Marching Band to Seek New Uniforms

Twelve years ago, the Moorpark High School marching band’s uniforms stunned audiences, band booster President Carol Sherman said.

But repeated cleanings, plus wear and tear, have taken their toll on the heavy wool uniforms.

And with membership of the band expected to almost double next fall, band officials plan to ask the school board for $25,000 for new uniforms.

“They’re in pretty bad shape,” said Sherman. “Once you’ve taken them to the cleaners quite a bit, they’re beyond cleaning and you have to retire them.”

With the band’s ranks expanding in recent years, even some of those retired uniforms have been recommissioned.

The band now uses every uniform it can find, no matter how ragged, she said. So with 50 to 80 musicians coming up from middle schools next year and only 13 graduating seniors, more uniforms will have to come from somewhere.

Band officials have their eyes on new outfits for the entire band that would cost the district less than it would to enhance the current wardrobe.

“The ones we have right now, to replace an entire uniform would cost $600,” Sherman said. “The new ones, for all of the parts with the exception of the hats, would cost $200.”

Band officials prefer a lightweight, contemporary, machine-washable style that should last for years, she said. The new ensembles would cost $25,000, about $5,000 less than it would cost the district for 50 more of the old style.

The new outfits would also make life easier for band members, Sherman said.

The new uniforms have fabric fasteners, zippers and ski-style pants, she said. They are easier to put on and more comfortable.

Band officials plan to ask the board to pay for the uniforms because the booster club’s $50,000 budget will be spent on instruments, color guard equipment and part-time teachers’ salaries, Sherman said.

“If our band is indeed going to grow by 50, we need an extra number of instruments as well,” she said. “There’s a lot of expense that people aren’t aware of, so we’re hoping the school board will help us. It’s time, and economically it makes sense.”