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Conflicts between music and athletics

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ChoralNet user Josh Bronfman found this policy about conflicts between musical performances and athletic events.
 
See what you think:
Procedure for Handling Possible Scheduling Conflicts
Where conflicts seem to be unavoidable, the following regulations will prevail. Every attempt shall be made so that the student need not be asked to make a choice, nor be penalized due to the outcome of a decision stemming from these policies. When conflicts arise, both departments are to be notified of the situation.

1. All performances (games, concerts, meets, contests) take priority over a practice or rehearsal.

2. A musical concert will take priority over a regularly scheduled season game. Every effort will be made to avoid a conflict by scheduling on different days.

3. A post-season game or tournament will take priority over a musical concert.

4. If other circumstances arise, the principal will make a decision and the student may not be penalized in any way by either department.
 


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Comments

  2. Same. I worked at a school where the football coach was the principal. My male singers weren’t allowed to come off the field at a home football game to sing the national anthem. (We were standing right behind them.) You can guess how that worked out… I also no longer teach at that school. There’s no way to win a battle like that.

  3. Quite succint and fair.  The only thing I might add would be something to the effect of “It is the student’s responsibility to bring game/concert schedule conflicts to the attention of affected coaches and directors as within 1 week of the announcement of the game/concert schedule.”

  4. Philip and colleagues:  Since a Principal is mentioned, I assume that this is high school.  But it is almost exactly what I proposed in order to avoid conflicts and take students off the hot seat in our college music department.  In our case the conflicts were not with athletic events, but between scheduled rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and performances of different ensembles–and we actually had and have a departmental policy that students should experience a VARIETY of different ensembles.  And at the time I was actually the person creating some of the conflicts because my show ensemble–created by the university administration specifically to represent the university for positive public relations–played quite a lot of runout tours which COULD conflict with other ensemble performances, so compared with my predecessor (who told his members flat out “this organization IS your musical and social activity!”) I was actually offering to give up some autonomy.
     
    My attempt failed, because none of the other conductors wanted to give up the grade strangle-hold they had on their students.  But I still think it’a a reasonable approach, since WE certainly prioritize our events and others should be able to do the same.  But of course not everyone IS able to do so. 
     
    I was also set up to deal with missing people, since with our very active and demanding schedule I made sure that we had backups (understudies) for all critical roles.  NO ONE is irreplaceable, including ME!  Although I missed only one performance in 14 years, with a temperature of 104, and had my wife call my best performer to tell him that he was MCing the show that evening!  (And he ended up MCing the Miss Virginia Pageant for several years after he graduated!!)  I also had a background of 20 years as a professional performer and understood that “stuff happens” and you simply have to deal with it.  Illness and injury STILL happens, randomly and beyond anyone’s control, so anyone who take a stance that NO ONE can miss a rehearsal or performance is simply living in a different universe!
     
    And as busy as high school students are, we face somewhat different challenges at the college level, including not only varisty and club athletics but drama productions, opera or opera theater productions, professional societies and their meetings, social fraternities and sororities and their “required” activities, and since we deal with some of the real leaders, things like Resident Assistants in our dormitories who are On Call during our rehearsals.  Plus, of course, travel for professional conferences and employment interviews.  It does NOT get simpler!!
     
    My overriding policy is and was that if it is at all possible, the grownups should make the decisions and the students should never be put in the middle.  Anything else can be negotiated by people of good will (which unfortunately does not describe some athletic coaches!).
    All the best,
    John

  5. Love the ven diagram!
    We tried to put a policy like this in lace at the last school in which I worked.  Problem was, the athletic dept (though they agreed to it) would never follow it.  The Athletic director actually complained to the principal when I expected a student to attend a music concert instead of a softball practice.  The principal took her side.  Yeah, I don’t work at that school anymore.

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