Most of the items that campers spend money on are snacks, drinks, the occasional pizza delivery, and recreation activities. All of these are payable with cash only.
We encourage parents to make sure that campers have enough money for activities before they leave. It is difficult for parents to get money to campers once they have left campus. The camps are not permitted to cash checks and there are no Western Union locations near campus.
If you are concerned about your child carrying cash (there are no safes in the rooms), you might consider a pre-paid ATM card. These are available at Walmart and most convenience stores or grocery stores. Just make sure that it can be used as a debit and ATM card. There is a SunTrust ATM machine in Southgate where the camper can withdraw cash from the pre-paid card when they need it.
In the event that you need to send money to a camper after they are here, you will need to utilize the Western Union at the Publix on Ocala Road. You will need to work with your camper and counselor to determine a time that they can go to receive the transfer.
The following is a list of common expenditures: T-Shirt: $15, Optional Activities/Field Trips: $7-$15/event, Snacks/Pizza/Other Spending: $50 per week
Mail
If you are planning to send mail to a camper while they are at camp, we suggest you do the following:
- Send it before they leave
Our campus mail system slows the process down by as much as four days! We often receive cards and letters for campers long after their camp has ended - especially for campers that are here for our one-week camps. By sending mail the week before your camper leaves, we will be able to hold onto it until their arrival and give it to them during the camp week. Any packages which need to be forwarded after camp has ended will be at the family’s expense.
- Send it to the camp administration office.
We encourage you to send mail to our Administration Office (FSU Summer Music Camps, PO Box 3061180, 122 N. Copeland Street, HMU 204, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1180). Mail that is sent directly to the dorm will be received by Southgate employees - not our camp staff. Sending it to the Camp Administration Office is the only way to ensure that the package will get to the right person.
- Send it via FedEx or UPS: DON'T SHIP VIA US MAIL
If you are sending campers anything of value, we HIGHLY suggest sending it via FedEx or UPS. This is the only way to guarantee that your son or daughter will receive the package. If you use the US Postal Service with a tracking number you will find that once the package leaves the Tallahassee Post Office and enters the campus mail system, the tracking number will no longer work and it will seem like the package has been lost. The Post Office will not be able to help you track it down. Only FedEx and UPS will enable you to track your package all they way through delivery.
- Next Day Service doesn’t really mean next DAY.
Mail and packages are only delivered to the College of Music once per day - usually at about 3pm. Even if you pay for AM delivery, expedited overnight service or priority delivery, it won’t be delivered to our office until the late afternoon. It will then be given to the counselors who will get it to the camper at dinner time. Bottom line - if you send something on a Tuesday via overnight service, don’t expect the camper to get it until Wednesday evening at the earliest.
