In Concert:
Community Music Groups Working Together

A Newsletter of Southwestern Pennsylvania Band Partners

Winter 2010
Volume 6 Issue 1
Printable Version in PDF Format


Inside This Issue: 
Kiski Valley Community Band|  Band Directory Additions | Band Birthdays |Job Descriptions & Bylaws Intro |
 Music Corner | Combined Concert CalendarAnnouncements | Band Web sites | Contact US

Kiski Valley Community Band

Provided by Carol Pinto-Smith
Secretary, Kiski Valley Community Band
The Kiski Valley Community Band was established in 1993 because of the desire of our adult musicians to have an outlet for their musical talent.
Our band consists of musicians ranging from high school students to the over-50 crowd. Members come from many communities in the Kiski     Valley region including Vandergrift, Apollo, Leechburg, New Kensington, Lower Burrell, Springdale and Freeport.
Patti Marco, our president and conductor, teaches seventh- and eighth-grade band at Kiski Area Intermediate School, Allegheny Township. A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, she is co-director of the elementary band and on the staff of the Kiski Area High School marching band.
 
The Kiski Valley Community Band performs at many community functions during the year including benefit concerts at Christmas and local community festivals.
The next performance of the Kiski Valley Community Band is February, 14 at 2pm at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall in Frazer as part of the HomExpo.
For more information about the band, please visit their website at http://kvcb.net

Southwestern PA Community Bands (As of January 7, 2010)

Below are some recent updates to the directory.  If you are aware of community bands in the region that are not yet in the online directory please let them know about us. We currently have 25 groups listed in our directory from the Southwestern Pennsylvania region.

Update:
West Hills Symphonic Band
http://www.whsb.org/
Clement Rolin, Conductor
clementrolin@comcast.net.    
Alan Skwarla, President
algolatino@verizon.ne
Karen Koszak, Business Secretary
potato45@hotmail.com
verified: October 27, 2009

Scottdale Concert Band
http://www.scottdaleband.com
A. Warren Shirer, Conductor
Rhonda Allison, Contact person
rallisonspl@yahoo.com
Jay Copenhaver, Secondary contact person
trptman@gmail.com
724-887-4425
Verified: October 21, 2009

Community Band South  
http://cbs.pghfree.net/
Jim Bennett, Co-Director
jimbennett007@Verizon.net
Dean Streator, Co-Director
deanstreator@comcast.net
412.833.6110
Verified: October 19, 2009


Please check the listing of your group in the online directory to see if it is correct and let us know so we can put a “Verified on” date. 
Thanks




Band Birthdays in 2010

10 yrs   ~   Blairsville Community Concert Band

20 yrs   ~   Pine Creek Community Band

25 yrs   ~   Ohio Valley Community Band

30 yrs   ~   Resurrection Band

45 yrs   ~   Harrisville Community Band
 

Happy Birthday!!


Job Descriptions and Intro to Bylaws

By Sarah McElfresh


In Volume 4 Issue 1 we looked at what it means to be a 501c3 organization and how to get started in the process of getting that designation for a group.  One of the requirements of the application process is to submit a copy of the organization’s bylaws.  Most of our reading audience are members of already existing bands so we will not get into the creation of a band here.  If you are looking to create a new ensemble there are resources available and I would strongly recommend joining the Association of Concert Bands (http://www.acbands.org) to have access to their many resources including the Band Builders Manual.


Just as there are many different types of community bands, there are many different organizational structures.  This is typically formalized with bylaws.  Your organizational structure is also something that your group may revisit from time to time as the band evolves. 

Many groups have questions of what should and should not be in their bylaws.  How specific should we make job descriptions of our officers and conductors?  These are good questions and there are multiple approaches to take.  The bylaws can be very detailed and very specific which  can be helpful in many situations, but you want to be careful that your bylaws do not restrict actives the group may want to take in the future without having to amend the bylaws.


Here we will start with job descriptions of members of the organization and or board.  A first question might be, what positions should we have?  The titles and positions below do not come from any single group or are not necessarily common for every group.  A web search of “community bands and by laws” will bring you many different examples from which you can draw from in determining what is best for your individual group.  Most groups have a board of directors which is made up of the officers of the band (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer).  There are other positions which may or may not be members of the board.  For example not all conductors are members of the board; the librarian is also commonly not a board level position, but it also not a surprise to see it as such. 


Common Positions

The positions listed below are not intended to be a complete list of possible positions but are the most common, and the job description is intentionally vague to give a basic idea of what a position might entail.  A more detailed description would need to come from discussions within the current board or organizing committee of your group to have what makes the most sense for you.
There are probably many more positions that some groups have as part of their governing or leadership structure.  Certain responsibilities may be better suited for a different position depending on the group.  As an example, there are some groups where the board selects the music and the conductor has little to no input in that process.  As noted above, some duties were listed under multiple positions.  There is no single way to run a band, each group is unique; however there are some common things that all groups will need so looking to others for guidance is very helpful.



Music Corner
This section is intended to be a place for conductors and musicians to share information on new music they are playing.  If you have something to contribute please email us the information at newsletter@swpabandpartners.pghfree.net with “New Music Corner” in the subject line. Please include the title, composer/arranger, publisher and a brief description of the piece. 

American Barndance

Composer: Richard L. Saucedo
Published: 2009
Grade: 4
Performance time: 3:35 min
Publisher: Hal Leonard (HL 04002794 )
Hal Leonard web site: http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=4002794

By Sarah McElfresh

The Hal Leonard website describes this piece as “rhythmic and energetic” and I must agree.  This work contains contrasts of tempo and style with some familiar music interwoven through out the piece.  As the name suggests it has the feeling of a barn dance while incorporating themes from classical and Broadway music.  It starts off quick with the barn dance feel, and then has a humors slant before going into a gentle melodic passage.  The second half of the piece gradually picks up the tempo as it races to the end.  The entire ensemble is well represented throughout the piece.

The mp3 file is available to listen to at the Hal Leonard site. It is definitely worth a listen.  This piece seems suited for any concert venue and audience.

One piece of criteria I have for evaluating music is “Do I like to play it?”  I am not a musical    director, I sit in the back of the band in the low brass section and play.  As such I often have parts that are not terribly exciting, that was true for this piece.  However,  it was a fun piece to listen to during rehearsal and look for all the hidden themes and therefore I enjoyed playing it.  It did take a few rehearsals to get to that point where the piece takes shape and you can understand how things fit together.  If your group is one that likes to read through a piece and then vote on whether to keep working on it, you might let this piece go as all the components are not evident at first.  In my opinion, It is deserving of that second look. 

This piece is a definite audience pleaser.




Combined Calendar (As of January 7, 2009 for Winter 2010)
For the updates and the entire calendar visit the online calendar

January 2010:
Sat, 30 7:30pm Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra Upper St. Clair High School Theatre

February 2010:
Sat, 13 7:30pm Butler County Symphony Orchestra Butler Area Intermediate High School Auditorium
Sat, 13 8pm Washington Symphony Orchestra Trinity High School, Washington
Sun, 14 2pm Kiski Valley Community Band Pittsburgh Mills Mall, Frazer
Sun, 28 3pm North Suburban Symhonic Band The Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center

March 2010:
Sat, 13 7:30pm Edgewood Symphony Orchestra Agnes and Joseph Katz Performing Arts Center Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
Fri, 19 8pm The Pittsburgh Philharmonic Butler County Community College Succop Theater
Sat, 20 7pm The Pittsburgh Philharmonic North Hills Junior High School
Sat, 27 7:30pm Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra Upper St. Clair High School Theatre
Sat, 27 8pm Westmoreland Symphonic Winds Seton Hill University's new Performing Arts Center


Announcements:


fblogoThree Rivers Community Band Festival

Festival Band Registration open for 2010 Festival

The 7th Three Rivers Community Band Festival will be held on Saturday May 1, 2010 at Upper St. Clair High School Theatre

 

There will again be a “Festival Band” which will allow a larger number of area musicians to participate in the festival.  The band will rehearse on the morning of the festival with guest  conductor, Denis Colwell and then perform selected pieces during the afternoon concert.  Applications should be received by February 15, 2010.

For more information and application materials, please visit: http://www.ewsb.org/festival and click on “Festival Band

 


Association of Concert Bands
http://www.acbands.org

The Association of Concert Bands (ACB) is a national organization dedicated to encouraging and fostering adult community, municipal and civic bands and musicians.  Membership has its privileges, with different levels of membership—individual ($30/yr), family ($45/yr), life ($1000), organizational ($50/yr or $275/yr), and corporate ($150/yr).  The more expensive type of organizational memberships comes with the BMI/ASCAP Blanket licensing agreement that keeps community bands legal with performance fees.  All types of memberships come with a subscription to the Journal, voting privileges, and participation in the annual convention and convention band.  The Journal is published three times a year, and includes articles about community bands from across the country; festivals, concerts, band camps, reviews of music and CDs and other topics that would be of interest to a community band musician.  For more information, visit the web site or contact Sarah McElfresh, Regional Membership Coordinator for Pennsylvania at sarahmcelfresh (at) yahoo.com.

Are you interested in an Unwanted Music Swap??

The idea has been presented by the president of one of the bands that we have a music swap.  A place to trade original full scores of music that are just taking up space in your music library.  Swap those pieces you will never play for one reason or another for something else.  Perhaps it is too easy or hard for your group—might be just right for another.       Perhaps it is a piece that your band has overplayed—it may be brand new to another.  Perhaps you just need to thin out your library.  There are many more reasons why you may no longer need or want that piece of music, and it may be a gem for some other group.

If you are interested in participating in such an event, please contact Sarah McElfresh at sarahmcelfresh (at) yahoo.com
Date and location will be set and announced after the schedules of those most interested have been worked out.

Sousa National Community Band

July 9-11, 2010, Las Vegas NV

Organized by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, the Sousa National Community Band is comprised of individual musicians from around the country who travel to a given location to  play a concert in the style of Sousa under the baton of Col. John R. Bourgeois. 

For information see: http://www.sousafoundation.org/  under Projects       or             send an email to windband@gmail.net. 

General Announcements

We now have an announcements page for those items that come in between the monthly email postings to the mailing list.  Check out it out!
http://swpabandpartners.pghfree.net/announcements.html

Don’t forget to sign up for the monthly email. 
Tell your friends so they don’t miss upcoming concerts.
To be on our mailing list send email to swpabandpartners-subscribe@yahoogroups.com with the subject subscribe

Contacting Us:

Southwestern Pennsylvania Band Partners is dedicated to helping community music groups in the southwestern Pennsylvania Region. 
Please visit us online at the address below to learn more or become involved.
    http://swpabandpartners.pghfree.net

Regional Bands with web sites (for updated list visit the links page)

Aeolian Winds http://www.aeolianwinds.com/
Allegheny Brass Band http://www.alleghenybrassband.com/
Armstrong Concert Band http://www.geocities.com/armconband
Blairsville Community Concert Band http://www.bccband.com/
Butler County Symphony
http://www.butlersymphony.org/
Community Band South http://cbs.pghfree.net/
East Winds Symphonic Band http://www.ewsb.org/
Edgewood Symphony http://www.edgewoodsymphony.org
Harmony-Zelienople Community Band http://www.hzcb.org
Harrisville Community Band http://www.harrisvilleband.com/
Jeannette Community Band http://www.jcbweb.com/
Kiski Valley Community Band http://www.kvcb.net
Kittanning Firemen's Band http://www.kfband.com/
Lawrence County Community Band http://sites.google.com/site/lccbandsite/
Metropolitan Symphonic Band http://metrosb.org/
Musicians Concert Band http://www.tmcband.com/default.htm
Pittsburgh Philharmonic http://www.pittsburghphilharmonic.org/
North Suburban Symphonic Band http://www.nssband.org/
Ohio Valley Community Band http://www.geocities.com/ovcband
Penn Trafford Community Band http://www.ptcommunityband.org/
Pine Creek Community Band http://www.pinecreekband.com/
Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra http://www.artsnet.org/pco/
Scottdale Concert Band http://www.scottdaleband.com/
Somerset County Community Band
http://www.somersetcounty.com/band
Washington Symphonic Orchestra http://www.washsym.org/
West Hills Symphonic Band http://www.whsb.org/
Westmoreland Symphonic Winds http://www.wswinds.org/


Contributing to the newsletter
Everyone is welcome to contribute an article to the newsletter.  The topic is up to you—something you think your fellow musicians would be interested in. We are always looking for contributions to the "New Music Corner." Just email your article to:
newsletter@swpabandpartners.pghfree.net

For additions to the web site email:
info@swpabandpartners.pghfree.net

In the next newsletter
In our next newsletter due out in early April you will find:



Editors
Sarah McElfresh,  East Winds Symphonic Band, Delmont Concert Band
Scott McElfresh, East Winds Symphonic Band
Kathy Wikowski, Allegheny Brass Band,  North Suburban Symphonic Band

January 7, 2010