Welcome to the Chelmsford Community Band! Regardless of whether you're just visiting to get to know us, or whether you've decided to become a member, there are a few things you'll want to know about the CCB.

General

The CCB is an adult, non-professional, community band made up of members from around the "greater Chelmsford" area, and serving the same area. In addition to our summer concerts on the Chelmsford Common, we perform several concerts throughout the year. We are a non-profit organization and our funding comes from local state grants, donations, and a few paying jobs.

We rehearse almost every Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts near Chelmsford center. Bring a music stand.

As with most large organizations, we have elected officers and many appointed positions. We have the standard foursome of President, Vice-President, Treasure, and Secretary. We also have people assigned to fund-raising, planning, production, library, equipment, publicity, etc.

Joining

There is no fee for joining the CCB and we have no dues. There is a one-time charge of approximately $12.00 for your official CCB shirt (our standard summer "uniform").

There are no auditions in this band. There is a very wide range of ability levels in the CCB. We never have "challenges" for seat positions. Each section works out its own order. Some sections swap parts among members, some don't. Occasionally, the director might make a change to a part assignment if something clearly needs change, but this is rare.

Since (except for the shirt) no money changes hands, and since there is nothing to sign, you might wonder what it means to "join".

When you officially join the CCB, you're making some commitments. You're committing to performances, rehearsals, continuity, etc. We're not asking 100% attendance, but we are talking dependability. In order to function successfully and live up to our own standards, we need to be able to count on each and every member.

Some examples of what we expect from our members:

• Notify the personnel manager or musical director ASAP when you know you can't make a performance. We need to know as much in advance as possible in case we have to find a substitute.
• We ask that you attend rehearsals on a regular basis. If you need to miss more than one or two rehearsals per month, you will be pushing the limits of what will work.
• Everyone is encouraged to take their folders home and practice. In most cases, if you have taken a folder home but then miss the next rehearsal or concert, this will cause real problems for the rest of your section and the band. Please arrange for your folder to make it to a rehearsal or concert even if you can't be there. Drop it off with another CCB member or call one of the board members and we'll find a way to help you get your folder to the rehearsal or concert.

Although no one keeps track, your commitment to the band is really on a per-year basis. And though new members trickle in throughout the year, our official season is from September to August.

As with most volunteer organizations, it's not always easy to get volunteers for the various jobs. Each band member is expected to help out a bit during the year. There are big, yearlong jobs as well as little, one-time jobs. No-one gets "drafted" against their wishes, but we expect all members to be willing to pitch in and help out with things like set-up or break-down for concerts, baking goodies for concerts, making posters, helping with mailings, etc.

One thing you can probably guess is that as with most volunteer organizations like the CCB, we're in a never-ending search for new funding sources. Many times, our new leads come from new members. Likewise, we're always looking for new opportunities to perform. Please let us know if you have any ideas for fund-raising or any leads on a possible performance.

If you decide that you'd rather not join the band, or decide to move on after having been a regular member, please let us know so that we won't keep you on our roster, etc.

Miscellaneous

We wear one of two "uniforms" to our performances.

• For our formal indoor concerts, the men wear a black suit, white shirt, dark tie (no bow ties, please), and black shoes and socks. The women wear long black skirts (or black dressy pants) with a black blouse.
• For summer (outdoor) or light indoor concerts, we wear our CCB shirts with dark pants (both sexes).
• For parades (we ride on a flatbed truck) we modify the summer uniform. We wear white or light colored pants and add the official CCB ball cap. The cost of the hat is approximately $5.00.

If you have any questions about the band, please contact Sue Guillemette, phone # (978) 692-8041 or send a message to email address Sue Guillemette.