Semi-Custom Shows: Are they the answer for your band and budget?

I find myself in a unique spot these days—I am an arranger and composer, For Music Effect Design, and also as a part of my personal business, Kruegermusik. I’ve been composing since age 12, and since I was 20 years old I’ve been arranging and composing professionally. On the other side of that, I am also a band director. I’ve always wanted to be a band director, and I was always a “band kid”. I’ve worked with bands of many sizes—tiny programs of 25 students to programs of 150+. 

Right now, during COVID, I find myself looking at the marching world through two lenses: As a band director/educator and as a show designer/arranger. It’s a scary time to be both! Full-time arrangers/composers have had their livelihoods impacted by the lack of many marching bands competing and the lack of a need for custom shows. For many arrangers, there’s been financial pain, but also emotional and artistic pain.

The Band Director Dilemma

For band directors, many don’t know where to begin when it comes to planning for their Fall 2021 marching season. Some questions I’ve asked and have heard others ask are: Will there be a season? If there is a season, how will the budget look? How do I start designing a show when I don’t know what I can spend? How many students will remain in the program? Am I going to lose administrative or parent support? The list can go on and on. It’s not an easy time right now for anyone.

Here at Music Effect Design we truly understand this because we are also living through this. I’ve come up with some options for bands that might need a more cost-effective way to plan their 2021 season. We can offer some complete show package ideas, some from previous seasons and programs, and help you turn them into a show fit for your band for a reduced price. These shows are part of our Music Effect Design catalog, which can be found right here!

What is a “Semi-Custom Show”?

Semi-Custom Shows are shows that were once custom written for another band in a previous marching season. The foundation of musical arrangement is already there, and 75-80% of the show is ready in advance. Then from there, we can tailor the show to meet certain custom needs for a new client. For example- A band wants to perform Music Effect Design’s arrangement of “Rite of Spring”. However, they need an extra trumpet part, want to cut a specific 8 measures, and want a larger ending of the movement, etc. That’s the remaining 20-25% of a new arrangement.

A new custom marching show from Music Effect Design is generally around $4,000+. This includes design, the wind book, and the percussion book. Most of our “semi-custom” full shows on our music catalog for are in the range or 1,000-1,500+, which is a quarter of the cost of a fully custom show.

Why is there such a price difference between a customized show and a semi-custom show?

Shows can vary in price, with some costing a little more and some costing a little less, but it’s all for great reasons. Some arrangements INCLUDE percussion, and some do not. These variations exist because the shows were originally arranged for a specific program. What is special about our Semi-Custom shows is that the designers aren’t starting from scratch with an entirely new arrangement, which passes savings on to you and your program.

How can you “customize”a semi-custom show?

There are many ways you can make a Semi-Custom show work for your band-For example, you might find a show in our catalog that is WINDS ONLY but you need percussion parts! We can work with your and our Music Effect Design percussion partner to make this happen. This semi-custom route allows for a relatively risk-free way to prep and plan your 2021 marching season without destroying the bank!

The fun thing about our music catalog and the “semi-custom” route is that while you can pick a full show with all the movements preplanned, you can also pick any show you can imagine based on our musical selections. Our catalog is always growing, and we might even have some we are working on behind the scenes. You might see an interesting combination of pieces in the catalog that you want help to combine into a show and create your own semi-custom show.

If you are interested in in our ever-expanding catalog you can find it here at musiceffectdesign.com/music-catalog/. If you have questions about whether or not a semi-custom show is right for you, email us at music@musiceffectdesign.com and we’d be glad to help!