Staff Documents

Reporting Hours

At the conclusion of each calendar month, conductors will receive an email from the Administrative Office requesting hours for the month. Conductors are expected to submit their hours ASAP and by no later than the 5th of each month. All conductors should have received the template form for submitting hours via email. A downloadable copy of the form can be accessed by

All employee are expected to report hours accurately. The conductors at BYSO have a unique cadence to their work-flow. It is expected that there will be some weeks where conductors do not log any hours for BYSO.

If you have questions around why conductors are required to submit hours or how to fill out the form, please reach out to the Executive Director (executivedirector@byso.org).

Most Inspirational Award

Each Spring Quarter* BYSO students get to vote for the member of their ensemble who inspires them the most.

There are typically two rounds of voting:

• A Preliminary Round where a student may vote for up to 3 (do not vote for yourself).
• A final round where a student votes for their top choice of the finalists.

Ballots are prepared by the administrative team and distributed by the conductors. Conductors collect their ensemble’s ballots and hand them to the site manager at their rehearsal location. Sit Managers will make sure the votes are tabulated, and the results are communicated to the administrative team.

Winners are announced at the Spring Concerts by the conductors of that ensemble. Historically the winner of this prize has been a surprise to the conductor, though during the 23-24 season, many of the conductors requested to know the winner in advance so they could accept or reject the candidate based on that student’s demeanor, behavior in rehearsal, preparation, etc. Conductors may choose whether the prefer to know the winner in advance.

For a list of past winners, please visit the Annual Awards page on the website.

*when BYSO has produced a Spring Concert at Benaroya Hall this shifts to Winter Quarter.

Frances Walton Youth Music Scholarship Award

Each Winter Quarter, each BYSO conductor chooses a recipient from their ensemble for the Frances Walton Youth Music Scholarship Award. Named after BYSO’s founder, this award is based on artistic merit, and recipients are recognized for their musicianship, enthusiasm, and leadership at BYSO rehearsals and performances. Winners are announced at the Winter Concerts. Winners received a small cash prize.

Students are only eligible to receive this award once per ensemble during their tenure at BYSO. (ie. A student may not receive this award twice in Philharmonia but may receive the award one year for Flute Orchestra and one year for Philharmonia.)

For a list of past winners, please visit the Annual Awards page on the website.

Submitting Materials

Music

• Conductors must submit music parts for their ensemble to admin by the specified date in PDF format.
• PDFs of parts submitted to admin will be posted online for students to download/print exactly how they are submitted to the administrative team. Conductors should edit the PDFs to be exactly how they want them posted online (i.e., all violin parts in one PDF or divided by Violin 1/2/3 and labelled appropriately).
• When submitting music, include part assignments/printing instructions for students (including finding an instrument part within a larger combined pdf). Admin will post this on the website alongside music links.
• Students will be directed to contact their conductor directly if they have any questions about music.

Concert information for an ensemble should be submitted in the following format by the deadline stated by the office:

Concert Program Information

• All concert program information should be submitted to Natalie using this form.
• Title of Main Work
  • Should include full title, including opus number or any identifying information. For example: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55
• Nickname of work, if applicable
  • For example: “Eroica”
• Name of full movement(s) to be performed, including which movement (first, second, etc.) and title of movement (if applicable).
  • For example: I. Allegro con brio; II. Marcia funebre: Adagio assai
• Full name of composer and birth/death dates
  • For example: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
  • If no birth/death dates available, indicate this.
• Full name of arranger or orchestrator, if applicable

Roster Information

• Send the names of the concertmaster, assistant concertmaster, and principals/assistant principals for all instrument groups either in a Word Document, email, or by using the Google Sheet roster. If using the Google Sheet roster, email admin once completed.
  • Note: if only one student is in an instrument group, this student is automatically the principal. Include this in the list.

Stage Orchestra Plots

• Orchestra plots for concerts should include the following:
  • All chairs and music stands in the arrangement required
  • Whether or not risers should be used
    • Note: only two risers at Meydenbauer are available, and they fit 7 students each. When at Bastyr, Benaroya, or other concert venues, contact the office for size limits.
  • Conductor podium preference
• The following software to build orchestra plots is recommended but not required: https://www.bgreco.net/band/

Auditions

 All members of the conducting staff are required to participate in the adjudication of auditions every year, per their contract. The administrative team, in conjunction with the conducting staff, will work together to formulate the schedule of auditions as far in advance as reasonably possible. Conductors missing an audition day(s) due to scheduling conflicts will have their salary deducted at the rate of $52 per hour of auditions missed.

Student Attendance Policies

 The following attendance policy is communicated to students in the BYSO Student Handbook:

 If a student misses more than one hour of a retreat, this will be considered an absence. If seating auditions occur at the retreat, no make-up audition will be scheduled.

 If the student is habitually late to retreats or leaves early from retreats, it is left to the conductor’s discretion to determine whether the accrued missed rehearsal time constitutes an absence.

After two absences within the same quarter, students will be required to meet with their conductor prior to the next rehearsal and may be required to play excerpts from that quarter’s music to demonstrate competence. No more than two absences will be allowed per quarter.

If a student misses their final Monday night rehearsal of the quarter, participation in the concert may be contingent upon submitting and passing a virtual playing test to their conductor. This is up to their conductor’s discretion.

After three absences in a quarter, the student will be placed on leave for the remainder of the quarter and tuition will not be refunded.

If a conductor discerns that a student will not be prepared in time for the concert following the musical test described above, the student will be withdrawn from the quarter and no refunds will be issued. See our “tuition page” for information about our no refund policy.

Testing Procedure

 Regular Weekly Rehearsal or Saturday Retreat

After a student incurs two absences in the same quarter, admin will email the student, the parent/guardian of the student, and the student’s conductor on the following days:

• If absent on Monday rehearsal, email notification is sent on Tuesday
• If absent on Tuesday rehearsal, email notification is sent on Wednesday
• If absent on Saturday retreat, email notification is sent same day

These students are required to meet with their conductor half an hour before the next Monday night rehearsal. At this meeting a conductor may ask the student(s) to play excerpts from that quarter’s music to demonstrate competence. Although these meetings are mandatory, a student may not be removed from their ensemble due to unpreparedness. If a student misses this meeting but attends rehearsal that evening, it is up to the conductor’s discretion whether or not they will be placed on leave.

 Final Weekly Rehearsal Absence

If a conductor determines that an absence from their final weekly rehearsal will require a playing test, this requirement must stay the same the entire season and be applied to all students. Conductors must notify the administrative team of their ensemble’s policy by the first rehearsal of the academic year and this policy should live at the top of the conductor notes on their ensemble page. This should also include what excerpts will be required for said playing test.

 After admin sends the absence notification, the conductor will be responsible for communicating what material the student should prepare, how the student should submit it (YouTube, Dropbox, etc.), and the timeline under which they should be expected to turn in the video and the conductor to respond with their results. Conductors must inform the student of their decision regarding the test no later than 12:00pm on the Friday of the same week.

The results of the playing test should also be sent to admin (natalie@byso.org) by Friday at noon.

Concerts

If a student misses a concert without notifying BYSO in advance, it is up to the conductor’s discretion whether said student will be required to meet with/submit a playing test to remain in their ensemble for the remainder of the academic year.

Requesting Music / Resources

All purchase requests must be sent to the Executive Director (executivedirector@byso.org). If applicable, please send specific links to your requests.

It is BYSO’s preference not to cut reimbursement checks if direct purchase by BYSO is possible. Please note that a conductor must receive prior approval for an expense to be reimbursed.

Communication with Coaches

Conductors have agency over the coaches who are assigned to their ensembles on a given rehearsal evening or retreat. It is expected that conductors communicate with the coaches in advance, either via email or in person before rehearsal, the material coaches should cover during their sectional time, seating audition periods, etc. This help sets expectations and minimizes chaos during rehearsals when there are already many moving parts. Site managers are not appropriate disseminators of conductor messages. (Please see “Site Managers” for more details regarding Site Manager roles and responsibilities at BYSO venues.)

In instances where all students are in sectionals with a coach and the conductor is not assigned to work with a group of students, the conductor should observe the sectional spaces and offer the coaches any feedback (either in person or via email) following the session as deemed necessary.

Coaching Schedule

The Music Director will work with the conductors to formulate coaching schedules for the season that reflect the needs as articulated by the members of the conducting staff. The Music Director will disseminate the schedules to the coaches once at the beginning of the season, and at the beginning of each quarter, and will work to find replacement coaches for those who report any conflicts.

It is expected that the members of the conducting staff will review and consult the Google Sheet with the rehearsal schedules on a regular basis. These documents are the singular resource that all team members (artistic and administrative) have access to, and deviating from these schedules creates chaos on any given rehearsal night.

That said, we understand that it may be necessary to alter rehearsal schedules from time to time, in which case the following protocols should be followed:

• Any foreseen change requests for the schedule must be submitted to the Music Director (musicdirector@byso.org) and the Operations Manager (natalie@byso.org) by 5 pm on the Thursday prior to rehearsal so that rooms can be arranged, and the change can be communicated to staff (Site Managers and Coaches). Any change requests submitted after this time may not be granted (unless the change request is the result of an emergency, i.e. illness, unexpected absence of a coach/conductor, etc.).
• Conductors may also make modifications to their rehearsal plan that may include choosing to embed coaches rather than have sectional spaces, but the conductors are responsible for communicating that change to the coaches and site managers. The change also needs to be emailed to the Music Director so the schedule reflects the modification.
• Under no circumstances can modifications be made to the schedule at the last minute that require more spaces than were originally designated for any given ensemble.
• In addition to reviewing the coaching and room assignments, it is asked that any articulation of changes to rehearsal setup must be sent to the Operations Manager (natalie@byso.org) no later than 5 pm on the Thursday prior to rehearsal. All setup details will be included on the Coaching Schedule in the column “Room Setup Requests.”

 Under no circumstances should coaches be added or dismissed without direct consultation with the Music Director.

Communication – Email

All BYSO related communication should be conducted through a conductor’s provided byso.org email address.

Most communication and dissemination of important information will be conducted over email. It is expected and important that conductors monitor their BYSO email account regularly and respond to requests efficiently.

If conductors will not be checking their BYSO email account for an extended period of time (greater than 5 days), they should set up an out of office response. The administrative team can provide assistance in setting out of office messages if needed.

Conductors who need to reset their byso.org password should contact admin (natalie@byso.org).

An email signature has been set up in each conductor’s account. If a conductor would like assistance in editing the email signature for their BYSO email address, they should contact the administrative team.

Communication – Phone

BYSO’s main office number is 425-467-5604. This number is now a cell phone that will be carried by a BYSO administrator at all BYSO events (rehearsals/retreats/concerts/etc).

Although it is preferred that communication be conducted via email, there may be instances when a conductor needs to contact a member of the administrative team by phone. Conductors should call/text the office number rather than an administrator’s personal phone number. Also note, that this phone can receive and send text messages. Conductors should include their name when leaving a message on this phone (either voicemail or text). Conductors’ phone numbers are not yet programmed into the phone.

Concerts

Conductors are responsible for the logistical information disseminated by the administrative team regarding their ensembles’ participation in performances at various venues. Attention to detail is critical to ensure student safety and help keep everyone on schedule.

Conductors are expected to monitor their students’ behavior during concert days. This will require them to stay with their ensemble during rehearsal and performance breaks.

Chamber Groups

If a conductor’s ensemble has chamber groups, there are additional communication needs that must be attended to.

• As soon as students are chosen for chamber ensembles, admin must be notified.
• Conductors must check with each chamber music student on their availability for chamber concerts and rehearsals, and facilitate subs as needed. This is especially important during Spring Quarter when the chamber performances occur on a separate weekend from BYSO’s quarterly concert. THIS IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILTY OF THE COACH OF SAID CHAMBER ENSEMBLES. Coaches and Assistant Conductors are not permitted to contact BYSO students outside of in-person rehearsals.
• Conductors are responsible for collecting music and materials from chamber coaches and submitting those materials to admin by the specified due date. Admin will distribute these materials to the appropriate chamber students.

Recruitment

Conductors and coaches are welcome and encouraged to invite students to join BYSO. However, students may only join BYSO through the following process:

• All students wishing to join BYSO must register to audition and be adjudicated prior to joining rehearsal.
• A liability waiver must be signed by the parent/guardian of the student before the student is allowed to join rehearsal. This waiver is included in the audition registration form.
• Students who have not auditioned or signed the liability waiver may not join rehearsal or be left unattended by their parents/guardians at a BYSO venue. If a student and their family would like to visit a BYSO rehearsal, have them contact the office (admin@byso.org) for clarification.
• Students may not join after the second rehearsal of the quarter. If a student expresses interest after the second rehearsal of the quarter, they may audition for the following quarter if space allows.

The Music Director will convene a panel of three-four members of the conducting team to adjudicate the annual concerto competition. All members of the conducting team will be given an opportunity to rotate on the competition committee. Service in this manner is voluntary dependent upon conductor availability.

Absence Because of Illness

BYSO asks that employees prioritize their health and well-being. If a conductor needs to miss an in-person BYSO event (rehearsal/retreat/performance/etc.) they should let the Music Director and Executive Director know as soon as possible.They should also reach out to their ensemble’s Assistant Conductor ASAP to communicate their rehearsal plan.

These absences will be covered by accrued sick time. Contact the Executive Director with any questions regarding accrued sick-time balance.

Absence Because of Scheduling Conflict

• A conductor is not permitted to have conflicts on the first or last rehearsal, or the concert date/time of any given quarter. If a conductor has conflict with these rehearsals or a concert, they will put on unpaid leave for that quarter and a guest conductor will be assigned to their ensemble.
• A conductor is not permitted to miss more than three rehearsals (including retreats) in any given academic year. If more than three rehearsals are missed due to scheduling conflicts, they will be put on probation for the next season.
• Conductors missing rehearsal due to scheduling conflicts will have $56.00 per hour of rehearsal missed deducted from their monthly salary.
• The Assistant Conductor assigned to their ensemble should be a conductor’s substitute. Conductor’s should notify their Assistant Conductor of their absence immediately and provide them with a rehearsal plan.
• The Music Director and Executive Director should be notified as soon as possible once a scheduling conflict has been identified.

Digital Library

The BYSO library is held digitally via Dropbox. To gain access, email Natalie at natalie@byso.org.

When choosing music, double check all parts to make sure they are complete. The office cannot guarantee that all compositions are complete/scanned perfectly.

If a piece is discovered to have incomplete parts or the scan quality is unreadable, contact the office as soon as possible. The library is housed in an off-site storage unit and is not readily accessible.

How to Use Your Ensemble Roster

Each conductor receives a Google Sheet roster for their ensemble that includes the following tabs:

• Attendance: used by Site Managers and admin to track rehearsal, retreat, and concert attendance. Attendance is recorded with an “x” and absences are color-coded according to the attendance policy. Conductors are encouraged to review this tab regularly.
  • Note: Do not edit this tab.
• Conductor Roster: includes full instrumentation breakdown, currently enrolled students, withdrawn or on leave students, and email addresses for all students.
  • Concert roster info (concertmaster, assistant concertmaster, principals, etc.) can be input here.
  • Chamber students should also be indicated here.
• Emergency Contacts: includes emergency contacts for all students in the ensemble.

If an ensemble has a waitlist during the season, a specific tab will be dedicated to that list.

Site Managers

One Site Manager or Administrative Staff Member is assigned to each rehearsal venue. Site Managers are responsible for the following:

• Facility access (entry and all assigned rehearsal rooms).
• Greet Volunteers, instruct them on their duties, and lead volunteers/students during attendance and set-up & tear-down of rehearsal spaces.
• Mark attendance sheet as students arrive, then input attendance onto Google Sheet.
• Help students/coaches find rehearsal spaces as needed.
• Ensure that all students behave appropriately while in the rehearsal facility.
• Remain on site near the entryway for security and to field any questions from parents/community members.
• Complete any tasks that lack a volunteer (check-in, setup/teardown, hall/pick-up monitor).
• Lock-up the facility following rehearsal.
• Contact Operations Manager and/or Executive Director if any issues arise with the facility (locked doors, unavailable rehearsal rooms), behavioral issues with students, or any other issue that may inhibit rehearsal.

Site Managers are not responsible for the following:

• Room assignment decisions or changes.
• Communicating rehearsal details/preferences to coaches on behalf of the conductor.
• Holding any knowledge about BYSO operations outside of the responsibilities listed above.
• Communicating conductor feedback to the core administrative team and/or Music Director.