Bloomfield Youth Band Rental Fund
Donation protected
Who we are.
I founded the Bloomfield Youth Band in 1986, when I was 17 years old, and just celebrated 30 years as the director of this extraordinary group of young musicians. The band held its first rehearsal on August first of that year at the Glen Ridge Congregational Church in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. The members of the group paid for the use of the facility and the music was borrowed from the Bloomfield High School Band Library.
The Youth Band's first public concert was held on May 8, 1987 at Bloomfield High School. By that time the youth band had become a member of the Bloomfield Federation of Music. The Federation relieved the burden of paying for a rehearsal site by providing it with the use of Bloomfield’s Civic Center at no charge. The Federation also secured performing venues for the band and paid for the printing of programs
Today, the Bloomfield Youth Band has earned the reputation as an outstanding musical ensemble. Comprised of some sixty high school and collegiate musicians, the band performs three or four public concerts each year in Bloomfield. At its Tenth Anniversary Concert in June 1996, the band was recognized by the Township of Bloomfield, the New Jersey General Assembly, and the United States House of Representatives for its civic and cultural contribution to the town and to the State of New Jersey.
The band’s mission, like the four other ensembles which comprise the Bloomfield Federation of Music, is to provide musical enjoyment for the residents of Bloomfield and neighboring communities. This is a task which the band takes very seriously and one which it strives very hard to meet.
Why do we need your help?
The Youth Band has historically rehearsed on Friday evenings - free of charge - at a local middle school. Occasionally we need to rehearse on Sundays, which requires a payment of $150 for building usage. Looking ahead to the 2016-2017 schedule, there are MANY more Sundays than we usually have, which means that our expenses for building rental are going to increase by a substantial amount. We do have an alternate space that we can use for free, but only occasionally, and it lacks percussion equipment. Therefore, we really need to be able to rent the space that we're used to being in so all of our students can effectively participate in the rehearsal process.
We are a non-profit organization.
The BYB is a member ensemble of the Bloomfield Federation of Music, a 501(c) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. We support ourselves by ticket sales to our concerts, donations from audience members, and band membership dues ($50 per student, per year). This funding structure has worked very successfully for quite awhile, but we are at the point where it's getting more difficult to meet our expenses running an organization which meets from September through mid-June.
100%
Every donation will go toward our rental expenses for the 2016-2017 concert season. We have lots of other expenses, but I am confident those financial obligations will all be met. Also, all donations are 100% tax deductable.
On behalf of our 60 band members, I want to thank you for taking the time to read about us and to consider donating to our organization. To learn more about us, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Bloomfield-Youth-Band-58395288567/
And have a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBCmTFsgozo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa9hlAnk7dM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa9hlAnk7dM
Yours in Music,
Patrick Burns, Founding Director
Bloomfield Youth Band
I founded the Bloomfield Youth Band in 1986, when I was 17 years old, and just celebrated 30 years as the director of this extraordinary group of young musicians. The band held its first rehearsal on August first of that year at the Glen Ridge Congregational Church in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. The members of the group paid for the use of the facility and the music was borrowed from the Bloomfield High School Band Library.
The Youth Band's first public concert was held on May 8, 1987 at Bloomfield High School. By that time the youth band had become a member of the Bloomfield Federation of Music. The Federation relieved the burden of paying for a rehearsal site by providing it with the use of Bloomfield’s Civic Center at no charge. The Federation also secured performing venues for the band and paid for the printing of programs
Today, the Bloomfield Youth Band has earned the reputation as an outstanding musical ensemble. Comprised of some sixty high school and collegiate musicians, the band performs three or four public concerts each year in Bloomfield. At its Tenth Anniversary Concert in June 1996, the band was recognized by the Township of Bloomfield, the New Jersey General Assembly, and the United States House of Representatives for its civic and cultural contribution to the town and to the State of New Jersey.
The band’s mission, like the four other ensembles which comprise the Bloomfield Federation of Music, is to provide musical enjoyment for the residents of Bloomfield and neighboring communities. This is a task which the band takes very seriously and one which it strives very hard to meet.
Why do we need your help?
The Youth Band has historically rehearsed on Friday evenings - free of charge - at a local middle school. Occasionally we need to rehearse on Sundays, which requires a payment of $150 for building usage. Looking ahead to the 2016-2017 schedule, there are MANY more Sundays than we usually have, which means that our expenses for building rental are going to increase by a substantial amount. We do have an alternate space that we can use for free, but only occasionally, and it lacks percussion equipment. Therefore, we really need to be able to rent the space that we're used to being in so all of our students can effectively participate in the rehearsal process.
We are a non-profit organization.
The BYB is a member ensemble of the Bloomfield Federation of Music, a 501(c) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. We support ourselves by ticket sales to our concerts, donations from audience members, and band membership dues ($50 per student, per year). This funding structure has worked very successfully for quite awhile, but we are at the point where it's getting more difficult to meet our expenses running an organization which meets from September through mid-June.
100%
Every donation will go toward our rental expenses for the 2016-2017 concert season. We have lots of other expenses, but I am confident those financial obligations will all be met. Also, all donations are 100% tax deductable.
On behalf of our 60 band members, I want to thank you for taking the time to read about us and to consider donating to our organization. To learn more about us, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Bloomfield-Youth-Band-58395288567/
And have a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBCmTFsgozo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa9hlAnk7dM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa9hlAnk7dM
Yours in Music,
Patrick Burns, Founding Director
Bloomfield Youth Band
Organizer
Patrick Burns
Organizer
Bloomfield, NJ