Saturday, June 4, 2011

Website with tunes from Warmup Book

Fun summer playing project - remember the tunes we have in the back of our class Warmup Books? Old favorites (ok, well, maybe favorites of your parents or grandparents... but great tunes, nonetheless) like Bicycle Built for Two, Auld Lang Syne, and Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The website is called String Skills:

http://www.stringskills.com/

Check out the Una Chorda (the tunes we play), Tunes for Shifting, and the 2 Octave Scales.

Enjoy!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Sinfonietta Timeline Assignment

Each of you has chosen a time period. If you forgot your time frame, check with Ms S. This assignment is due Period 7 on Thursday June 9 and is worth 20 points. You will complete your time line for full credit with the following parameters:

Write in pen, neatly
-Spell all words correctly
-Find at least 5 entries for each timeline
-On the front, just list the date and the event title
-On the back, list more detail about each date and event

You may:
-Add pictures or drawings, as long as it doesn't take away from the timeline
-Use different colors
-Research off the internet and library - you do not need to cite your sources for this assignment
-Work with a friend to complete the assignment (but each of you turns in *your* own time period)
-Complete the back side either chronologically or as a title section with bullet points (see example below)

You may not:
-Do this assignment in pencil
-Leave one of the timeline blank or barely filled out (unless there's an obvious reason why)
-Not give more detail on back

Example of what you'd write on front:

On the time line:

Mozart's Magic Flute
---------------------------------------------------------------
1791

On the back:

Music History
- 1791: September 30, Mozart's Opera the Magic Flute was premiered. Mozart conducted the opera himself

We will have a *little* bit of library time for this next Tuesday, but the computers are *not* available. You'll need to do computer research at home, at the library, or on the computer in the orchestra room. At the library you can use reference materials and history books.

Good luck and have fun lining up music history with other historical events!
~Ms S

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Newsletter 23 (emailed 6.1.11)

***Save the Date***
The calendar is up-to-date on our website: www.titanorchestras.com
Fri Jun 3 - Arts Assembly during school - Chamber performs
Sat Jun 4 - Karl Raschkes Retirement party - Chamber performs
Mon Jun 6 - Concerto concert (all students - attend or play) 7pm concert
Tue Jun 7 - Reviews for CO and Sinf due
Wed Jun 8 - Reviews for TS due
Thu Jun 9 - Sinf Assessment and History timeline project due
Fri Jun 10 - TS Assessment due
Wed Jun 15 - 2011-12 Chamber Orchestra Meeting, 6:30pm - parents and students!!!

Contained within:

1) Concert info audience and players on June 6 - our Concerto Concert
2) Chamber Orchestra info for the next few days
3) WHAT'S DUE WHEN???
4) Next year's Chamber Orchestra - meeting Jun 15 (sorry so late!)
5) Need a concert to go to last minute (review's due Tuesday!)

1) Concert info audience and players on June 6 - our Concerto Concert

On Monday June 6 is our final Concerto Concert. This concert features our talented seniors from band and orchestra. All students in the orchestra program are required to attend this concert, to support the program and their fellow students. Students in Sinfonietta and Titan Strings will be handed out a concert review form at the concert - that will need to be filled out in order to receive credit for attending.

Audience (parents, Sinfonietta, and Titan Strings members) - Concert starts at 7pm and will run roughly 90 minutes

Players (Chamber and a few Symphony students):
Concert dress - Concert black, except Senior Soloists who may wear 'formal' attire
6pm Call Time
7pm Concert start - see the board in the orchestra room for performance order

2) Chamber Orchestra info for the next few days
Chamber Orchestra - you are playing in school at the Arts Assembly between 2nd and 4th period on Friday. We're playing Tchaikovsky with the 'new' ending. Wear something comfortable on bottom - you'll get your State shirt to wear on top. You will be excused at 8am from your period 2 class and will need to get to the orchestra room to warm up and rehearse in the Gym.

Saturday, you are playing for Karl Raschkes' retirement party - quite an honor to have been selected for this performance. Arrival time is 1:30, in your black performance attire. We supposedly perform first at 2pm... as soon as we're done with our selection (Tchaikovsky), you're done. Thank you for giving your weekend time to our program!


3) WHAT'S DUE WHEN???
Here's a comprehensive list of what's due when:


Lollipop money - past due!!!

Tshirt money (for State) - past due!!!!

DVD money - due!

OR Symphony ticket money - past due!!!

Reviews - Tuesday June 7 for Chamber and Sinfonietta, Wednesday June 8 for Titan Strings

Performance Assessments (in class) - Thursday June 9 for Sinfonietta, Friday June 10 for Titan Strings

History Timeline (Sinfonietta) - Thursday June 9

Titan Strings and Sinfonietta - Dresses and Tuxes are due NOW!!!!

Symphony and Chamber Orchestra - Dresses and Tuxes are due Tuesday or Wednesday after next week's concert

Last day to turn in missing assignments (for concerts or assignments missed) - Friday June 10

Borrowing a West instrument for the summer? Forms and $20 payment due by last day of school


4) Next year's Chamber Orchestra - meeting Jun 15 (sorry so late!)
We've run out of time for a meeting for next year's Chamber Orchestra. I can't do it any time next week because of concert schedules. And, I'm loathe to put the concert during finals. So, let's meet the last day of school - Wednesday June 15 at 6:30pm here at school. We'll talk about summer schedules, next year's 'extra credit' regarding after school time, and repertoire. Parents please plan on attending with students! Thanks!

5) Need a concert to go to last minute (review's due Tuesday!)
2 concerts to check out this weekend if you need a live concert to go to:

Aaron Meyer - fantastic electric violinist - playing in Portland on Saturday night ($15 tickets)
http://www.aaronmeyer.com/schedule.html?m=06&y=2011&d=4&id=180

And Salem Chamber Orchestra's first Summer Soirree:
Piano trios (violin, cello, piano) at Ankeny winery - Sunday night ($12 tickets)
http://salemchamberorchestra.org/?page_id=19

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