Below is a list of various policies/procedures of the River City Youth Brass Band. They will help RCYBB members to know what is expected of them, as well as to define some of the goals of the organization.

Overview

The River City Youth Brass Band exists for the education an enrichment of student musicians in Western Pennsylvania. We strive to foster a mutual respect among each and every one of the musicians and the RCYBB Staff. In addition to high expectations of musical achievement (learning the music, strict attentiveness in rehearsal and musical and intellectual flexibility), we expect everyone affiliated with the organization to represent him or herself well to each other and to everyone around them. The end result for everyone involved is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to rehearse and perform challenging and rewarding music on a very high level with uniformly excellent student musicians, whose progress is overseen by attentive and committed professional musicians/educators.

Musician Registration

All Students must register each semester. Students who are accepted into the program for the fall semester are not required to re-audition, but they must re-register. When registering, please provide as much contact information as possible so that we may best be enabled to alert you to important announcements.

Tuition Information

Tuition Rate
The tuition rate per student is currently $250 per semester. Tuition payment is due within 28 days of the first rehearsal of the season. Arrangements may be made for late payment or for payment in installments.

Late-joining students Students may join the band up to six rehearsals into the season. These students may receive a discount on tuition of up to 40%, prorated according to the number of rehearsals missed. This applies only to musicians joining the band for the first time. Students who miss rehearsals, for whatever reason, are not eligible for prorated tuition.

Families with more than one musician in the band
In order to mitigate the burden on families with two or more players in the RCYBB, a discount on the $250 tuition applies for these students. Tuition for the second sibling is $150. For the third (fourth, fifth, etc.), the tuition is $100.

Scholarships
A small number of student musicians may receive a partial scholarship for participation in the River City Youth Brass Band. These grants are given based on merit and at the discretion of the pertinent section coach and conductor. Students who receive scholarships may be asked to work setting up chairs for rehearsals and the like.

Please contact Drew Fennell with any questions.

Attendance

The student musicians affiliated with the River City Youth Brass Band have many demands on their time. The conductor and coaches of the RCYBB, however, do encourage the students to make every effort to attend all rehearsals and concerts. Musicians should be in their seats and ready to play by the call time.

It is not expected that musicians of the RCYBB miss participation in any activities of their own school bands. Musicians may miss up to three rehearsals per concert cycle. Should the musician need to miss more rehearsals than that, he or she should make arrangements to discuss this with the section coach and/or the conductor.

Should a musician find a conflict, he or she should inform their section coach and/or the conductor of the conflict no later than the week preceding the rehearsal.

Seating

Seating, subsequent to the audition, may be changed at any time, at the discretion of the section coach and/or conductor. As an extension of this, students should be prepared to play all their music at all times.

Dismissal

Dismissal from the River City Youth Brass Band is a very, very rare occurance. However, this extreme measure may become necessary should certain standards not be upheld.

If a student is deemed to be consistently performing at a substandard level, or if the student's behavior is a repeated distraction, the student shall be warned. If the poor performance habits and/or distruptive attitude continue(s), the section coach and the conductor may choose to remove the student from the program.

If tuition has been paid, it shall be returned in a prorated amount. That amount is to be determed by dividing the tuition by the number of rehearsals and performances.

Concert Dress

For the gentlemen, the proper dress is a black tuxedo. However, a black suit (no pin-stripes please) may be substituted for a tuxedo. Additionally, the gentlemen should wear "dressy" black shoes, black socks (a subtle pattern is acceptable), a black bow tie and a black cummerbund (plain please: no patterns or colors).

Incidentally...
Cummerbunds should be worn with the pleats facing upward. Historically, a gentleman going to a performance would place the coat check and/or theater tickets in the folds/pleats of the cummerbund; also, the pleats were used to catch falling crumbs or other debris when seated during a formal dinner.

For the ladies, the proper attire is "dressy," comparable to and compatible with men's tuxedo.

Some options to for the ladies to consider...

* a black dress falling below the knees when seated, with long sleeves and no white trim.
* a black skirt falling below the knees when seated, with long sleeved black top.
* a black tailored pant suit with black or white shirt and black jacket.
* a dressy, loose-fitting, full cut, or palazzo black pants with a long sleeved black top.

Other considerations for the ladies...

* Jewelry, hair ornaments and belts should be discreet, simple and subdued.
* Clothing material should be dressy - no denim or corduroy.
* Stockings should be black.
* Long dresses and skirts should fall below mid-calf and sleeves should fall below the elbow.
* Modest necklines and black dressy shoes are required.

Regarding concert dress
Please note the following clarification: "dress rehearsal" does not indicate a necessity for students to wear concert dress. The phrase simply refers to the rehearsal being the final full rehearsal prior to the performance.

Please contact your section coach or Drew Fennell with questions or concerns.

Free Tickets to RCBB Concerts

River City Youth Brass Band musicians are encouraged to attend as many live performances as possible. In particular, we hope students will make an effort to see the River City Brass Band. To that end, each student will receive a card which entitles him or her to:

    * One FREE ticket for him or herself
    * $7.00 student ticket (with Student ID)
    * 50% off family discount.

River City Youth Brass Band musicians may attend any River City Brass Band subscription series concert free of charge. Each student will receive a card (a "Golden Ticket") which entitles him or her to:

    * One FREE ticket for him or herself
    * $7.00 student ticket for siblings (with Student ID)
    * 50% off family discount.

The card may be used at any of the following concert venues:

    * Baldwin High School, Baldwin
      March 14, 2010; April 18, 2010; May 9, 2010
    * Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland
      March 11, 2010; April 15, 2010; May 13, 2010
    * Carnegie Music Hall, Homestead
      March 3, 2010; April 7, 2010; April 29 ,2010
    * Carson Middle School, McCandless Township
      March 12, 2010; April 9, 2010; May 7, 2010
    * Gateway High School, Monroeville
      March 4, 2010; April 8, 2010; May 6, 2010
    * Palace Theater, Greensburg
      March 6, 2010; April 10, 2010; May 8, 2010
    * Pasquerrila Arts Center, Johnstown
      March 7, 2010; April 11, 2010; May 2, 2010
    * Upper Saint Clair High School, Upper Saint Clair
      March 16, 2010; April 13, 2010; May 4,2010

Present card at the box office, or call (800) 292-7222 to reserve seats.

River City Youth Brass Band musicians are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

Weather Cancellations

Should it become necessary to cancel a rehearsal or concert for bad weather (or for some other unforeseen issue), every attempt will be made to inform all musicians of the cancellation.

Email is the best way we have to disseminate information. Please make sure we have an up-to-date email address for you; additionally, it is a good idea to have multiple email addresses (for the student, parents, etc.).

Also, if the notice is short, phone communication may be employed. Keep your phone information current as well.

Finally, notification will be given via the radio on AM 1020, KDKA.

To update your information now, contact Drew Fennell.

About Sweepstakes Practice

Carnegie Mellon University has a long-standing tradition of racing what amounts to souped-up push carts. A small person gets inside a bullet-shaped, very low-riding vehicle, while strong and very athletic people push them around at relatively high speeds.

So, what does this have to do with the River City Youth Brass Band?

Well, unfortunately, the fraternities and sororities who race these "buggies" often rehearse on Saturday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. And a couple of the routes they race involve streets directly surrounding the College of Fine Arts, where we rehearse. Long story short, it makes parking rather difficult. In general, when this occurs, sectional rehearsals will begin a few minutes late. Just get there as soon as you can.

There is also a parking alternative in the East Campus Garage, located off Forbes Avenue between Beeler Street and Morewood Avenues. That requires a walk, so leave yourself time if you wish to use the garage.