FAQS:
What is the Cost of the services?
All services are customized to specific needs, but the cost will certainly be inline with
comparable professional services. A price along with a formal
contract can be provided free of charge by simply sending us the needed
information. The contract will only be in effect if it is signed by the client
and sent back to BTM within seven days.
What is the Payment Schedule?
A non-refundable up-front fee and the balance paid within thirty days of
chart delivery is the normal payment schedule. However, it is understood that
some school districts will not release funds without a Purchase Order.
Therefore, the first payment can be waived with an official PO
from the school district sent to BTM by the first payment date guaranteeing
full payment upon completion of the service.
What level of involvement will the arranger or designer give to the
charts?
For easy-level charts, the arranger or designer will provide services that
will artistically reflect the musical selections. For mid-level competitive
charts, some collaboration with the band director will be required to provide continuity
of specific requested aspects. For highly-competitive charts, in-depth research
and development along with intimate communication between the director as well
as other musical / visual staff will be required.
What about buying, hearing, or seeing any previous BTM arrangements?
Most BTM arrangements are developed from Copyrighted material. This means
that neither BTM nor the band director who contracted the service legally owns
the arranged music; the publisher of the original composition material (i.e.
Hal Leonard, Disney, Boosey & Hawks, etc…) retains all Copyright Ownership
of the arrangement. In accordance with this law, BTM is forbidden to
allow anyone except the actual client to hear, see, or purchase these
arrangements without express written permission from the Copyright Holder.
What musical compositions and arrangements fall under Copyright Law?
Any piece of material written in the past eighty-five years will more than
likely fall under Copyright Law; this applies even if it does not have the
printed Copyright symbol. Works in which the Copyright term has expired, or the
few isolated works with special exemption, are considered to be Public Domain
and can be arranged without permission. Do Not Assume Anything! Always
check on the legal Copyright status of the music “prior” to having it arranged.
To learn more on how to secure permission to arrange Copyrighted materials,
read the Copyright Information page.
Will BTM help facilitate gaining Permission to Arrange Copyrighted
Materials?
Yes. For an extra fee, BTM will trace down the Copyright Holder, fill out
the formal documents to request permission to arrange a Copyrighted chart, and
send the completed forms to you for your signature. You will then be
responsible for forwarding the signed agreements on to the Copyright Holder. If
permission is granted, you are also responsible for remitting all required
granting payments directly to the Copyright Holder. In the event that one or
more of your selections is denied, BTM will provide the service for a request
to arrange another chart without any additional cost. Please be aware that you
are paying BTM to facilitate the process without any guarantee of securing
permission to arrange; so if permission is denied for ALL of your selections,
there shall be no refund for the service.
How will the music or drills be delivered?
Once the charts are complete, they will be saved as downloadable files and
placed in a page created specifically for your program on the BTM website. Unless
the Client shares the link with others, this page will only be accessible by
BTM and the Client. The files will be in
the PDF and MP3 format; however, editable files, such as FINALE files, will not
be posted
What is the turn-around time for chart completion?
A guaranteed completion date will accompany each and every contract and is
based on a first-come first-served process; so the earlier a contract is
signed, the earlier the chart is delivered. However, be aware that BTM complies
with all Copyright Laws and the delivery date for a music chart is dependent on the
client securing Permission to Arrange from the Copyright Holder. Please note that
BTM will not begin writing an arrangement unless the permission to arrange is
granted and a copy, signed by the Copyright Holder, is on file in our office.
Will the Arranger or Designer do Rewrites?
Every effort is made by the arranger or designer to gather specific information from the
director concerning all aspects of the musical continuity, difficulty,
instrumentation, numbers of performers, etc.. "before" the charts are written. Therefore, an
extra per / min. of music fee will apply if a rewrite is requested once the
actual writing process has started.
Who is responsible for transportation and housing of Camp Instructors,
Clinicians, and Judges?
The client is responsible for providing for, or covering the cost of,
transportation to and from the event as well as housing during the duration of
the service.
How will Camps and Clinics be structured?
The BTM instructor will first gather as much information as possible from
the Head Director concerning the specific goals of the camp; the instructor
will then formulate the best way to achieve those goals and set the camp agenda
accordingly.
Will the Instructor do any creative writing or design work for the Camp
or Clinic?
The Instructor may provide a few pre-packaged exercises or warm-ups;
however, any additional creative writing or design work must be contracted
separately.
How is the Marching Percussion Clinic structured?
The clinic is a one-hour presentation concerning the proper approach to the
marching percussion instruments to help players avoid the onset of Tendonitis,
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Joint Inflammation, etc… It is designed to be delivered
at venues such as a PAS “Day of Percussion”, a State Music Educators
Convention, or given as a special presentation at a Winter Drum Line Contest.
What does the Consulting Workshop entail?
The Consulting Workshop is a process designed to help Boosters and Directors
successfully maintain a growing marching program. It is intended to be
presented during the pre-planning stage for the upcoming marching season (usually
during the spring semester). Topics covered include: Financial Creativity in
Raising Capital; Level of Parent and Booster Involvement; Proper Competitive
Spirit; Self-Motivated Students; Well-Rounded Music Curriculum; Instructional
Staff and Design Team; Quality Time versus Quantity Time; and more.