Newsletter #19 (emailed 2.24.12)

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Newsletter #19 (2.24.12)
Contained within...

1) Fruit Fundraiser thank you
2) Chamber parents - please come to a trip meeting
3) Come see the city's most talented musicians tomorrow!
4) Winter at West video available - deadline 3/2
5) Grades
6) Solo and Ensemble + Fiddler
7) Chamber performance Tuesday open to all
8) Check out this video... (Kashmir)

1) Fruit Fundraiser thank you
Thank you students and parents for a successful, quick, Willamette Fruit Company fundraiser - many orders were turned in! Exact pick up day and time will be determined in the next few days (but will likely be March 9 or 10) - please keep an eye on your email or more info. Thanks again to parent Melissa Canfield for taking this fundraiser on.

2) Chamber parents - please come to a trip meeting
Chamber parents and students are asked to attend an Agate Beach trip meeting on March 1 (right after symphony) to go over packing lists, rules and regulations, and budget for the Agate Beach retreat later in March. That evening is the opening night of Fiddler on the Roof, which I and a few Chamber students are involved with as well, so the meeting will be short and sweet. One very important item that will be covered that night is medication information - for both OTC use and prescription. Thank you to trip coordinator Geoff Winkler for working hard to keep costs down and educational/musical/performance value high on this retreat!!!

3) Come see the city's most talented musicians tomorrow!
8 of our orchestra students, 25 band and 11 choir students are joining 200+ students from across Salem-Keizer to perform what is arguably the best concert of the year - the All City concert. The concert is at 7pm at North High School tomorrow, Saturday February 25 - tickets available at the door. All students and parents are welcome to attend - it's an amazing concert!

4) Winter at West video available - deadline 3/2
Thanks to one of our parents, we have a beautifully produced DVD of Winter at West 2011 available to students' families for only $10. Students can get order forms from Ms. S - $10 is due with the form - by March 2. The DVD's are at school - so all you need to do is bring $10 and the DVD is yours!

5) Grades
If you check your grade and you are currently receiving an "F" or a "D", please check to make sure you are completing your homework assignments. Because of the way assignments are weighted, for the first few weeks of school, those who don't turn in assignments look like they're getting an "F". By the end of the first 6 week grading period, the grades level out and those who aren't doing homework will be receiving a "B" or "C". The homework is important because it is timely work that we don't have time to do in class. I weighted homework heavily this year because we do not turn in practice logs - students are expected to be practicing at home and completing homework assignments, as well as participating daily and performing in concerts. Sorry to alarm any parents or students - I will try to rework the grading system next semester so this doesn't happen in such an extreme way (that said, if students complete assignment, the grades stay high).

6) Solo and Ensemble + Fiddler
2 important events occur this next weekend - Solo and Ensemble festival is on Saturday March 3 and Fiddler on the Roof opens on Friday night.

Solo and Ensemble is at McNary high school on Saturday March 3 - all students in Chamber are performing in their ensembles, and quite a few others are playing solo (either competing for State competition or playing for comments). Please see emails regarding exact times.

Fiddler on the Roof opens on Friday night - we have 5 orchestra students in the cast, including Hayley as the Fiddler, Ms S conducting and 2 of our string coaches playing in the pit. Come see this wonderful West production either this next weekend (March 3 and 4) or the following Friday and Saturday (March 9 and 10).

7) Chamber performance open to all
Chamber Orchestra is performing at Capital Manor this Tuesday, February 28, at 6:30pm. Parents and friends are welcome to this concert. It will feature music of Mozart, Bloch, Kajanus, and Telemann.

Chamber students - call time is 5:30 in performance dress.

8) Check out this video...
The All City orchestra conductor is Mr. Doug Elmore who is the conductor at Floyd Central High School - here's live video from his "Orchestra Rocks" concert this past October... Led Zeppelin's Kasmir... cool...

http://youtu.be/s9nC4SLzVT0

Enjoy...

Thanks for reading all the way down to the bottom of the newsletter. This newsletter, along with all others, will be posted on our blog at www.titanorchestras.blogspot.com - accessible off the website at www.titanorchestras.com too.

Musically yours,
~Ms S