Dear Parents,
Apologies for confusion. With each middle school class taking a trip at different times, we have had only one rehearsal with the entire ensemble, and it is hard to get a sense of what will work.
Here are definites.
We will not perform Bookends.
8th grade and 7th grade will perform Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Simon & Garfunkel) and Moon River.
My strong preference is students bring their own instruments (guitars for 8th grade and violin or cello for 7th) and music to graduation and get their instruments safely in a parent's car after graduation. I will bring extra copies of the music.
6th grade missed our rehearsal in which we finally synchronized 8th grade singing with 7th grade strings. At least one 6th grader no longer has an instrument. My preference would be to excuse 6th grade from performing Friday--except for any 6th graders who feel so motivated they choose to play (let me know by Friday morning).
With early childhood and other responsibilities, I have not had a break until late at night this week, and I have not had time to check in with the 6th grade teachers (who were away). It is possible they will reverse this decision and require 6th graders to perform. Even so, 6th graders will be in a sense following along and faking it (which is what many adult professionals do as well).
I apologize for confusion. My feedback for next year's ensemble teachers would to be cautious about suggesting a group performance at graduation when it is likely the classes will be taking trips at different times making it hard to have a rehearsal together. I feel I need to be realistic here.
William
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Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Instruments Home Monday and Tuesday
Dear Families,
As I think you know, strings ensembles are not performing at Friday's assembly. 6th and 7th graders will possibly perform with the 8th graders at graduation depending on how Tuesday's rehearsal goes. Because of class trips, we have rarely had these grades together in rehearsal, and Tuesday will determine how well things will weave together. I've also told the 6th and 7th graders about this possibility, and it seems appropriate not to force a performance if a better platform for the 8th graders would be for them to perform individually.
In any event, please remind your student, yourself, and other parents picking up in carpools to bring home instruments as follows below. It will make the classroom cleaning and moving up so much easier if instruments are safely home.
PLEASE ALSO RETURN FIDDLER'S PHILHARMONIC BOOKS UNLESS YOU HAVE PURCHASED IT.
Monday -- Final strings class with instruments for 5th grade. Please bring instruments home.
Tuesday -- Final strings classes for 4th grade and middle school. Please bring instruments home.
Thanks,
William Dolde
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
As I think you know, strings ensembles are not performing at Friday's assembly. 6th and 7th graders will possibly perform with the 8th graders at graduation depending on how Tuesday's rehearsal goes. Because of class trips, we have rarely had these grades together in rehearsal, and Tuesday will determine how well things will weave together. I've also told the 6th and 7th graders about this possibility, and it seems appropriate not to force a performance if a better platform for the 8th graders would be for them to perform individually.
In any event, please remind your student, yourself, and other parents picking up in carpools to bring home instruments as follows below. It will make the classroom cleaning and moving up so much easier if instruments are safely home.
PLEASE ALSO RETURN FIDDLER'S PHILHARMONIC BOOKS UNLESS YOU HAVE PURCHASED IT.
Monday -- Final strings class with instruments for 5th grade. Please bring instruments home.
Tuesday -- Final strings classes for 4th grade and middle school. Please bring instruments home.
Thanks,
William Dolde
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
No Worries
Dear Families,
With field trips and travels, we have some off days from classes in the coming weeks, and I do not want students and parents to take on unnecessary stress. So here are some updates.
First, note that strings classes are not performing at the year-end assembly. Students would do well to bring their instruments home after their final regular class.
4th grade will have class as usual this Friday. Next week 4th grade will be on a field trip on Tuesday, and I will be at an early childhood festival on Friday, so we will have no strings classes next week. On Tuesday, June 7, we will have our final class and play our new songs (Devil's Dream and Turkey in the Straw) and try to remember songs from the year. After this, students should take their instruments home.
5th grade will be on a field trip tomorrow, and we have no class on Memorial Day. The Tchaikovsky Festival seems too much for the group to take on with limited classes. We will work on the three new fiddle tunes (Devil's Dream, Turkey in the Straw, and Cluck Old Hen). We will have class on Wednesday, June 1, Monday, June 6, and perhaps on Wednesday, June 8 (that is the final regular class of the year). We will likely reprise songs from earlier this year (and maybe see how much we remember from last year).
8th graders will definitely play guitar and sing at graduation. Two songs come from Simon and Garfunkel arrangements: Bookends, and Scarborough Fair. We will also play and sing Moon River, which has been a favorite of that class for a number of years.
It has been a challenge this year to integrate the guitar with a regular orchestra class, so it is nice to end the year with something the guitarists feel very confident on.
Some to many of our other strings players note that our bowed instruments do not yet sound as smooth as the 8th graders on these three songs. While the 8th grade is on their trip, I will rehearse these 3 songs with 6th and 7th grade. If we are ready, we will accompany the 8th grade at graduation. If it is not coming together, the 8th graders will sound great by themselves, and since it is their graduation, it will not be tragic if they are not joined by violins and violas and cello and bass. I will let you know after our last class on Tuesday, June 7, whether students should bring their bowed instruments to the graduation.
- Posted using Blo
gPress from my iPad
With field trips and travels, we have some off days from classes in the coming weeks, and I do not want students and parents to take on unnecessary stress. So here are some updates.
First, note that strings classes are not performing at the year-end assembly. Students would do well to bring their instruments home after their final regular class.
4th grade will have class as usual this Friday. Next week 4th grade will be on a field trip on Tuesday, and I will be at an early childhood festival on Friday, so we will have no strings classes next week. On Tuesday, June 7, we will have our final class and play our new songs (Devil's Dream and Turkey in the Straw) and try to remember songs from the year. After this, students should take their instruments home.
5th grade will be on a field trip tomorrow, and we have no class on Memorial Day. The Tchaikovsky Festival seems too much for the group to take on with limited classes. We will work on the three new fiddle tunes (Devil's Dream, Turkey in the Straw, and Cluck Old Hen). We will have class on Wednesday, June 1, Monday, June 6, and perhaps on Wednesday, June 8 (that is the final regular class of the year). We will likely reprise songs from earlier this year (and maybe see how much we remember from last year).
8th graders will definitely play guitar and sing at graduation. Two songs come from Simon and Garfunkel arrangements: Bookends, and Scarborough Fair. We will also play and sing Moon River, which has been a favorite of that class for a number of years.
It has been a challenge this year to integrate the guitar with a regular orchestra class, so it is nice to end the year with something the guitarists feel very confident on.
Some to many of our other strings players note that our bowed instruments do not yet sound as smooth as the 8th graders on these three songs. While the 8th grade is on their trip, I will rehearse these 3 songs with 6th and 7th grade. If we are ready, we will accompany the 8th grade at graduation. If it is not coming together, the 8th graders will sound great by themselves, and since it is their graduation, it will not be tragic if they are not joined by violins and violas and cello and bass. I will let you know after our last class on Tuesday, June 7, whether students should bring their bowed instruments to the graduation.
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gPress from my iPad
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Classes this week
4th grade will have class as usual this week on Tuesday and Friday. We will work on Turkey in the Straw and Devil's Dream. We will likely reprise familiar songs the students find pleasure in.
5th grade will have class with me Monday and then be on their trip Wednesday (with no class next Monday for Memorial Day). We will also work on Turkey in the Straw and Devil's Dream--plus Cluck Old Hen from Basic Fiddler's Philharmonic. Because a number of students really enjoyed classical bash, we will also take a look at the Tchaikovsky Festival at the end of Strictly Strings 2. It includes the themes from Swan Lake and March Slav. It could also be a bit too challenging for our group as a whole to pull together in a few classes. That said, I want to offer at least an attempt at it for those students hungry to play some of the great classical themes.
6th to 8th grade are preparing for graduation, and the 8th graders will lead us in the music on guitar and voice, with our violins and violas and cellos and bass adding background. The songs we are working on are Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Simon and Garfunkel version); Bookends (Simon and Garfunkel); and Moon River.
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Sunday, May 15, 2011
Looking Ahead for 4th grade
While I do not expect 4th graders to spend a great deal of time with their violins during Potlatch, I know some students feel more comfortable and confident if they can preview what we will work on in class. While we still touch on other songs that some students have fallen in love with (some students have apparently tried every song in Basic Fiddler's Philharmonic), we will focus on the following 2 songs in class for our final 2 weeks of school:
Devil's Dream
Turkey in the Straw (which is challenging, but we can sing to help us along)
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Thanks--and respite
Dear Families,
I want to thank you and your students for making the concert possible, for the practice and lessons, the transportation of instruments, the acquiring of clothes (students looked like an ensemble when I watched the choir), and for enduring the weather. Students impressed me with their effort and achievements.
It seems organic to have a class of games and movement after a concert. Because classes have a lot of other intense activities right now, this means the following for the various grades:
4th grade will have outdoor play time with me this Friday. No instruments needed. Next week they'll be at Potlatch during Tuesday's strings class and off from school next Friday. We will dive back into playing on Tuesday, May 24. Some students have expressed enthusiasm about other fiddle tunes in Basic Fiddler's Philharmonic, and we will try a a number of these to see which one or ones seem to work best for the ensemble as a whole.
5th grade. Although 5th grade has had lots of chance for movement with their additional Olympiad training and will be off from school next Monday, it still seems to make sense for me to hold a games class with them next Wednesday, May 18. I feel this will increase enthusiasm and focus when we return to instrumental practice on Monday, May 23. I am still considering what will be the best piece of pieces to work on in the final weeks.
6th to 8th grade will play volleyball with me tomorrow, Thursday. No instruments needed. Even though 7th grade will be away next week, 6th and 8th graders should bring instruments and be prepared to play--I am working with Ms. Kenney and Mrs. Pfeiffer to see if there are vocal songs that would work well with a strings ensemble (8th graders could sing and play; 6th and 7th--when they return--can be the orchestra).
Thanks,
William Geoffrey Dolde
I want to thank you and your students for making the concert possible, for the practice and lessons, the transportation of instruments, the acquiring of clothes (students looked like an ensemble when I watched the choir), and for enduring the weather. Students impressed me with their effort and achievements.
It seems organic to have a class of games and movement after a concert. Because classes have a lot of other intense activities right now, this means the following for the various grades:
4th grade will have outdoor play time with me this Friday. No instruments needed. Next week they'll be at Potlatch during Tuesday's strings class and off from school next Friday. We will dive back into playing on Tuesday, May 24. Some students have expressed enthusiasm about other fiddle tunes in Basic Fiddler's Philharmonic, and we will try a a number of these to see which one or ones seem to work best for the ensemble as a whole.
5th grade. Although 5th grade has had lots of chance for movement with their additional Olympiad training and will be off from school next Monday, it still seems to make sense for me to hold a games class with them next Wednesday, May 18. I feel this will increase enthusiasm and focus when we return to instrumental practice on Monday, May 23. I am still considering what will be the best piece of pieces to work on in the final weeks.
6th to 8th grade will play volleyball with me tomorrow, Thursday. No instruments needed. Even though 7th grade will be away next week, 6th and 8th graders should bring instruments and be prepared to play--I am working with Ms. Kenney and Mrs. Pfeiffer to see if there are vocal songs that would work well with a strings ensemble (8th graders could sing and play; 6th and 7th--when they return--can be the orchestra).
Thanks,
William Geoffrey Dolde
posted from Bloggeroid
Saturday, May 7, 2011
White Shirt Help
Dear Families,
I know some parents are at work donating or collecting donations of white shirts for Wednesday's concerts. I realized this morning that I have a collection of 6 white shirts--all cleaned and pressed--that I used to wear at one restaurant job, and now I have a completely different set of shirts for my current restaurant. Rather than donating the first set to Good Cheer, I will bring them to school to be available for the concert. They will obviously be too big for some of the students, but they remain as an option if no other methods of acquiring white shirts or sweaters or tops are working for your family.
The ensembles are all coming together. The material challenges the students in very different ways--some are chomping at the bit for even more challenge, while others express some anxiety. I have tried to let students know that the ensemble can still sound strong even if an individual misses a note here or there or has to sit out a section. I guess my message is: worry not.
I know some parents are at work donating or collecting donations of white shirts for Wednesday's concerts. I realized this morning that I have a collection of 6 white shirts--all cleaned and pressed--that I used to wear at one restaurant job, and now I have a completely different set of shirts for my current restaurant. Rather than donating the first set to Good Cheer, I will bring them to school to be available for the concert. They will obviously be too big for some of the students, but they remain as an option if no other methods of acquiring white shirts or sweaters or tops are working for your family.
The ensembles are all coming together. The material challenges the students in very different ways--some are chomping at the bit for even more challenge, while others express some anxiety. I have tried to let students know that the ensemble can still sound strong even if an individual misses a note here or there or has to sit out a section. I guess my message is: worry not.
posted from Bloggeroid
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