Will you be missing a band thing?

We understand conflicts, sickness, and life happens. The BEST way you can approach missing a rehearsal or any event is to communicate correctly with the band directors and staff. If you know that will be absent from any rehearsal or any required event of any kind, this is the place to put in your request.
  • We require all requests to be placed at least 7 days in advance to keep good standing with the marching band and concert band spots.
  • If it's a last minute emergency and something has come up (sickness, family, etc.), we still need this entered.​​
  • No matter what the reason is, if you know that you will be absent from any band thing at all, this form must be submitted.​

Please be as accurate as possible with all of the questions on the form so that the directors can understand the situation and can make the best judgement possible for your request for absence. Please remember that this is ONLY A REQUEST, and submitting your request does not mean it is automatically excused.

Please note that in the event of a death in the family, an absence request form will not be required to be filled out and those absences will be excused. Please email the band directors and let us know.

Some more notes regarding absences:

We are genuinely understanding of conflicts, sickness, and any absences that occur. We will work with everyone regarding times in which you will be unable to attend rehearsals, sectionals, or anything else for any reason. However, it's important for our band members to know that any absence from any band member at any time hurts what we are trying to achieve together. When someone is absent, we often have to go back and re-teach those who missed, and it slows the whole process down with whatever we are trying to achieve together.

Handbook: Concerning attendance procedures and policies and to determine what constitutes an excused absence versus an unexcused absence, we recommend that you review the AHS Band Handbook and find the section regarding attendance policies.

The best times to schedule appointments: In the fall, dentist appointments, doctor appointments, and other appointments would be better scheduled on MONDAYS since we don't have after school rehearsals those days. In the spring, those appointments would be better scheduled on any day when your child is not scheduled for their once-a-week after school sectional. ​

How this connects to real-world workplace: Much like in the modern workplace, it is standard custom to communicate with bosses and employers regarding times that you will be out for whatever reason. Having the skill to plan ahead and have your calendar outlined is a good process to learn in the high school setting. But most importantly, having good communication together between the student and directors ensures that the AHS Band teaching staff of directors and consultants can plan accordingly, know who we will be missing, and work around the schedules.

The worst thing you can do is miss a band thing and not tell a director why.

In any real-world situation, not showing up to work without having any sort of prior notice or communcation could result in serious reprimand and/or job loss. This form is not only required for our records so that we can plan with our staff and teachers on who will be out on which days, it also serves to help teach the fundamental lesson of proper communciation on times you will be out due to schedule conflicts or life emergencies. Multiple unexcused absences can result in a loss of marching band spot - we want to work together to keep that from happening.

"But, I told ___ band student name here____  to tell you I was not going to be at practice today." That never works out for you or anyone else. That student will forget to tell us, and now your absence is unexcused. The only reliable way to make sure the directors properly know your situation is to submit the form above.