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Music Department Handbook
Performances
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Performances | Performance Attire | Performance Rubrics | Attendance Guidelines | Alternative Assignments
Performances
Performance is the culmination of all of the hard work that your child has contributed during classes, rehearsals, and their practice at home. The performance experience cannot be recreated, so it is important that every musician attend every performance in which they are scheduled.
Students are expected to stay for the entire performance and may not leave until all ensembles have performed. We greatly appreciate your cooperation!
Dress Rehearsals: Dress rehearsals are the final opportunity for us to see what the performance is going to sound like. Missing so much as one student can change the entire sound of the ensemble. In addition, students missing will not receive the final instructions for the performance. Therefore, in order to ensure the appropriate performance, and to refrain from any embarrassment of the student, students who miss the dress rehearsal will sit in the last chair of their section. Again, this is not punitive, but rather, to protect the student and ensure the highest level of success for the ensemble.
Report Time: The report time for each performance will be communicated well in advance of the concert. Report times vary per ensemble. The report time is not negotiable, and is based on the amount of time needed to get every student prepared to perform. Thank you for your cooperation!
Performance Attire
Professional Performance Attire (Polo Shirt and Black Slacks / Skirt Past Knee)
Attire may vary from performance to performance. The standard (default) attire is:
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Gentlemen: Performance polo shirt with black dress slacks and a black belt. Black dress socks and black dress shoes should be worn.
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Ladies: Performance polo shirt with black dress slacks or a black skirt (length below the knee). It is highly recommended that ladies who play the cello and bass clarinet wear black dress pants. Black dress socks or stockings and black dress shoes should be worn. Black stockings must be worn with a skirt.
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Gentlemen & Ladies: Earrings must be smaller than the size of a quarter. Students may not wear more than two bracelets on each wrist (with a watch counting as one bracelet). Students may wear no visible neck jewelry. Students are to refrain from wearing anything that may draw attention to themselves (i.e. neon jewelry). Accessories may be worn only at the Director’s discretion.
Formal Performance Attire (Black floor length dress and black long sleeve shirt with blue tie and black dress slacks)
Formal performance attire may be required for some ensembles where the formal attire is available. This attire is owned by the school's music program and will be assigned to student musicians as required. Formal performance attire includes:
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Gentlemen: Black long sleeve, button down shirt with black dress slacks. A blue tie, black belt, and black dress shoes will be worn to accompany the uniform black shirt and slacks.
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Ladies: Black floor length dress with black dress shoes.
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Gentlemen & Ladies: Earrings must be smaller than the size of a quarter. Students may not wear more than two bracelets on each wrist (with a watch counting as one bracelet). Students may wear no visible neck jewelry. Students are to refrain from wearing anything that may draw attention to themselves (i.e. neon jewelry). Accessories may be worn only at the Director’s discretion.
Performance Rubrics
Band and Chorus
The following performance rubric will be used to grade all students in the performance:
Orchestra
Performances will be scored based on five criteria: timeliness, attire, performance etiquette, participation, and off-stage etiquette.
When a portion of the above criteria is not applicable, it is not considered as part of the score. Scores will be earned holistically based on the rubric below. Students who are present for the performance and do not participate, or are absent and fail to make-up the performance, will earn a holistic score of 0.
Scores from all performances will be averaged together and then multiplied to have an outcome on a 100 point scale.
NOTE: If a student’s cell phone or other electronic device is heard on or off stage at anytime during the performance, their score is automatically lowered by two holistic rubric points (i.e. a score of four becomes a score of 2).
The rubric can be found below.
Attendance Guidelines
Pre-arranged Absences from a Concert: If a musician is going to be absent from a performance, the parent is required to notify their respective Director at least ONE MONTH in advance. Musicians who do not notify their respective Director one month in advance will be considered “unexcused” from the performance. Please note, if a student is excused from the performance due to a pre-arranged absent, they must still complete the alternative assignment, as described on the next page.
Excused Absences: Students who are absent from a performance due to illness or death in the family are considered excused.
Excused vs. Unexcused: All absences not listed above are considered unexcused.
Alternative Assignment for Excused Absences: Students whose absence is excused from a performance may complete the alternative assignment to earn up to 100% of their performance grade.
Alternative Assignment for Unexcused Absences: Students who are NOT excused from a performance may complete the alternative assignment to earn up to 50% of their performance grade. Other extra credit may be assigned to make up the additional 50% at the Director’s discretion.
Alternative Assignments
Alternative Assignments. Alternative assignments will be consistent for each performance this year. When a musician is absent from a performance, they may make up the performance by performing the entirety of the performance via phone, recording on Charms / Google Classroom, or by arranging an appointment with the director. During the make-up performance, the musician will be graded according to the musicality of the performance, rather than the completion of the performance.
Specific procedures for the Alternative Assignment will be communicated by the director. Please note that the alternative assignment will include a performance of the music that was performed during the missed performance.
If a student does not complete this assignment within one week, they will need to arrange an appointment with the Director to complete the assignment in-person. As well, the Director may arrange with the musician’s core teachers to have the musician come down to complete the performance at the Director’s convenience. Students will have one appointment opportunity to complete the alternative assignment or they will earn a grade of “0.”
The rubric for the alternative assignment will match the rubric for the missed performance.
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