FAQ
If you have a question that isn't answered here, CONTACT us.
General Questions
Concerning the day-to-day of Smith Walbridge Clinics.
You should receive a file by email when you register. If not, contact us. It includes a link to our lengthy and detailed information packet. Please read this document before calling with questions. The packet is also located here: www.swclinics.com/informationdocuments
Approximately at noon on the last day. Several clinics have a closing ceremony, and check-out follows the ceremony, which is right around that noon time.
2:00 PM on the first day. Participants will be lead to classes from the residence hall. Participants should be checked in by 1:30pm, so they can be settled and ready to begin at 2pm.
Meals provided are dinner on the first day of your clinic THROUGH breakfast on the last day of your clinic.
For commuters (those staying at home and driving in, or have other arrangements not on campus with us), dinners and lunches are provided. Meals for early arrivals, late departures and those staying over for additional sessions can purchase their own meals in the dormitories or at fast food chains, for delivery to our residence hall, nearby.
All students are supervised 24 hours per day. There are interns/counselors on each floor of the residence halls. All administrative staff are certified in first aid and trained to handle emergency situations. Please see the Information Packet for three pages of all the safety and security provisions at SWC.
Yes, they are the same clinic, just two different date offerings.
However when you repeat a session or return to the clinic each subsequent year, you will advance to the next level of instruction. I you come to camp for multiple weeks in the same summer, or if you return several summers in a row, you will gain and develop new skills and be exposed to new content.
Yes. Many college students do attend. Specifically, we have a college track in our drum major clinic. We also encourage undergraduate students to attend our Student Conductor, Drill Design, and Directors Clinics.
Attendees will have a same-gendered roommate from the same school, OR from the same clinic and approximately the same age. Bathrooms are communal, per floor, with privacy doors and curtains. Male and female participants are housed in separate floors within the residence hall. Male participants are not allowed on the female floors and females are not allowed on the male floors. Transgendered participants are housed in the facilities consistent with their expressed gender. Non-binary participants may choose their accommodation. We do reserve housing options for specific cases concerning gender, and those participants may contact us if accommodation is needed. College students are housed on a separate floor from the high school students, as is all staff. Directors and Drill Clinic participants (adults) are housed in a separate building/facility, away from student participants.
We strongly suggest not sending mail to the clinic site since it often arrives too late for distribution. Smith Walbridge has no contact with the dorm after our last camp date in July.
Pictures from you or your student's time at SWC are taken by our camp photographer. They are provided free of charge on our website.
Pictures are uploaded to our website as they are processed. Some pictures will be available during our clinics. Most pictures will be available within a week after the clinics. To view our pictures, go here. The page is password protected. The password is emailed to students, parents/guardians, and directors during our clinics. If you did not receive the password, please contact our office at swclinics@swclinics.com.
It depends of how much you want to spend in the clinic store and if you are interested in ordering extra "night food" for delivery to the residence hall. Our store features all kinds of apparrel, whistles, lanyards, flags, rifles and sabres, maces, marching band gear, parts, and more. Many students do purchase items there. Smith Walbridge prefers cash and checks, but also accepts credit cards in the store. Tax is charged.
Our clinic store carries a variety of band products as well as Smith Walbridge merchandise. Band supplies include rifles, silks, flag poles, maces, whistles, and more. Smith Walbridge merchandise includes t-shirts, hoodies, hats, shorts, tank tops, and more!
Arrival and Departure
Questions about transportation may be answered by going to the Transportation page.
No problem! If you arrive a little later than the check-in window for your clinic, you'll report to the front desk of Taylor Hall. They will alert a member of our administrative staff, who will assist you with checking in, moving in, and getting you to your starting location for your camp!
For clinic check-in and check-out (drop off and pick-up) park for free at Taylor Hall, OR across the street at the large parking lot. Signs will indicate lots at check-in and staff members will be outside for assistance. A detailed map is in our Information Packet.
If the participant has driven him/herself, staff members will show you where to park after check-in (in the lot across the street from Taylor Hall). Those who will keep their cars at the camp will get a parking pass during check-in to display in their car after they have unloaded and parked for the clinic duration. Students 18 and under turn in their keys to a locked safe for the duration of the clinic, which is held by our administrative staff. Keys are returned at check-out.
Smith Walbridge will not be responsible for those who get tickets when parking in area not approved for our staff and participants.
Early arrival or late departure situations (usually to get cheaper air fares, or to arrive in time for class) are available for $30.00 per night. This cost does not include any meals, however, meals can be purchased in the cafeteria until the meals for your camp begin. Even as an early arrival, you are "with" the clinics. Those 18 and under may not leave the dorm grounds.
As a general rule, extra nights are reserved for those traveling from out of state or by public transportation. You may stay up to one night early and/or one additional night late.
Extra nights are not available on or after July 25, as the dorms will be closed.
Call us to make arrangements at least one week in advance.
These options are included in the Information Packet and on the Transportation page. Be sure to provide your information at least 5 days in advance of travel so we can schedule arrangements to pick you up and return you to your to your stations and terminals.
Closing Ceremonies
For parents, friends and directors closing ceremonies are in O’Brien field on Eastern Illinois' campus.
Color Guard, Drumline & Front Ensemble, Section Leader
July 11th, 10:30am-12:00pm
O'Brien Field
Mace-Signal Baton Clinic
July 20th, 11:00 AM-NOON,
held behind Taylor Hall.
Student Conductor Clinic
July 13th, 11:00 AM-NOON,
held in Lumpkin Hall
Drum Major Clinics
Session I: July 18th, 9:00-10:30 AM
Session II: July 25th, 9:00-10:30 AM
O'Brien Field
Equipment and Belongings
Questions about bringing equipment and provided equipment.
In general, YES, you bring and provide your own equipment. This includes flags, rifles, instruments, drums, sticks, mallets, batons, maces, etc. With the large amount of students attending, Smith Walbridge Clinics is not able to provide equipment.
Smith Walbridge DOES provide the following, FREE of any charge:
Front Ensemble Keyboard Instruments
Limited number of large brass instruments (for Section Leader Clinic, reserved in advance)
Limited number of drumline instruments, carriers, stands (for Drumline Clinic, reserve in advance)
Practice maces for Drum Major Clinic sessions and electives (first come, first served)
Practice rifles for Color Guard Clinic electives (first come, first served)
In general, instruments reserved in advance are held for those traveling long distances or by public transport who could not otherwise bring their instrument easily by those means. Closer to the camp start, instrument reservations are opened up to any student! Please call or email our office to request and/or reserve!
Participants are required to bring their own sheets and bedding, as they prefer it. The beds are twin XL. As an alternative to bringing fitted sheets, students may bring a large sheet to cover the mattress, then use, say, a sleeping bag or other blankets on top. Bring own pillow/pillowcase. Participants pack out what they bring in.
Yes. The Lost-and-found is at the front desks of Lawson and Taylor Hall.
After the date of our last camp, all lost and found items unclaimed are brought to our office location. We hold items for one month following the last date of camp for inquiries/claims. After this date, items remaining are disposed of or donated. The participant is responsible for any shipping fees incurred to return their items to them after our season has concluded.
Check-In
Check-In is on the first day of the clinic. Dates are listed on each clinic's page. You may register for our clinics as late as the morning of that clinic. Check-Out takes place on the last day of a clinic after closing ceremonies or after the conclusion of the clinic.
Check-in Times
Registration is located at Taylor Hall at Eastern Illinois University. Exact times can be found in the information PDF's.
Payments
A refund, minus the deposit, can be issued up to the start time of your clinic. There are no refunds for participants who leave early, for any reason, once the session begins.
Each clinic has a separate deposit amount. Balances can be paid anytime before coming to Smith Walbridge Clinics, or they can be paid upon arrival. Payments can be made with a credit/debit card (log into your account at https://campsself.active.com/SmithWalbridgeClinicsInc) , or by check (preferred) made payable to "Smith Walbridge Clinics" and mailed to:
Smith Walbridge Clinics
P.O. Box 859
Mahomet, IL 61853
We take partial payments and payments from multiple sources. Include the participants name and clinic with any mailed payment. Each time a payment is made, a new receipt will be emailed to the address on file.
Your director should contact Smith Walbridge Clinics to request an invoice and registration code. The registration code will allow you to bypass the required payment when you check out during the online registration.
DIRECTORS MAY NOT REGISTER MINOR STUDENTS. Important health and legal forms are included in the online registration, which ONLY a parent/guardian may electronically sign. Directors who are paying for their students should email swclinics@swclinics.com or call 217-687-2005 and request a code and invoice. The code is unique for your students, and allows the parent to register them and check out without any payment. It is a fast and easy system, and necessary.
School group discounts are available:
10% off for school groups with 12 or more entries.
20% off for school groups with 20+ entries.
To obtain the discount, the registration must be set up with the SWC office in advance, PRIOR to any student registrations, AND the payment must be made by check, in one lump payment. Contact us at swclinics@swclinics.com or 217-687-2005 to set up a discounted group registration.