Uniforms 101 

MARCHING BAND & JV PERCUSSION
UNIFORM ESSENTIALS

Alterations must be done by Sunday, September 3, 2023
See "Uniform - Alterations" below for details

Uniforms – Assigning and Returning

The uniform issued to you has been purchased through the combined efforts of the Arcadia Unified School District and the Arcadia Music Club.  This uniform is expected to last ten years. so treat it with care.  For the next several years, many other students will be using the same uniform. Use care when putting on and taking off uniforms because they can rip the snaps and buttons off.

You will also be assigned a garment bag for storing your uniform.   Attached to the bag will be a tag with your name, student ID number, jacket number and pants number.

After the Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser in January, you will return your jacket, 2 pairs of pants, one red, one black, garment bag, hat and hat box to the Uniform Directors and the 6 items will be inspected.

JV Percussion returns their uniforms after the Arcadia Festival of Bands (AFOB).

Your grades will be withheld if you do not return these items.

Uniforms – Proper Fit

Pants – Put your marching shoes on and stand in play position. The bottom of the pant leg should be 3 inches above the floor. Snap to adjust to the right length. Press in place.

Jacket – Zip and snap your jacket closed. While standing in play position, the end of the sleeves should touch the wrist bone. Snap to adjust to the right length. Press in place.

Pressing – Your uniform hems will be pressed at uniform fitting and when they come back from the cleaners. If you need to press any part of your uniform You Must put a pressing cloth between the iron and the uniform. The uniforms are polyester and will scorch!

Uniforms – Alterations

After you have snapped up your jacket sleeves and/or pant hems and they still don’t fit, they may need to be altered. The Uniform Coordinators will tell you what needs to be fixed when you try on your uniform at school. (See “proper fit” in the section above) It is your responsibility to have your uniform altered by the date announced.

You must take it to one of the following approved locations where payment for alterations are your responsibility:

DO NOT CUT ANY PART OF THE PANTS OR JACKET!!!
The hems must be snapped securely and pressed.

Uniforms – Care and Storage

Your uniform should be stored in its red bag at all times when it is not being worn. The only items that go inthe uniform bag are the pants and the jacket. Please hang the pants and jacket neatly on a hanger, not balled up at the bottom of the bag! Since leaving your shoes in the garment bag after a performance is never allowed, purchase a string backpack, put your name on it and put your 2 pairs of shoes and socks in it.

The garment bags will be placed on the trailer for transporting uniforms to and from parades and field shows. Each student will be assigned a specific spot which corresponds to your jacket number to put your garment bag  on the trailer. When using the trailer, enter from the rear doors and exit from the side doors.

NO EATING AND YOU MAY DRINK ONLY WATER WHEN IN UNIFORM!

To Hang Up the Uniform:

Fold the pants along the crease, as you would hang good dress pants. Hang them on the silver part of the hanger and then lock in the bar to secure the RED pants for transport. The jacket goes on the hanger with the front of the jacket on the concave part of the hanger, buttoned and snapped so it stays on the hanger. Black pants are folded the same as red pants except they are hung on a non-slip hanger.

Garment Bags:

After wearing, put the uniform in the garment bag with the zipper half way up. This allows sweaty uniforms to air out. The bags are not indestructible and must be handled with care. Garment bags are for uniforms ONLY; no shoes or other heavy items are allowed in the bags, it causes the hangers to break. While the uniform is being worn, garment bags should be HUNG UP on the racks and not left on the floor.

Uniforms – Cleaning:

The uniforms will be collected several times during the marching season to be dry-cleaned. A portion of the amount you paid at your uniform fitting day pays for these dry cleanings. The Uniform Coordinators will collect the jackets and pants after a field show at the trailer. Please cooperate in an orderly manner. There are hundreds of uniforms to be collected each time!

Clean out your pockets - personal possessions left in pockets are your responsibility!

If you notice that any part of your uniform needs repairs or that your hat has become dirty, you should go to the Uniform Coordinators for help. Try to take care of any problems well before a performance.

Uniforms – Replacement

If you lose a part of your uniform or damage it beyond reasonable means, you will be charged the necessary replacement costs (estimated costs – actual cost may be higher):

Plumes

Plumes are very fragile and will be handled ONLY by Band uniform volunteers with gloves. Students may not remove their own plumes nor touch them. Plumes are the last part of the uniform put on the student. Likewise, the plume is the first thing removed before instruments are put away or uniforms removed.

Hats and Hat Boxes

Each marching band member is fitted with a hat that they will use for the season. You are also given a red and white plastic box for storing your hat. The box will have a label with your name, student identification number, and hat number.

It is each student’s responsibility to take care of the hat, keep it clean, and keep it stored properly in the hatbox.

Bring your hat stored in its box to every performance, unless the Band Directors tell you otherwise. When storing your empty box under the bus, please do not just throw them under the bus, stack neatly at each performance site.

You will receive a white plastic bag that you’ll put inside the hat when you wear it at football games. When you are in the football stands, put the hat in the plastic bag to protect it.

If your hat becomes soiled or damaged, please ask one of the Uniform Coordinators for help and instructions.

Do not put any food in your hatbox. It is not a lunch box!

Shoes – Care and Cleaning

Your marching shoes are made of leather but have a polyurethane coating for weather protection. With the proper care, your shoes should last several years (unless your feet grow). Clean your shoes and shoelaces before every performance. Your section leader will inspect them.

How to clean your shoes:

Marching Band shoes are to be worn ONLY for performances. Please bring other shoes to wear during stretching and to walk around. It is easier to clean them right after a performance than to wait until just before the next performance. Do Not Store your shoes in your garment bag!! 

Purchase a string backpack, put your name on and put both shoes and both pairs of socks. 

All shoes look alike: label the inside of EACH shoe with your name!

Gloves:

Clean your gloves before every performance. You can clean them in the washing machine with a load of white clothes (along with your shoelaces).

FLUTES, OBOES, AND CLARINETS: The Uniform Coordinator has gloves that are cut at the knuckle.

Gloves may be purchased by a Uniform Coordinator before each competition or football game – look for us at the trailer.

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