Attendance Policy & School Music Expectations

To request an absence, please submit an Absence Request Form at least 2 weeks in advance.

Click here for the Absence Request Form

If there is an emergency the day of the rehearsal, please contact your ensemble manager in addition to filling out the form. Special consideration may be taken into account for medical and family emergencies.

PORTLAND YOUTH PHILHARMONIC (PYP)

String Players: May miss no more than two (2) rehearsals per concert cycle and no more than nine (9) in an entire season. No student can miss two consecutive rehearsals within a concert cycle.

Wind, Brass, and Percussion Players: May miss no more than two (2) rehearsals per concert cycle and no more than seven (7) in an entire season. No student can miss two consecutive rehearsals within a concert cycle.

PORTLAND YOUTH CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA (PYCO), WIND ENSEMBLE (PYWE), AND STRING ENSEMBLE (PYSE)

Musicians may miss no more than two (2) rehearsals per concert cycle and no more than seven (7) in the entire season. No musician can miss two consecutive rehearsals within a concert cycle.

Please see the Musician Handbook for details on our attendance policy.

Concert and dress rehearsal attendance is MANDATORY. Missing a concert should only happen under extreme circumstances. Except for serious illness or emergencies, a month’s advanced notice to the conductor and ensemble manager is required. Missing a dress rehearsal may result in excusal from the performance at the discretion of the conductor. Missing performances may affect your participation in your PYP ensemble.

In support of public and private school music programs, the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) requires that all musicians participate in their school’s band or orchestra program—where such a program exists—by enrolling in the corresponding course for credit on their PYP instrument.

By participating in your school music ensembles, you play an important part in helping to build meaningful, successful programs in your schools and communities. In addition, you benefit byplaying with a group every day, becoming a better sight reader, and learning more and different repertoire.

As part of this policy, PYP will confirm each student’s participation with the school ensemble director. Your enrollment form will require the name and contact email of your school’s director.

If you are requesting an exemption, you will check a box in the enrollment form, and the PYP office will initiate an exemption request process. Exemption requests will be reviewed by a committee that includes PYP conductors and staff, and where appropriate, in consultation with the student’s school
director.

This policy does not apply to students whose school does not offer a band or orchestra course for credit on their instrument. In such cases, if the school offers an extracurricular or “club” ensemble, musicians are strongly encouraged to participate.