Evergreen Philharmonic Orchestra

Attendance Policy

Attendance at all rehearsals and concerts is mandatory. The points you receive for participating are part of your grade. If there is an emergency situation and you have received permission to miss a rehearsal or concert, you will have an opportunity to make up some of the points lost. Please realize that it is impossible to duplicate the experience of a rehearsal or concert, so only 80% of the points lost can be made up.

You will be allowed to make up points only if your director has prior knowledge that you cannot be there, and the reason is either personal illness or a family emergency. If you become ill prior to a concert, have a parent call so that adjustments can be made. This is important to your stand partner, your section, and the entire orchestra. You will certainly be missed, but if we can plan ahead, we can minimize the impact on everyone else. In the event of illness or emergency, please call your director right away. See the Faculty listing for phone numbers.

If you have a prior commitment (family vacation, award ceremony, athletic contest, etc.), you must give 10 days notice of your intended absence. At that time a decision will be made as to whether any of the points can be made up. Do not ask to make up points that are lost due to poor planning or inattention to the calendar.

Obviously, situations will arise that cannot be anticipated by any attendance policy. We are all busy, involved people, and that is good. If a situation comes up that needs further discussion or consideration, please make arrangements with your director to talk about the problem in advance. Concerts are more successful if there is as much consistency as we can manage between rehearsals and performances. However, we are human, and while trying to adhere to a consistent and fair attendance policy, there must be a way to accommodate unusual or emergency situations. These can be dealt with if we communicate fully as far in advance as possible.

The possible reductions in your grade for a single rehearsal are as follows. "Late" is relative to the moment when tuning begins. At that time you should be in your seat, with your instrument and music, and ready to tune.

Grading Scale and Weighting

The grading scale is a demanding one. Standards are high in this elective course, and both reliable attendance and consistent improvement are necessary to achieve a high grade.

Notes:

Extra credit is accepted only if all assignments are turned in. It is not a substitute for assigned work.

Grading is by semester. The quarter grade reflects progress only to that point in the grading period.

The grading scale and weighting can be different for the other high-school orchestras. See their individual pages.

Commitment Expectations

For a successful orchestra program, there must be a high level of commitment from the director, from the parents, and from the student.

From the director: You should expect your director to be dedicated to making the orchestra program (grades 5 through 12) and the high-school orchestras the finest that we can make them. We all want the program to continue to be regarded as one of the best in the five-state northwest area, providing a top-quality orchestral experience for students of all talent levels. For the high-school orchestras, this means the directors will constantly be pushing themselves and the students to higher and higher levels of musical achievement.

From the parents: It is important to realize what is being asked of your children. The director cannot be effective as a teacher if your child regards this as a frivolous activity. This does not mean that a student cannot have other commitments. We all have other interests and obligations, and they are all important. What you are being asked is that for for the hours that belong to orchestra, you will support your student's efforts in practice, rehearsal, performance, and when applicable, travel obligations. If any of these commitments are a problem, especially the performance and travel time, please talk to your director as soon as possible.

For everyone to meet their commitments, we must have a whole team. If financial restraints are a problem, please talk to your director privately. We have a method of handling these matters in a confidential manner.

From the student: The student's commitment is twofold. First, the hours that belong to orchestra in practice, rehearsal, performance, and travel are extrememly important, and students must come prepared to make them as productive as possible. Practice time is scheduled by each individual and cannot be neglected. Students need to fit practice time into their schedule so it is consistent and productive.

The second part of the student's commitment regards communication. There will be conflicts that arise in regard to rehearsal times, especially after school. It is imperative that you communicate these problems to your director far in advance, preferably both verbally and in writing. Please look over the Schedule of All Events carefully, and make arrangements to talk about any problems right away.

Awards and Recognition

Since the orchestra program is district wide, there are some differences in how student achievement is honored at the end of the year. Some awards are unique to the orchestra program, while some are unique to each high school.

Orchestra awards: In each orchestra class, there is a Director's Award, a Most Achieved Award, and a Most Inspirational Award for each high school. In addition, it is possible to earn an activity letter for orchestra in each high school.

Issaquah High School awards: There is a Fine Arts Dessert in June to honor all those students in the fine arts department who were involved in co-curricular music activities. This involves letter recipients and participation awards for those students involved with the school musical. In addition, the orchestra program is involved with departmental awards, such as the Arion Medallion and the NSOA, and these are presented at the Senior Honors and Awards ceremony and at the Spring Concert.

Liberty High School awards: In addition to its own awards, the orchestra program is involved with the departmental awards, including the Medallion Award and the Distinguished Scholar Awards. These are presented at the Senior Awards ceremony.

Skyline High School awards: The Performing Arts department presents certificates and Medallion awards to selected seniors. The Skyline Symphony has a Senior Conductor award that is voted on by the orchestra members.

Tours, Retreats, and Field Trips

There are some performance goals that can only be achieved by taking the orchestra to perform in another city, state, or country. These performances are just as important a part of the orchestra experience as concerts that are given at school, and it is expected that all orchestra members will take part. These activities are also part of the grade that each student receives. If a student cannot participate due to an unavoidable conflict, an alternate assignment will be made, typically a research paper. Please understand that such an assignment is not meant to be punitive, but since the performances missed would have been a significant part of the grade, then the alternative assignment must be as well. Arrangements for alternate assignments must be made well in advance.

It should be understood that orchestra membership does involve some travel and some expense. Due to the uncertain economy, travel plans for the 2009–2010 school year are currently on hold.

Our orchestra program has come to be regarded by adjudicators as one of the top five programs in the state of Washington. You are joining a prestigious organization that strives hard to always improve and achieve even more each year.

In order to maintain the excellent reputation that we enjoy, we would not want to travel and perform unless we could do our best, and that involves having everybody there. It is like an athletic team in the sense that the whole orchestra must rely on each musician to play their part, and that requires everyone's participation. All local performances during the year are required. By law, field trips cannot be mandatory, but obviously the success of the organization depends upon participation.

Signing the Parent Signature Form indicates that you are aware of these expectations and will support your child's participation in these activities.

Private Instruction and Music Supplies

Please see your orchestra director for names of private teachers of your instrument. Any name you are given does not constitute certification or recommendation by either the Issaquah School District or the orchestra program.

For music vendors that sell and rent sheet music, instruments, and other music supplies, please consult the Useful Web sites at the end of this Web page. We have had experience with the stores listed there, and with how they relate to students and parents. If a store does not appear on the list, it is because it is too far away for the services it offers, we have had numerous complaints about its service, or it is new and we have not heard about it. Nonetheless, the inclusion of a store in the list is not to be taken as a recommendation of any kind, either by the Issaquah School District or by the orchestra program.

Student Transportation Policy for Day Trips

The following policy is coordinated with the music departments of the high schools, and is in accordance with the policy that comes to us from the district administration.

Field trips of over 10 miles or more than two hours duration:

1. Students must travel ONLY on school-sponsored transportation.
2. With prior permission from both instructor and principal, students can travel with a parent or parents.
3. No student is allowed to travel with other students or other parents, or to drive themself.

Field trips within 10 miles and of two hours duration or less:

1. Students must use school-sponsored transportation if it is provided.
2. Students can provide their own transportation with prior instructor approval, provided the appropriate permission and liability forms are completed and turned in.