custom shows more affordable.
Benefits of Commission Consortiums
- Split commissioning fees among multiple schools
- Access high-quality custom arrangements at reduced costs
- Share licensing fees when applicable
- More affordable than individual commissions
How to Organize a Consortium
Ask the composer to suggest clients they have previously worked with. This approach ensures:
- Working with schools familiar with the composer’s style
- Professional relationships already established
- Compatible expectations
- Smooth collaboration process
- Strategic Show Planning
Thoughtful planning of your marching band shows can significantly impact your budget.
7. Multi-Year Planning Benefits
- Plan expenses across multiple seasons
- Balance high-cost and low-cost years
- Allocate resources more effectively
- Create sustainable financial models
Resource Optimization
- Reuse props and materials
- Plan equipment purchases strategically
- Maximize investment in arrangements
- Build a library of usable music
After exploring these seven strategies for creating affordable marching band shows, it’s crucial to understand one of the most significant factors affecting show costs: music licensing. Let’s examine how licensing impacts your budget and what you need to know to make informed decisions.
Understanding Basic Licensing Requirements
- You must obtain permission to license any source material not in the public domain.
- Public domain works (published before 1928) don’t require licensing
- Stock arrangements typically include necessary licensing—no additional permissions are required
You can learn more about licensing for marching band music here.
Common Licensing Mistakes to Avoid
Creating a medley can unexpectedly increase your costs. Here’s why: If you combine multiple pieces and one has significantly higher licensing fees, all pieces in the medley typically default to the highest licensing cost. For example:
- Piece A: $50 licensing fee
- Piece B: $500 licensing fee
- Result: Both pieces are now $500 each, totaling $1,000
To keep costs manageable when creating medleys, verify all licensing costs upfront and try to combine pieces with similar fee structures.
Strategic planning of your music selections based on licensing requirements can significantly impact your overall show budget.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Exceeding Your Budget in the Moment — While getting caught up in the excitement of show planning is easy, remember that marching band is only one part of your curriculum. Overspending on your fall show can impact other essential aspects of your program throughout the year. Stay focused on your overall band program needs when making financial decisions.
- Permission Timing Issues — A critical mistake is not obtaining permissions before writing a new arrangement. Deciding on permissions often takes longer than expected, and publishers sometimes deny permission. If this happens late in the planning or arranging process, it can cause significant financial loss and wasted resources.
- Choosing Based on Price Alone — While being budget-conscious is important, selecting the least expensive option can be costly in the long run. You must take quality into account. You don’t want to spend your season working with a show that doesn’t work—your time and your students’ time are too valuable.
- Underestimating Total Show Design Costs — While searching for affordable options, remember that a competitive show cannot have any weak design areas. Directors sometimes focus on saving money in one design area, only to discover they’ve compromised the overall show. A complete show package requires:
- Quality music arrangements
- Professional drill design
- Strong visual program
- Effective percussion arrangements
- Appropriate color guard design
Cutting costs on drill design often leads to staging problems that affect musical performance, visual effectiveness, and overall show impact. A well-designed drill is not just about moving students around the field—it’s fundamental to your show’s success.
Affordable Marching Band Shows: Music Sources to Consider
Public Domain Classics
These orchestral works (published before 1928) are proven crowd-pleasers and require no permission fees:
- Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”
- Tchaikovsky’s influential works:
- 1812 Overture
- The Nutcracker
- Swan Lake
- Beethoven’s symphonies and overtures
- Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
- Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre
Hidden Gems: Copyrighted Works with No Permission Fees
With proper research and communication with music publishers, you might be surprised to find some popular copyrighted works are available without permission fees. For example:
- “Stairway to Heaven” – Led Zeppelin
- “The Hustle” – Van McKoy (perfect for a 1970s show)
These examples show why it’s worth inquiring about permission fees—sometimes popular music is more accessible than expected.
Affordable Shows from Marching Monk
Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium-Easy
These shows specifically provide accessible material for most high school bands while engaging both performers and audiences. With a variety of ranges available, they are designed to fit the needs of different band programs while maintaining an exciting and dynamic performance.
Shows with No Permission Fees Required
A League Of Their Own
Step up to the batter’s box, dig in, and give that ball a ride! From the heartland of America, Marty McCartt tells an epic baseball story in A League of Their Own. From the moment our national anthem starts, your ensemble will be part of the excitement in this energetic marching band show. The sound of the ball hitting the glove, the crack of the bat, and the cheering crowd will have everyone on their feet. All you’ll need are peanuts and Cracker Jack!
It’s Electric
Are you looking for an approachable and electrifying marching band show? Then It’s Electric! is the show for you! With energetic rhythms, playful woodwinds, and bold brass, Marty McCartt has designed a sizzling and futuristic program to give your audience a jolt of energy and let your ensemble show its power. Both intense and cool, this show will have everyone dancing along! It’s great for bands new to the competitive marching arts.
Talk To Me
Communication: It’s one of life’s most valuable and crucial parts. All we want to do is connect and talk to others. Now more than ever, communication is both easier and more complex. Marty McCartt creates a dynamic marching band show that explores the evolution of communication. This show is filled with tones of familiarity, from Morse code and the famous ring of a Nokia phone to the ding of a new text on the latest iPhone. With moments for woodwind solos, solid brass scoring, and tasteful percussion arrangements, your students won’t stop talking about Talk to Me! Appropriate for young and smaller ensembles.
For the Crown
The pieces are set, and the board is ready. The opening move is yours. How long will it take to make it to checkmate? With this captivating original marching band show from Joshua V. Hinkel and Aaron Railey, your ensemble is ready for a regal battle, “For the Crown.” Easily accessible for younger ensembles, the action-packed show has unlimited visual potential. In the end, your band will be triumphant. Check. It’s your move.
Best of Luck
Do you believe in luck? From four-leaf clovers to flipping heads on a coin, the superstitious idea of lucky items and the following events are the themes in the first movement of this most fortunate marching band show by Joshua V. Hinkel. But beware—your ensemble will portray the other, darker side of the “Best of Luck!” phenomenon while impressing the crowd with an original ballad in movement two. You won’t need the luck to demonstrate your performers’ talents as you close this show with a return to good luck’s inspiring notions and its ultimate representation—a colorful rainbow!
Shows with Affordable Permission Fees
Pursuit of Happiness
Contemplate the human condition as great thinkers throughout history have done. This marching band show’s dark music depicting unhappiness and suffering seems to examine “The Pursuit of Happiness” similarly. But can we choose to be happy? Beethoven’s “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” gives us a glimpse of what we can do. Movement two reconciles darkness and suffering with light and happiness. Life is fragile and can change quickly; unhappiness constantly tries to overwhelm us. Your performers will delve into the reflective notion that despite widespread unhappiness, happiness is universal, and a path to personal joy exists. In the final movement, a message of change and satisfaction resonates with Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” This marching band music by Joshua V. Hinkel is for the rising and developing ensemble. These reflective and inspirational arrangements will move audiences.
Good Knight
Tell a heroic tale of perseverance! This medieval-themed marching band show is a grand adventure that evokes imagery of shining armor, benevolent royalty, horrible monsters, and epic feats of courage. Pair Good Knight with a reading of Dylan Thomas’s poem, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” (as recommended by the composer) to enable a comparison between the image of a knight defending his noble cause and that of a dying man fighting until his last breath for life. Your viewers will be captivated by the heartening message of this show!
This show includes music from Don McLean’s Vincent, Modest Mussorgsky’s Night of Bald Mountain, and Balmages’ Rippling Watercolors. Requesting permissions for Rippling Watercolors is less expensive if you go directly to the publisher than to a third-party agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much do marching band arrangements cost?
Custom marching band arrangements cost anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000, whereas previously written shows offer a more affordable option. The arranger’s experience level, the complexity of the music, and the instrumentation requirements often determine pricing variance.
Q: How much does it cost to write a marching band show?
A complete marching band show costs anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000. The skill level of your designers often determines pricing variance.
Q: How much does a marching band drill cost?
A custom marching band drill typically costs between $3,000 and $15,000. Factors such as the number of performers, the number of drill pages, the complexity level, and the skill level and experience of the designer determine pricing.
Q: What’s the typical timeline for securing show permissions?
The typical timeline ranges from a few days to 2 weeks. There are, of course, exceptions. We strongly recommend starting the permission process well before you begin arranging or planning your show. Waiting for permissions can delay your entire production schedule. If the publisher denies permission, you’ll need time to select and secure rights for alternative music.
Q: What do I get when I purchase a previously written show?
Once payment is received, you’ll typically get immediate access to all show materials. Unless otherwise specified, most previously written music includes wind and percussion arrangements, covering both marching band and indoor winds shows.
Q: How do I verify if music is in the public domain?
Music published before 1928 is in the public domain in the United States, including classical works by composers like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Dvorak. Always verify the specific publication date of the edition you plan to use.
Q: What’s the difference between previously written shows and stock arrangements?
Arrangers resell music written for a specific band as a previously written show. In contrast, they write stock arrangements for general, broad usage. Stock arrangements are the least expensive option, and both typically include complete wind and percussion arrangements.
Q: How can I ensure I get quality arrangements while staying within budget?
To find quality arrangements within budget, you can often look at a perusal score of the music. Make sure you examine the music and that it fits your band well.
Conclusion
Finding an affordable marching band show means maintaining quality. All students deserve a quality show that challenges and engages them while staying within budget. Whether you choose previously written music, explore public domain options, or discover hidden gems with no permission fees, there are multiple paths to creating an engaging and successful show while staying within budget.
Remember to:
- Start your planning early
- Consider all available options
- Research permission requirements
- Evaluate arrangements thoroughly
- Factor in all design elements
Ready to find the perfect show for your band? Explore our collection of affordable, quality marching band arrangements that will help your ensemble shine.