Dear Parents and Students,
In this e-mail: 1. Concert this week! 2. Playing Tests/Grades 3. Practice expectations 4. Post-Concert Orchestra Social 5. Extra credit opportunity 6. Concert Attendance Project 7. Homework due Tuesday 1. Our first concert of the year is on Wednesday, October 14th at 7:00pm! Students need to be at school by 6:00pm in order to get tuned and warmed up. Concert attire is all black: Black tops, black bottoms, black shoes, black tights/nylons/socks. Please no "sparklies" or accent colors. Black clothes and shoes should be "dressy" or "nice." 2. Playing Test 1 is graded (all that were handed in as of Thursday). I am currently working on grading Playing Test 2. If there is a ZERO, that means I have not received the playing test. If there is a check mark, that means I have received it but not yet graded it. If there are points entered, it has been graded. I spend a good deal of time on each playing test so that every student can receive individual and specific feedback. If students do not do well, they are encouraged to redo the playing test for a higher score. ALL playing tests and playing test redos are due BEFORE the concert. Students may also redo written assignments after school on Wednesdays or Fridays. 3. EVERY student is expected to practice our music. It is a requirement and expectation for orchestra class. In a class of 54 students, it is not fair for one or two kids to not learn their part and make everyone else sound unprepared. As in every class, some students are more advanced and others are less advanced. Those who are less advanced will have to put in more time to be successful than those who are more advanced. EVERY student is expected to know at a minimum the notes, rhythms, and bowings at tempo. EVERY student should also aim to play with correct dynamics, phrasing, vibrato, etc. I stay after school on Wednesdays and Fridays to help any students who are struggling, any students who want help, or students who want a place to practice. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, students are welcome to come practice with me at Cedar Middle School after school. Students should be practicing EVERY night for their orchestra homework. Several things you should see in their at home practice are: 1. Counting and clapping rhythms 2. Counting and airbowing rhythms 3. Pizzing (plucking) and saying note names 4. Bowing the music 5. Practicing with a metronome slowly and then faster until at tempo Students are encouraged to practice with and listen to the professional recordings that are posted on the webpage. 4. Immediately following our concert on Wednesday evening, we will be having our first Orchestra Social of the year. Please bring a treat or snack to share so that students and their families can have a chance to refuel after the concert and get to know each other. 5. Students who are good at tuning have the opportunity to earn extra credit points on Tuesday night by going to Cedar Middle School at 5:30pm to help tune before the CMS orchestra concert. Students must check in with Ms. Carrigan and also turn in a paper that says they helped tune. 6. As a reminder, every student needs to attend ONE string concert per quarter (additional concerts of any sort count as extra credit). Students must complete the Concert Attendance Form (found in class or on the webpage) front AND back to earn credit. There is a CMS concert on Tuesday of this week at 6:00pm and it is FREE! This is the last in-town concert that I know about for this quarter. 7. Students, here is your e-mail reminder to listen to our in-class recordings from Friday and write the 3 things we most need to improve in each piece before our concert on Wednesday. Remember to use complete sentences and correct music terminology. The recordings are posted on the webpage. Have a great week! Christina Carrigan
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AuthorMs. Carrigan has been teaching music for 14 years. She has been teaching orchestra at CMS and CHS for 11 years. Archives
November 2019
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