Advocating for Funding for District-Wide Music Events

I work in Lee County School District in Alabama where the band programs do not receive a budget from the school or the school district. We rely on fundraisers and student fees. Our school district is in mostly rural areas where there is only one traffic light per town, so it is important to keep costs low. With higher band fees, we limit the number of students who can afford to be in our programs. All the band directors in our school district are constantly looking for ways to fund our band programs. Below are some ways we have worked with our school district to advocate for funding to support the music students system-wide.

ESSER Funding

Even though our band programs do not receive a budget, we have found ways to work with our school district to get funding for district-wide band events and initiatives. Our first significant success came through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) federal grants, which were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. The process was not overly hard, but it was long. Although this level of federal assistance is unlikely to happen again, I will share how we obtained the funding.

It began with seeing the articles written by associations where music programs could benefit from ESSER funds. The band directors in our district came up with a comprehensive plan tied to the parameters of the funding. This plan was sent to our central office, but we received no response.

Then, the January before the funding had to be sent back to the federal government, an email was sent from our district central office to all teachers inquiring about ways to spend the remaining funds. At that point, we simply copied and pasted the plan we came up with months ago. To our surprise, two weeks later the central office set up a meeting with the district band directors. After the meeting, we finalized our full plan requesting over $1.2 million across the district. To our surprise, our full plan was accepted

• Furniture = $15,000
• Instrument Test Kits = $7,000
• Sonic Cleaning = $26,000
• Instruments = $1,226,000
• Summer Music Camp = Additional ESSER Funds
• Honor Band = Additional ESSER Funds

Summer Enrichment Band Camps

One of the initiatives developed during our ESSER funds planning was a summer enrichment band camp. We came up with a way to hire staff for camps in June that were tied to summer school. By connecting the band camp to summer school, we ensured that students received transportation to and from school and free breakfast and lunch. Instead of having to find funding for each school to have a camp, we decided to have one camp at a central location. This was the first time our band students studied and played together across the school district.

Currently, the camp has three segments that run at different times. A beginning band camp is for students with no prior band experience. The middle school camp and the high school camp include large rehearsals and small-group instruction for like instruments. There is no cost to the students for summer enrichment band camps.

The first two years of the summer camp were funded through ESSER grants. Knowing that the ESSER funds would soon be gone, we constantly advocated our central office to keep funding this event. We are very fortunate that our central office sees the benefit of our programs and agreed to continue funding the summer cap as a budget line item for future years. Due to a change in summer school, meals are no longer provided nor is transportation back to the student’s home school. However, the camp is still free to students and includes instruction, music, materials, T-shirts and shuttle buses from their home school to the central campus.

Honor Ensembles

Similar to the summer enrichment camps, the honor ensembles were funded through ESSER grants, which meant that all costs were covered by our central office. The first year, we had honor bands for middle school and high school. Knowing that this event was only funded for one year, we had to ensure that the ensembles had strong representation from every school, which we knew was the best way to advocate for future budget-line funding. We heavily leaned into the fact that the summer enrichment band camps and the honor ensembles were the only opportunities for students from different schools in the district to learn and perform together.

After that first year of ESSER funding, we succeeded in securing funding for the middle school and high school honor bands. Then, we advocated and received additional funding for an honor choir, which started in the third year. Currently, we accept all students who apply to the honor ensembles. Our philosophy is simple: Anyone who wants to participate should have the opportunity. While this has resulted in very large ensembles, we are committed to maintaining this inclusive approach.

Advocate for Continued Funding

Securing funding for music programs requires persistence, creativity and a willingness to advocate repeatedly, which includes continued advocacy after receiving the initial funding. I have been told “no” way more often than “yes.” Throughout our experiences with ESSER funding and district support, we learned that advocacy is an ongoing process of demonstrating value, building relationships and showing how music programs strengthen the school district as a whole.

When our summer enrichment camps and honor ensembles were first funded through ESSER, we knew that federal funding was not going to be the forever solution. We used those initial years to show how impactful district-wide music collaboration could be. We aimed to ensure strong participation from every school and designed programs that were accessible and educational. We created a model that our central office could clearly see was worth sustaining after federal funding ended. This approach helped turn ESSER-funded events into recurring budget items.

Continued advocacy also meant staying engaged after initial funding. We regularly communicated with our central office by highlighting student successes and demonstrating how these events supported district goals. We invited central office staff to the band camp, honor band and honor choir performances. Our superintendent joined us for a day of learning trombone and percussion with the students. Each year, as the programs grew and more students participated, our case for sustained funding became stronger.

Advocacy is a continuous effort not a singular one. By remaining proactive, open to collaboration and having student-centered initiatives, we have been able to fund these events in a district with no built-in budget for music programs. The approach we took proved that meaningful funding is achieved not through just one conversation but through long-term commitment to speaking up for our students and music programs.

Title Funds

The makeup of the schools across our district varies greatly in size and socioeconomic status. As a result, every school in our district receives Title IV, Part A funding. The amount and allowable uses differ from school to school. This presents an additional avenue for advocating for support within music programs. For example, one school in our district was able to use a portion of their title funding to purchase instruments for every student in its band program. This eliminates a significant financial barrier for families. Another school was able to acquire several larger instruments that would have otherwise been out of reach for the program.

The allocation of title funds is determined by our central office and each school’s principal. This means that consistent and purposeful advocacy is essential. Once again, clearly communicate how music education supports school goals, such as increasing student engagement, improving academic achievement and fostering a positive school climate. Our band directors have been able to help administrators see the value in directing these resources toward band programs, which has allowed us to build stronger and more equitable opportunities for students across the entire school district.

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Our process to secure sustainable support for districtwide music opportunities has shown that meaningful change is possible when educators stay united, persistent and student-focused. Even in a rural district with limited financial resources, we have proved that advocacy grounded in collaboration and clear evidence of student benefit can open doors that once seemed closed. While the absence of a dedicated music budget continues to present challenges, our collective efforts have resulted in lasting programs that enrich the lives and musical experiences of our students. As we move forward, we remain committed to secure funding for these events in the future. Our goal is to ensure that every student, regardless of background or ability to pay, can experience the community, growth and joy that our music programs provide.