Concert Band Performance Uniform Guide

Here is the step-by-step guide to putting on your Concert Band Performance Uniform correctly, ensuring everything sits at the right length and looks sharp for performance.

The uniform itself is provided for your use free of charge, but you must wear appropriate clothing under the uniform and wear your own black shirt, long black socks & solid black closed-toed shoes.

Remove all jewelry and makeup: Take off all rings, necklaces, bracelets, and facial piercings before putting on any part of the uniform. Keep your chin, neck and lower jaw area completely free of makeup, glitter, or face paint unless explicitly instructed by your director. Jewelry can snag on the delicate fabric of the uniform, and makeup will easily stain/discolor the high collars of the uniform.

Step 1: Hair, Base Layer, T-shirt, Socks

1. Hair: Must be neat and pulled up or back. Long hair left down gets bunched in the high collar.

2. What to wear under the uniform: Wear thin, lightweight athletic shorts or leggings. These prevent chafing, absorb sweat, fit easily under your bibbers, and allow you to dress quickly in the band room or hallway. It also keeps the uniform cleaner so we only need to get them dry cleaned at the end of the year instead of paying to dry clean them after every concert.

3. Wear a black shirt: We don’t want a spot of color from your shirt showing at the neckline where the jacket dips down in front where it zips up and snaps together under your shin.

4. Long black socks: Wear long, solid black socks. These must be high enough that no skin shows when you sit for the performance. They should reach at least your mid-calf.

Step 2: Bibbers & Shoes

1. Step into your bibbers: Pull the jumpsuit-style pants up and slide the straps over your shoulders. Zip up the front and snap the fly. Do not pull on your bibbers over shoes.

2. Adjust the bibber length: Your bibbers should be adjusted so the hem hits right at the top of your marching shoes without bunching up drastically, but long enough that they don't look like floods when you march.

   • Use the adjustable shoulder buckles to raise or lower the rise.

   • Use the snaps sewn up the inner several inches of the bottom of the bibbers to adjust the leg length. Fold the cuff inward and snap it to the correct length.

3. Put on your solid black performance shoes: You must wear solid black closed-toed shoes.

Step 3: The Jacket

1. Slide into the jacket: Put your arms through the sleeves. The zipper should be in the back. Marching jackets are stiff, so take your time pushing your shoulders all the way into the pads.

2. Zip and snap the jacket: Zip the jacket fully from bottom to top. Fasten all snaps/buttons.

3. Adjust the sleeve length (snaps): Marching cuffs must be adjusted so they do not swallow your hands or ride up too high. The edge of the cuff should sit precisely at your wrist bone when your arms are resting at your sides. When your arms are raised in playing position, the sleeve should still cover your wrist completely.

   • Reach inside the sleeve to find the internal sizing snaps near the wrist cuff. Fold the cuff inward and snap it to the correct length.

Uniform Hanging Instructions

Hang the bibbers:

• Step 1: Locate the creases. Hold the bibbers by the bottom hems and find the sharp, vertical pressed creases running down the front and back of each leg.

• Step 2: Fold along the creases. Bring the two leg hems together, ensuring the front creases match up and the back creases match up. The legs should now be folded flat against each other, with the sides of the pants facing outward.

• Step 3: Drape over the bar. Slide the folded legs through the opening of the hanger. Fold them over the horizontal bar at the knees or mid-thigh.

• Step 4: Balance the weight. Pull the legs through until the weight is evenly balanced on both sides of the bar so the bibbers do not slide off and the shoulder straps do not droop too low.

Hang the jacket:

• Step 1: Align the back of the jacket with the outside of the curved part of the hanger opposite where your name label is located. This allows your name label to be visible when hung.

• Step 2: Guide the shoulders first. Hold the hanger and carefully guide it into each shoulder opening. Ensure that you have not put the hanger tips into the small air vent slits in the back.

• Step 2: Zip & fasten. Zip up the front zipper at least halfway and fasten the top button. This maintains the jacket's structural shape and prevents it from slipping off or warping while hanging.

Handling & Care: Always handle your uniform pieces with care. Never place or drop them on the ground. Avoid bunching the fabric together when holding them or placing them on a hanger.

Uniform Etiquette & Maintenance

• Strictly avoid eating or drinking (except water) while in uniform: Keep all food, sodas, and colorful sports drinks away from your uniform at all times. Stains are incredibly difficult and expensive to remove from professional band fabrics.

• Uniform Sizing: If you feel like the uniform is too tight or the seams are straining when you bend, twist, or sit, please come and have us size up the uniform.

• Maintenance: If any part of the uniform is broken, not working, fraying, or coming apart, please report it immediately. Many issues are much easier to fix when the issue first begins & before it becomes a larger problem.