Newsletter #20 (emailed 4/12/11)

***Save the Date***
The calendar is up-to-date on our website: www.titanorchestras.com
Sun Apr 17 - Salem Chamber Orchestra concert, 3pm
Fri Apr 29 - 4th grade string festival (Sinfonietta - mandatory), 12 - 7pm
Mon May 2 - Pre-State Concert (Chamber, Symphony)
Fri May 13 - State Orchestra Championships, daytime
Wed May 25 - Awards Concert (all students)

Contained within:

1) Salem Chamber Orchestra concert this Sunday
2) Explanation of Sectional Schedule coming up
3) Congrats to Chamber Orchestra and Symphony!
4) Rumor control about next year - what you can do

1) Salem Chamber Orchestra concert this Sunday
Come to a wonderful concert this next Sunday at Hudson Hall on the Willamette University campus - 3pm. Maestro Andrew Sewell will be coming to conduct Chamber Orchestra this Thursday. For more information, go to the website and call the ticket office: www.salemchamberorchestra.org - here's the program (great orchestra works!):


Debussy – Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun
Donizetti – “so anch’io la virtu magica” from Don Pasquale, with soprano Sydney Gabbard, winner of the Willamette Solo & Aria Competition
Chopin – Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, with pianist Alexandre Dossin
Mozart – Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”

2) Explanation of Sectional Schedule coming up
For the rest of this month (April), sectionals will continue as originally called (see the calendar on our website for confirmation of your schedule) but for the month of May sectionals will only be called as needed. I know this may present a problem for students who usually bus home or who need to arrange a ride. I will always advertise the schedule in advance by email, newsletter, online calendar, on the board in class, and verbally in class so students should have plenty of notice to arrange their schedules accordingly. Symphony sectionals, Chamber orchestra sectional, group orchestra sectionals will be called as we 'round the bend' to prepare for the last few concerts. We do not have sectionals during June, so this is just a change for 4 weeks of our program - I'm hopeful that we'll have fully attended sectionals. Thank you for your help in adjusting schedules.

3) Congrats to Chamber Orchestra and Symphony!
Both Chamber Orchestra and Symphony qualified for this year's Oregon State Orchestra Championships. We'll send in our scores and CDs and hope that we're given an opportunity to perform on May 13 at OSU. It's not a guarantee that we get to perform at State - we'll know for sure in a few weeks. We would LOVE to have parents and friends at the performance on May 13 - once we know exact times, we'll work with the parents to see if we can organize an effort to invite parents, alumni and other students to the concert.

Thank you to all the students and parents who helped with this year's Salem-Keizer District Band and Orchestra festival!!! The Wind Ensemble (Band) won the district, Chamber Orchestra pulled in a respectable 3rd place (by a narrow margin), and Symphony placed 2nd in the district. There was some beautiful music performed this past weekend on our stage. The audio from our orchestra groups should be up on the website by the end of this week.

4) Rumor control about next year - what you can do
I've heard different rumors about next year, including a rumor that arts and music is going to be cancelled at West and that instrumental music will be cut in 4th grade. THESE RUMORS AT THIS POINT ARE FALSE. We do know that the budget crisis is more dire than first predicted, but Fine Arts Supervisor Karl Raschkes, our West are admistrators, and the central office for Salem-Keizer have been working tirelessly to preserve programs. The effort is to "reduce" programs, not eliminate. Music at West is currently not in jeopardy. Neither is the 4th grade string program, at this point.

Please consider supporting music in this district by writing letters to the editor, writing letters/emails of support to your principals, and even writing emails to SK district superintendant Sandy Husk directly if you have ideas, questions, concerns, or support - husk_sandy@salkeiz.k12.or.us (she reads all emails and responds to most!). With obvious and vocal student and parent support of music, our music program can be as strong as ever.

Thanks for reading all the way down to the end of the newsletter...
~Ms S.