Band Constitution and By-Laws
Article I: Name
1. The name of the organization is The Clark County Community Band. It is a non-profit organization, hereafter referred to as "the band".
Article II: Purpose
1. The purpose of the band is to provide an opportunity for musicians of all ages and skill levels to perform a varied repertoire of musical pieces in a community setting and to serve the Northern Shenandoah Valley by providing free concert performances.
2. The band shall provide an opportunity for adults to maintain or regain their musical skills and for students to sharpen their musical skills by playing with adults in a relaxed setting.
3. The band shall strive to enhance and strengthen the communities in which it serves by performing in a variety of settings and locations including, but not limited to, community patriotic events, community charitable events, retirement and nursing homes, local houses of worship and other places that will serve the interest of local communities.
Article III: Performances
1. Concerts are provided free of charge. Donations, while not openly solicited, may be accepted.
Article IV: Membership
1. Membership is open to any person. A voting member is defined as anyone who attends at least 4 rehearsals and at least one performances.
2. Auditions are not required
3. There are no age limitations or requirements.
Article V: Rehearsals and Attendance
1. Rehearsals will be held on each Tuesday evening from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM in the Johnson Williams Middle School band room, located in Berryville, VA.
2. Members are expected to attend as many rehearsals as possible. Notice should be given to a section leader, Conductor or Board of Directors member if a member cannot attend a rehearsal. Each member must attend the 2 rehearsals before a concert inorder to be eligible to play the concert. Exceptions to this rule may be allow by the Conductor or section leader.
Article VI: Board of Directors
1. The band's Board of Directors shall be made up of the following positions: Conductor, Associate Conductor, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian and Immediate Past-President. They shall perform the following duties:
Conductor: The Conductor's primary responsibility is to conduct rehearsals and performances. As such, he/she will, after consulting with the band, have the final authority on all artistic matters including, but not limited to, music selection, soloist selection, rehearsals and concert presentations.
Associate Conductor: The Associate Conductor will assist the Conductor in the direction of the band during rehearsals and performances. He/she is also responsible for the assignment of section leaders.
President: The President shall preside over all meetings and is in charge of the general management, supervision and operation of the band. He/she will be responsible for appointing committees as necessary, shall enforce all by-laws and shall perform the duties that normally pertain to the office of the President.
Vice President: The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the President's absence and shall perform other duties as delegated by the President.
Secretary: The Secretary shall keep all records of the band. The Secretary will also be responsible for drafting all correspondences and responding to those that are received.
Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep full and accurate accounts of all receipts and expenditures of the band. He/she shall deposit all money received in the band's bank account or other financial institution as selected by the Board of Directors.
Librarian: The Librarian is responsible for distribution of music and the management of the band's music library.
The Board of Directors shall establish a yearly budget in January that must be adhered to by the entire band and the conductor. Any expenditure over $500 per year (either as a single item or collectively) must be approved by a majority vote of band members present during a normal band rehearsal.
Each year, the treasurer shall submit a complete account of the band’s receipts and expenditures as well as all account balances to the band for review.
Article VII: Committees
1. Chairpersons for standing committees shall be appointed by the President.
2. Membership Committee: The committee's role is to expand the band's membership by proactively seeking and nurturing new members.
3. Public Relations Committee: This committee's role is to promote the band through effective media and public relations channels. This includes concert publicity, band brochures and assisting the Membership Committee in raising community awareness of the opportunities the band provides to local musicians.
4. Music Selection Committee: The President shall appoint a music selection committee whose purpose is to make recommendation for music selection to the conductor.
5. Other committee chairpersons may be appointed by the President.
6. Committee chairpersons shall solicit committee membership from other band members as necessary to fulfill the committee's purpose.
Article VIII: Performance Schedule
1. The band will strive to set its performance schedule as early in the year as possible to allow for personal planning, and in all cases prior to the 15th of March. The right to commit the band to a performance schedule rests solely with the Board of Directors, after consultation with the band.
2. In general, performance involving the entire band will be limited to one per month, with exceptions made for the Christmas concert season, during which some additional concerts may be scheduled.
3. Small portions of the band, such as a brass, woodwind, saxophone, or similar ensembles, may be asked to perform to fill community needs where participation of the entire band is impractical or undesirable. Performance at these events will be on a voluntary basis.
Article IX: Elections
1. Elections shall be held each year in the month of January during a normal band rehearsal. The date of the elections shall be announced during rehearsals for at least two rehearsals prior to the election date. Board of Directors members shall be elected by a simple majority of those present. The terms of office shall be as follows:
Conductor: A three-year term of office, which shall be renewable with any number subsequent three-year terms.
Associate Conductor: same as Conductor
President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer: A two-year term of office, which shall be renewable with any number of subsequent two-year terms.
The President and Secretary positions will be elected during January of even numbered years. The Vice-President and Treasurer positions will be elected during January of odd numbered years.
2. Vacancies in positions will be filled by appointment of the Board of Directors until the next regularly scheduled election, at which time, an election will be made for the vacant office, regardless of whether the office would have normally been up for re-election during that year. Subsequent elections to the office will follow the odd or even year schedule described above.
Article X: Removal of Board of Directors Members
1. Members of the Board of Directors may be removed at any time during their term. Removal requires a petition signed by five band members, which will bring the matter up for a vote. The vote will take place during the next regularly scheduled rehearsal. A simple majority of those members present will be sufficient to remove a member of the board. Removed board members will be replaced as described in the vacancies paragraph of Article IX: Elections.
Article XI: Amendments of the Constitution and By-Laws
1. Amendments to the band's Constitution and By-Laws may be suggested by any band member during any rehearsal. Voting on the change will take place during the next regularly scheduled rehearsal. Incorporation of any change will require a two-thirds majority of those members present at the rehearsal.
Article XII: Dissolution
1. In the event of dissolution of the band, members or officers are not entitled to any of the bands assets. Assets will be turned over at no charge to other organizations such as local schools or county recreation departments as determined by the Board of Directors.
About Music
Section leaders are appointed by the Conductor or Associate Conductor. Assignment of parts within a section is at the sole discretion of the section leader with input from the Conductor. Numbered leather folders have been assigned to each section and to each part within the section. The leather folders are stored in a plastic container and will be transported by the band to all performances and rehearsals. After each rehearsal, music folders should be placed in the blue music container. Please DO NOT take the leather folders containing original music home with you. Most of the music played by the band belongs to the Clarke County Community Band. However, occasionally the band borrows music from the another band. Therefore, it is important that all original copies of music remain in the leather folders belonging to the Clarke County Community Band. If original music is lost, the Community Band may lose its privilege to borrow music from other bands. If you would like to take music home with you to practice, copies can be made for you by the librarian. The first set of copied music will be provided to you at no charge, but a fee with be charged for any additional copies.
