Breakdown of RMM Dues
Like any support organization, Ridgefield Music Matters requires a revenue stream to support its efforts in adding supplemental benefits to the music program and to cover operational expenses. The two main ways the organization obtains this revenue is through two specific means: membership dues and fundraising.
This page illustrates a full breakdown of what every dollar of dues goes to cover specifically. The dues are allocated directly and only towards things that benefit all students. Remaining benefits provided by the organization come strictly from fundraising. For a full breakdown of the entire Ridgefield Music Matters budget, click here.
Band and Orchestra dues: $50
$25 for rehearsal dinners.
At several points throughout the year (mostly dress rehearsals) the ensembles rehearse in the evening for long periods. RMM provides students with dinner, usually pizza or sandwiches.
$10 for concert recordings
All 5 of our concerts are recorded professionally by Enchanted Gardens Studios. They are all top shelf quality (check this out). The video recordings serve many purposes beyond showcasing our program.
Educationally: The concert videos serve as reflective tools for our students post concert. The directors use them to study their conducting, the visual representation of our performances, areas of strength, and weaknesses to improve upon.
Promotion: The concert videos serve as promotional tools on a few levels. The directors share them with the feeder school instructors to show off the quality of our performances and hopefully inspire younger musicians to continue their musical studies with passion. The videos are also shared on social media within the Ridgefield community as a way to remind others of the value of music in our schools and to promote attendance at our concerts.
Archives: Archival footage is often required of the directors to get students other performance opportunities. For example, Disney required that we submit footage in the application process to be accepted to perform there. As technology and video making has become more prominent in the process, having professionally done videos provides us with a competitive edge when being considered for those kinds of opportunities.
College Applications: Students who continue to play in college may want to use a link to a video of our program’s strength as part of their musical supplement to show their college directors the caliber program from which they came.
Sharing with Families: Many of our students have relatives that live out of town, and this is the only means by which parents can share their kids’ performances without iPhone footage, which pales in comparison when it comes to quality.
$5 Senior gifts and Banquet decorations
$5 Lounge Fee
A lounge is set up in the band room with couches that the students often use during lunch and free periods. It has been monumental in creating community within and between our ensembles. Most of this $5 is used to cover our water service, but herbal teas and (sometimes) snacks are also provided. There’s also a microwave and fridge.
$1 Band and Orchestra Festival post concert refreshments
$4 Contribution to RMM General Fund
$4 of dues covers the operational expenses of the organization and disbursements to the program. Annual filing fees to maintain non-profit status, website, insurance, printing costs, teacher grants, special equipment purchases, and all of the little incidental things you don’t want to think about.
choir dues: $30
See above. $15 generally covers Choir Festival refreshments and dinner, $10 for concert recordings, and $5 for everything else…