Dear Parents and Guardians,
In this e-mail: 1. Shirt Orders Due! 2. Instrument Rental Contracts (school owned instruments) 3. What's we've been learning, upcoming tests 4. Practice 5. Grades 6. Required materials 1. If you are planning on ordering an orchestra shirt for your child, please send the order form in by Friday, September 8th! Even if you cannot pay for it yet and will pay for it in a month, please get it sent in by the end of next week so I can place the order for the shirts. 2. If your child is using a school instrument, the instrument rental contracts were all sent home last week or the week before. Please make sure you have paid the rental fee or filled out the appropriate fee waiver paperwork at the office (6th grade registration fees do not cover instrument rental or orchestra shirt purchase). Also, please make sure you have signed the rental agreement and that your child has returned it to me. 3. The beginning orchestra students have been doing such a wonderful job so far this year! I am SO impressed with them. We've been learning to count and clap rhythms as a class, how to write down rhythms and their counting as individuals, how to play rhythms together by plucking and counting. We've also been learning how to draw treble/alto/bass clef and the notes of a D major scale (D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D), as well as how to read and play the notes on the instruments. The students will have their first playing test NEXT WEEK!! The playing test will be on Line 22 in the book - Lightly Row. The students will be graded on their instrument position and posture, correct finger placement (intonation), playing the right notes, and playing the correct rhythms. Students will also have their first NOTE NAME QUIZ next week - this is a 1 minute timed quiz on the 8 notes we have learned so far. 4. Students are expected to practice every day. The amount of practice time will vary by the student - they need to practice for the amount of time it takes them to master the material we have covered in class. For some students this will be 10 minutes, for others, it may be 30 minutes. Some good practice strategies are: counting and clapping the rhythms, saying the notes, pizzing and saying the notes. The play-along tracks are available for download online (see the front of your child's method book for more info). These can be downloaded onto a home computer, an ipod, a tablet, etc. Playing along makes it MUCH more fun for kids to practice so if possible, I highly encourage you to help your child get the play-along tracks downloaded. 5. So far, we only have 2 grades in the gradebook - the course disclosure which was sent home the first day of school - it tells about the class, what materials are required, and when our concerts are. If you have not yet seen this, please ask your child about it so you can sign it and he or she can return it to class. The other grade in the gradebook was a collection of our first two weeks of rhythm bellwork. Students copied down the rhythms we were learning and added the counting to it. As is true for ALL assignments in orchestra, students are always welcome and encouraged to redo any assignment that was less than 100%. My goal for all students is mastery of the material. Students may redo assignments and playing tests during 9th period advisory/SMART time or after school. 6. There are still a few students who have not yet purchased their method books or have not purchased a shoulder rests (for violins/violas) or rock stop (for cellos/basses). ALL students really need to have a book so they can participate fully in class and practice at home. ALL violin/viola players must have a shoulder rest so they can hold their instruments comfortably and accurately. Have a great three day weekend!
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