Orchestra Enrollment and Policies

Kennesaw Mountain High School Orchestra
Enrollment And Participation

Goal
To maintain a consistent enrollment policy in orchestra. The enrollment policy will uphold the integrity of the orchestra program, as well as the values of the KMHS Fine Arts Department as a whole.

Objectives
Students will be placed in orchestra ensembles based on experience and auditions. Students who are enrolled in orchestra will be enrolled in the appropriate ensemble for the entire year. If there is a graduation requirement that must be met, students will seek to work orchestra into their schedule before dropping out of the ensemble. Evidence of an attempt to remain enrolled in orchestra class should be shown to the director as a common courtesy and for consideration to re-join the program in the future. Students should fill out a 4-year “Schedule Planning Form” to be seen by their guidance counselor in order to make sure they will meet all of their graduation requirements.

Rationale
1. Music ensemble classes such as Orchestra, Band, and Chorus are inherently designed as a course which relies heavily upon each and every student in the class. Unlike most academic classes, in which students work independently in order to obtain individual results and achievements, the success of an orchestra program is directly dependent upon the consistency in the participation of the members in the ensemble. When students drop or add orchestra mid-year, it has an effect on the consistency and integrity of the ensemble.

2. Orchestra standards and learning objectives are based on a year-long approach, as opposed to the curriculum repeating itself each semester. The standards and learning objectives taught in the Spring Semester are a continuation of the material covered in the Fall Semester.

3. Orchestra is both curricular and co-curricular; however, orchestra is NOT extra-curricular.
Curricular: the regular or a particular course of study in a school, college, etc.
Co-Curricular: related but only complementary to the official curriculum, as a civic or service activity outside the classroom. (Such as performances and field trips in orchestra)
Extra-Curricular: outside the regular curriculum or program of courses.

4. Orchestra funding is based on enrollment in orchestra class. The county allocates a certain amount of money to be used by the orchestra for the maintenance and upkeep of instruments, equipment, and materials. The amount of money that each school program receives is directly determined by the number of students enrolled in the program. Example: If we have 110 students at KMHS who play an orchestra instrument, but only 70 students are enrolled and appear on a roster for a particular semester, then we are missing out on receiving funding that would adequately support our needs for instruments, new music, and other tangible equipment. We want the county to have an accurate and documented account of how many students are enrolled in orchestra, so that our program will receive the support that it deserves.

5. Teacher allotments and the existence of music programs in our schools are based on the enrollment of students in the classroom. If we want to support music and the arts in our school system, then we need to ensure that we are able to provide an accurate and documented account of how many students are enrolled each and every semester. In addition, orchestra teacher job responsibilities are to instruct the students enrolled in his/her class, as well as to present concerts or programs as directed by the instructional needs of those students. Any teacher instruction or activity before and after school are considered co-curricular, as these activities compliment and support what the students are learning in the orchestra class.

Kennesaw Mountain Orchestra Policies

1. Placement into Ensembles

Please note: Orchestra is considered a year-long class. The skills and fundamentals we work on in the Fall semester will be evaluated in our mandated Large Group Performance Evaluations in February and March.  Spring semester orchestra is a continuation of the advances we have made in the Fall semester.  Adding students into orchestra halfway through the year creates a sub-par learning environment and is strongly discouraged.

Intermediate Orchestra All 9th grade students will be placed in this class as a foundation to our orchestra program.  We will also have 10th – 12th grade students who play a string instrument but could benefit from an extra semester of fundamentals before auditioning for Advanced or Mastery Orchestra.

Advanced Orchestra – Open to students who have taken a minimum of one semester of Intermediate Orchestra with an ‘A’ average and have a proven track record of appropriate rehearsal and classroom behavior.  Some students may be asked to take an audition if they are requesting to be moved into Advanced Orchestra.  Students who were not enrolled in orchestra as a 9th grader will be given the opportunity to be in this ensemble through an audition process.

Mastery Orchestra – Open to 10th – 12th grade students who have taken Intermediate or Advanced Orchestra, and who are accepted based on experience and an audition. This is Kennesaw Mountain’s premier orchestra performance class.  The repertoire and literature in this ensemble will require a deep understanding of ensemble skills.  As such, it is a requirement that the student must be enrolled in Mastery for the entire year in order to be in this ensemble.

2. Participation in co-curricular activities (concerts, trips, etc.)

Students must be enrolled (on the roster) of an orchestra class at the time of a co-curricular activity in order to participate.  This includes concerts and performances, LGPE, field trips, banquet, and meetings.

3. OLT (Orchestra Leadership Team)

All orchestra students are invited to be active members of OLT.  In order to be a member of OLT, the student must be enrolled in orchestra.  (It is difficult to be a leader in orchestra, if you are not actually in orchestra class.)  Officers of the OLT will be voted on by the members of the OLT.  In order to run for office, students need to have completed 2 semesters of orchestra, and also must be enrolled in orchestra for the entire year in which they are running for office.

4. TRI-M (National Music Honor Society)

The bylaws for consideration to be a member of TRI-M state that a student needs to have been enrolled in their performing ensemble for a minimum of one semester.  Once inducted into TRI-M, one of the minimum requirements for remaining a member is that the student is enrolled in a music ensemble and/or class for at least one semester of the current school year.  Local chapters may raise the minimum requirements at the discretion of the chapter advisor.

5. Other Music Events and Organizations (GMEA, All-State, Honor Orchestra, GYSO, ASYO, etc)

If a student wants to be involved in ensembles or events that are promoted or sponsored by outside organizations, he/she is encouraged to do so.  Please note that many organizations require that a student be an active member of their local school orchestra program.

6. Awards/Achievements

Membership Pins:  After completing 2 semesters of Orchestra, students who have committed to continuing in orchestra will receive a membership pin.

Varsity Letters:  Students will receive a varsity letter after completing 4 semesters of orchestra, including concert and rehearsal attendance.  Students may earn a Varsity Letter prior to completion of 4 semesters by becoming a member of the District Honor Orchestra.

Graduate Honor Cord:  Students will receive an honor cord in orchestra after being enrolled in orchestra for all 8 semesters.

Miscellaneous Awards:  Students will be recognized for character, leadership, and service throughout the year and at our year-end banquet.

7. Magnet and Graduation Requirements

Ideally, students will make efforts to remain in orchestra for all 8 semesters.  When scheduling issues arise in order to meet graduation requirements, then students should notify their director as soon as possible.  Working as a team, the director, counselor and/or magnet coordinator will try to keep orchestra on the student’s schedule.  If it is not possible to have orchestra on the schedule, but the student has shown initiative in trying to work it out, then the student will still maintain membership and is welcome to rejoin orchestra the following semester.  We want our members to maintain as much consistency, integrity, and commitment to orchestra as possible.