The Kamloops Community Band is a not-for-profit group of amateur musicians who rehearse and perform music written for concert bands – our music selections vary year to year and include music from marches, to soundtracks, and everything in between. The goal of the group is the enjoyment of its members and the enrichment of the community culture through performances.
Rehearsals: Rehearsals are Sundays, 7:00 – 9:00pm, in the the South Kamloops Secondary School music room (sharing the same parking lot as Sagebrush Theatre). Please come prepared to start playing at 7, as we only have a short time to practice!
Performances: The band plays on a number of occasions and in several venues throughout its season.
Typical performances are a winter concert in late November or early December, a benefit concert for the Chase Christmas Hamper in December, our annual fundraiser for the Richard Dickens Music Scholarship in March, a spring concert in May, and a concert in Riverside Park in June.
Season: The band begins rehearsals on the Sunday following the first week of school in September, and typically concludes with a performance in Riverside Park the following June.
Membership: Anyone who is beyond the beginner level on an instrument is welcome to join the Community Band. Band members represent a cross-section of the community: high school students, university and college students, business, career and working people, and retirees.
Participation: Because of the diverse nature of the band membership, and the variety of outside commitments of individual band members, there are no hard and fast rules for participation in Community Band. A general guideline would be that your level of participation is sufficient to maintain an acceptable performance level for yourself, and to allow the band to rehearse and perform with your part represented. Some additional considerations:
- School music programs: Almost every member of the Community Band has been, or is currently, a member of a school music program. Without the existence of school music programs, the band could not exist. Therefore, we expect that everyone in Community Band who is a member of a school music program will make their first commitment to their school music program.
- Other groups: Community Band is just one of many amateur and semi-professional musical organizations in Kamloops. Many of our members also play in one or more of these other groups. We ask that you carefully consider your commitments, so that neither the Community Band nor other groups are short-changed.
- Work and study: Many band members, including students, also have jobs. Some of those jobs involve shift work, which may conflict with rehearsals or performances. Obviously, paying jobs must take priority. Where possible, the band tries to give members a sufficient amount of time to allow them to try and schedule shifts that will allow members to attend all rehearsals and performances. When a band commitment must be missed because of a work commitment or school exam, please make every effort to inform us well in advance.
- Other commitments: All of us have lives outside of Community Band. Holidays, special occasions, extra work commitments or family emergencies occur throughout the year. Some of these will take priority over band events. In fairness to the band and other band members, please consider any absence carefully, and try to let us know in advance if these commitments are going to affect your participation in Community Band.
Communication: The most satisfactory way to deal with potential conflicts in any of the above situations is clear and timely communication. We will make every attempt to inform you of our performance commitments well in advance. We ask that you inform us of your schedule as soon as you have the information, so that we can plan accordingly. This is particularly important if you are in a school music program or another community organization. We would appreciate knowing performance dates, travel plans, etc., well in advance. Communicating our performance and rehearsal dates to the directors of other organizations you belong to is of equal importance.
Most communication will be done via email, so please ensure you provide us with a current email address you check regularly.
Contact Information: Please be sure that we have your telephone number and e-mail address. Note that this information is shared with the other members of the band.
Music: Although we own some music of our own, much of the music the Community Band uses is borrowed from local schools, the BC Band Association, or the Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music libraries. This music must be returned at the end of each season. Please be sure that your parts are kept in good order and returned when asked for. Any marks should be made in pencil, and erased before turning in. Some members make a copy of their part to mark up and use in rehearsal. They then can return the original in good condition, and destroy their copy at the end of the season.
If you are unable to be at a rehearsal or performance, please be sure that your music gets to the event, so someone can cover your part if necessary.
Concert Dress: Our current concert dress is as follows: black bottoms (slacks or pants preferred), black tops, bright, black shoes (no runners). Women will be provided a bright solid-coloured scarf, and men will be provided a wear bright solid-coloured tie. Concert dress will be reviewed early in the season. Any changes will be by consensus. Both scarves and ties will be provided by the band for member use during concerts, and returned after the concert, however, feel free to bring your own if you have something suitable.
Fees: Each member of the Community Band pays a fee of $50 yearly. New arrivals may participate in rehearsals for the month of September without paying fees. Those who remain with the band will need to pay fees at the first rehearsal in October.