HCB INFORMATION GUIDE FOR BAND MEMBERS


MEMBERSHIP
Membership in this organization is open to all qualified musicians age 18 or over with concert band experience.  An exception to this age limit may be High School students in good standing in his/her high school band who otherwise meets these requirements and who have the approval of the Music Director. Limitations to membership in the HCB will be based on balanced instrumentation and availability.

REHEARSALS -  MONDAY NIGHTS AT 7:00 PM SHARP!
  • Factor in time for parking at Heckscher Park.
  • We generally rehearse from 7:00PM to 9:30 PM with a short break in rehearsal scheduled at about 8:30 PM. 
  • Please keep our rehearsal area neat and clean by removing water bottles and any trash around you.
  • Take all personally owned instruments, mutes, mouthpieces, sticks, mallets, etc. with you at the end of rehearsal.

ATTENDANCE
Membership in the HCB requires a commitment to consistent participation. We will rely on the information you provided on your  band commitment form as a basis for keeping sections of the band BALANCED for the duration of the season.

Sometimes conflicts arise at the last minute that force you to miss a rehearsal or concert.  We certainly understand a one time emergency change in your band commitment/participation.  However, we respectfully ask that you contact Vickie Henson immediately as soon as you know that there is a change in your availability.

                                  If you cannot attend a rehearsal, you cannot perform in the concert 2 days later.
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Please do not jeopardize the integrity of your band section or, the public performance of our band by being a surprise “no show” – talk to Vickie so that we may work out the conflict work for everyone concerned. Each member of this band is a “key” performer. 

CONCERT DRESS / BAND SHIRTS
CONCERT DRESS:  White HCB polo shirt, black pants/shoes.  HCB polo is not a required purchase, as a plain white polo shirt with no other logos is perfectly acceptable.
  • No summer dresses, shorts, or sneakers.  
  • HCB logo polo shirts  will be available for order.  Shirts will be $25 each.  Please specify Mens or Ladies polo when you order.   You may pay for shirts by check made payable to the Huntington Community Band or Venmo the money to Vickie Henson.
 
CONCERT LOCATION / PARKING
Please do not confuse Huntington’s Heckscher Park with Heckscher State Park on the south shore in East Islip!
  • Our concerts are held at the HARRY CHAPIN STAGE in Huntington’s Heckscher Park at the intersection of ROUTE 25A (Main Street) and PRIME AVENUE. 
  • Parking at Heckscher Park in Huntington can be a challenge on the Wednesday evenings of our performances. There is handicap parking in the lot immediately adjacent to the Heckscher Museum (entrance on Prime Avenue). There is street parking on 25A by Old First Church and, also Prime Avenue paralleling the park (and on some side streets, too).
 
CONCERT CALL / START TIME / END TIME
 The call for our concerts on Wednesday evenings is 7:00 PM SHARP, RAIN OR SHINE (unless otherwise notified – see cancellation policy below).
  • Please unpack and leave your instrument case in the air conditioned green room backstage. DO NOT LEAVE ANY VALUABLES in this space.
  • Arriving prior to our call at 8PM should (in most cases) allow you to secure a parking spot.
  • At 7:45PM I will give last minute performance notes and then we will tune carefully.
With the exception of the LAST 3 concerts when we have pre-concert entertainment by members of the band at 7:00PM, our concert downbeat occurs at 8:00PM often immediately preceded by public announcements.
The first 4 concerts conclude at approximately 9:30PM. Concert 5 (our last performance and grand finale) sometimes goes just a little later.

CONCERT CANCELLATION POLICY
It never fails that we may have one or more Wednesday evening concerts where the weather is threatening to cancel our performance. The decision to cancel is based NOT on the rain as much as it is based on lightning action. We have a very loyal audience who come prepared with rain ponchos and umbrellas so, do not assume that even if it is raining heavily by you that it is the same at Heckscher Park. Despite the threat of rain and occasional light drizzle, we try our best to get our concerts in for the benefit of our audiences.    

The ultimate call to cancel a performance is made by the Huntington Arts Council and the Huntington Parks Public Safety, sometimes at the very last minute. On the day of each scheduled Wednesday evening performance I remain in close contact with the arts council regarding weather concerns throughout the day AND, I will post updates and get them out to you, as warranted.  All cancellations will go out via the HCB remind group and on this website. Therefore, unless you receive notice from me or, you see an advance cancellation notice on this website, our Facebook page or, on the Huntington Arts Council website (www.huntingtonarts.org) - PLEASE plan to show up for the concert at 7PM (our normal call time).
 
CONCERTS - CLEAN-UP
Concert clean-up responsibilities for the end of each concert will rotate through the sections. Any additional help is greatly appreciated.  At the end of each concert please make certain that your folder is returned to the folder crate so that the last concerts music may be removed and new music placed in the folder.
 
CONTACT INFORMATION
Email: HCBwebmaster@gmail.com.  Vickie Henson will answer these emails.  If you need to get a message to Vickie, feel free to text, email or call anytime! 
 
FOLDERS & MUSIC / SIGN-OUT
    Concert folders are normally shared 2 on a folder. In general, concert folders will have 2 complete concert’s worth of music pre-stuffed each week. This gives stand partners an opportunity to sign out the folder to take home for practice. Some important requests:
 If possible,  use a scan app or the camera on your phone to take a picture of the parts you want to practice.  If not:
  1. ALL MUSIC FOLDERS MUST BE SIGNED OUT AND ONLY COMPLETE FOLDERS MAY BE SIGNED OUT – Please DO NOT take individual parts home where they may be lost or separated from the folder. Please keep concerts SEPARATE in your folder, i.e., do not mix concert 1 music with concert 2.
  2. PLEASE use clear tape to join together multiple pages of music whenever you take the folder home. This will: (1) help to keep multiple pages together in sequence; help to keep multiple pages from blowing off your stand; and,  (2) help to keep individual pages from blowing off your stand.
  3. ALL FOLDERS MUST BE RETURNED AFTER SIGN OUT! If you are going to be absent and have a folder in your possession YOU assume complete responsibility and must make arrangements to get the folder to the rehearsal/concert! Thanks for your cooperation.
  4. Fill red file folder, found in your band folder, with music from previous concert.  We will collect that right after the concert.
 
LIBRARIAN / MUSIC
     Requests for copies/missing music should be directed to the Band Librarian's attention. Please see them at a rehearsal if you are missing any music or need an additional copy.
 
MARKING MUSIC
Please bring a pencil for marking music to every rehearsal. Thanks!

HCB “BIG BAND”
    The “HCB BIG BAND” (jazz band) performs week 4 (July at 7:30PM PRIOR to our full band concert at 8:00PM. The band is under the direction of HCB Assistant Director Dan Bilawsky and will rehearse at our 4th rehearsal at 6PM. Further details and personnel assignments will be forthcoming.
 
SPONSORSHIPS
The HCB relies on Town of Huntington / Huntington Arts Council funding in additional to band sponsorships for our year-end party, purchase of band music, tee shirts, supplies, equipment, application and membership and borrowing fees to professional band lending libraries, Huntington Arts Council, postage and shipping fees, fees associated with our domain name/website, honorariums, guest soloist/conductor honorariums and more.
    Any band or member or family wishing to contribute to our annual cost of running the band is welcome to contribute to sponsoring the band. Sponsors will be listed in our concert program. Checks may be made payable to the HUNTINGTON COMMUNITY BAND. Thank you.
 
ONLINE RESOURCES
Huntington Arts Council
www.huntingtonarts.org
 
Huntington Community Band
www.HCBand.org
 
HCB Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/Huntington-Community-Band-Huntington-NY-93878881286/