Ensemble Attendance Policy

Any musical ensemble is a serious team effort that depends upon the commitment of each individual. Anyone who agrees to participate in a Departmental Ensemble agrees as well to come to all of the scheduled rehearsals and performances of that ensemble.

According to the Dean of the College, all regularly-scheduled Departmental Ensemble activities (i.e., Choir, Collegium, Orchestra, and Symphonic and Jazz Bands) take precedence over any extra-curricular activities, and over any ad hoc curricular activities (i.e., anything not listed on a course syllabus, which might include a film showing or a review session for an exam). This is an all-College policy, and it affects all Departmental and co-curricular events (music, theater, dance, athletic events, etc.).

In the event of a conflict with an extra-curricular event or an ad hoc curricular event, the student’s first responsibility is to the Departmental Ensemble. The student must therefore arrange for their absence from the extra-curricular or curricular event, and it is against College policy for the student to be penalized for these absences. (In the case of the ad hoc curricular conflict, the instructor is obligated to provide the student with an alternative event—an alternate film time, review session time, etc.)

In unusual circumstances (e.g., involvement with PAS events, off-campus job interviews, out-of-town field trips, tech week for a Mermaid Players production), the student may present the ensemble director with a conflict to be worked out between them, but the student should first make every effort to schedule around the Departmental Ensemble times.

Students will be excused from rehearsals only for reasons that can be verified by the Health Center, and the ensemble director may request the student to provide an excuse from the Center. Students in these cases should notify the ensemble director as soon as possible of their illness, so that the director may plan the rehearsal accordingly.

For ensemble-specific elaborations upon this policy, contact the ensemble’s director.

Students may receive acknowledgment of participation in Department Ensembles on their final transcripts by registering for one or more ensembles and successfully contributing to the ensemble(s) according to the syllabus established by the director(s). A minimum of two semesters of participation is required for transcript acknowledgment.