PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
Musical performances are the culmination of many weeks of preparation and represent countless man-hours of practice and dedication. They are the aesthetic reward that transforms the study of music and instrumental technique into an art. Practice without a culminating performance has little meaning in the performance-based art of music. No product exists without the final performance. Performances are a required part of band, orchestra and choir. They are our exams and provide purpose and meaning to a musician's existence.
When a member of a performing organization is absent from a performance, it hurts every other member of that organization. We are not like a football team that has players on the bench waiting to take the place of the absent player, nor are we a professional ensemble that can hire replacements. No one else can fill the whole left by an absent student musician. Absences throw off the balance and blend of the entire group and make everyone feel "uncomfortable" with the performance.
In every rehearsal we stress the importance of the individual member. Being a good musician means being reliable, dedicated, responsible, and most importantly, considerate of others. These are values that are important in music, in society, in business, and in family life as well. Missing group performances for all but the most extreme emergencies, certainly does not promote these ideals.
Even though our performance dates and times are set months ahead of time and are well published, we realize that occasional conflicts can arise. We expect that students make every effort to eliminate schedule conflicts. We will do everything possible to eliminate the conflicts, we will compromise in any way that we can. We will and have adjusted times, changed program orders and even arranged transportation. We expect that students, who can not make an entire performance, make as much as they can.
PLEASE help us maintain our high performance standards by doing everything in your power to eliminate performance conflicts. If you MUST miss a performance, please let your director know as far ahead of time as possible. This way the group can adjust accordingly so your absence will be less of a burden. Having your parents sign a note does not guarantee that you will be excused from a performance. The director makes the final excused or not excused decision. If you are not pre-excused from a public performance your marking period grade will suffer.
Working together we may find a solution, let us not fail due to lack of effort.
When a member of a performing organization is absent from a performance, it hurts every other member of that organization. We are not like a football team that has players on the bench waiting to take the place of the absent player, nor are we a professional ensemble that can hire replacements. No one else can fill the whole left by an absent student musician. Absences throw off the balance and blend of the entire group and make everyone feel "uncomfortable" with the performance.
In every rehearsal we stress the importance of the individual member. Being a good musician means being reliable, dedicated, responsible, and most importantly, considerate of others. These are values that are important in music, in society, in business, and in family life as well. Missing group performances for all but the most extreme emergencies, certainly does not promote these ideals.
Even though our performance dates and times are set months ahead of time and are well published, we realize that occasional conflicts can arise. We expect that students make every effort to eliminate schedule conflicts. We will do everything possible to eliminate the conflicts, we will compromise in any way that we can. We will and have adjusted times, changed program orders and even arranged transportation. We expect that students, who can not make an entire performance, make as much as they can.
PLEASE help us maintain our high performance standards by doing everything in your power to eliminate performance conflicts. If you MUST miss a performance, please let your director know as far ahead of time as possible. This way the group can adjust accordingly so your absence will be less of a burden. Having your parents sign a note does not guarantee that you will be excused from a performance. The director makes the final excused or not excused decision. If you are not pre-excused from a public performance your marking period grade will suffer.
Working together we may find a solution, let us not fail due to lack of effort.