Demystifying the Ragazzi Attendance Policy
When I speak with most Ragazzi parents about their son's schedules, I hear stories about after school schedules that include boy scouts, sports practices, homework, instrument lessons, play practice, community service, chess club, karate or judo, and on top of it all—making it to every Ragazzi rehearsal and performance! Ragazzi's music directors know that parents struggle with learning the ins and outs the organization and understanding and meeting Ragazzi's attendance policy. I must admit that it took me quite a while to "get" the policy. I had so many questions... What constitutes a planned or excused absence? What happens if a boy gets sick after he has already missed his three allotted absences for the semester? Is he penalized for having the flu? Are three excused absences enough for one semester?
We live in a culture that expects kids to be well-rounded and community oriented along with being top students. School commitments and other important extra-curricular activities can conflict with Ragazzi rehearsals. Most parents know that Ragazzi's policy only allows three excused absences per semester and that all performances are mandatory. So, what do you do? My first response as a director is: "please don't run away scared!!!!" Instead, please take a look at the reasons for the policy and how directors will make every attempt to be flexible about it when we can.
The "Why" of the Attendance Policy
Choir is a "team sport." Much of our rehearsal time is focused on group development and learning. Can a football team practice without their quarterback, runningback, and defensive end? Nope. I asked my brother, who is a college football coach, this question and he laughed at me for implying that missing practice was even a possibility. Singing in a choir is just like playing on a team—the director (or coach) and the team simply need everyone there to have a fully successful practice and to make steady progress.
When a boy misses a rehearsal, parents often assure directors that their boy will work on his music outside of Ragazzi rehearsal. We thank you for the commitment and admirable willingness to work, but it misses one vital point: individual practice is not a substitute for group development. When your boy misses a rehearsal, it means that he is not present when directors share information about the nuances of the music such as blend, tuning, dynamics, articulation, expressiveness and communication. These are musical, artistic elements that need to be internalized uniformly throughout the group and they honestly cannot be communicated to the boys outside of rehearsal. Missed rehearsals result in having to repeat information and in extra rehearsal time devoted to sections of music that shouldn't need it. This is the core issue that Ragazzi's policy tries to address. However, we are aware that our expectations have to be realistic. This is why the policy also allows three excused absences.
Excused Absences/Illness/Unexcused Absences
An excused absence is anything that is planned ahead of time. This includes school concerts, trips, events, and other extra-curricular activities. Because your sons have so many activities in addition to Ragazzi, we urge parents look at their boys' schedules for the entire semester and let us know about planned absences as early as they can. This makes it easier to ask directors about an extra absence should special circumstances arise.
An unexcused absence is anything that director was not informed about or an absence exceeding the normal three excused. So, if a child misses a rehearsal, and we later discover that he was at a boy scouts party and we had not been informed, then we would deem it "unexcused."
Expect a phone call in the case of an unexcused absence.
If a boy is sick, we do not expect (or want!) him to be at Ragazzi rehearsals. We know that parents cannot control illness, and we definitely do not want sick boys sharing nasty colds. We simply ask that parents inform us of their boy's illness and absence as early as they can. A normal number of sick days doesn't count toward the three excused absences.
Flexibility in the Policy
We directors want to help each boy while maintaining the integrity and musical success of the chorus. We will always handle absences that may exceed the normal allotment on a case-by-case basis. So, while the attendance policy in the handbook is clear and concise, it also states that a boy "may be ineligible to perform in all or part of the next concert" depending on the director's assessment of the boy's progress and the specific musical needs of the pieces being performed on the upcoming concerts. This statement does not use the words "definitely will be ineligible to perform." We make decisions based on the each boy's situation and on the needs of the particular pieces of music being performed. It is always best to talk with your director about conflicts ahead of time so that directors can discuss with you how extra absences may affect your boy as well as the group. We will always try to be flexible.
What do we mean when we say that we will "try to be flexible?" Let's take a normal 11-year old boy whose school goes to outdoor education in the fall as an example. Perhaps in addition to missing two rehearsals for outdoor education, this boy's parents notice that he also has Ragazzi rehearsals conflicts with a band concert and the science fair. Being told about this well ahead of time would give me the best chance to plan around those absences - keeping in mind the needs of our rehearsal schedule and repertoire – and find a way to accommodate this boy's conflicts.
Because your directors try to be flexible, we also ask parents to be flexible, too. If your boy had already missed three rehearsals, for example, but you really wanted him to be available for a family dinner with your cousins from out of town, we might ask you to consider scheduling your dinner on a Tuesday or Thursday night.
Friendly Attendance Reminder Emails
This year, your director will email you a friendly reminder if your boy misses two rehearsals in a semester. This email will quote the attendance policy. We think that by sending out standard reminders, we will help you remember how many absences your son has accumulated and encourage you to look ahead. We hope that after receiving a reminder email, you'd look at his full schedule and pinpoint any additional conflicts. Say your son had one for a boy scouts activity and one for a dress rehearsal for the school play. In this situation, we would ask that you consider the importance of those two events and only skip a Ragazzi rehearsal for the event that absolutely could not be missed. If you found yourself in a situation where your son could not miss either event, we would then begin talking with you about how this extra absence could affect your son this particular semester and work towards a solution that could hopefully benefit everyone.
Questions?
Talk to your director about conflicts and possible solutions as soon as you know about them. It gives all of us the best chance to find a win-win solution. If you have further questions about the attendance policy, please feel free to ask any of us. We welcome parent questions and concerns.
--Jennifer Cowgill
