Dear Families 4th to 8th Grade,
I hope many of your students will be able to play music with me on Saturday (guitars at 10:20, 4th grade at 12:50, 5/6 at 1--don't forget choirs are also invited at 10). Students are allowed to store their instruments upstairs in the office for the day. At present, we are scheduled to perform in the lobby.
I will ask students in class if they plan to attend so that I can get a sense of what supplies we will need or what instruments may need support. All three groups are playing challenging programs (it was tiring for the guitar students to play for 4o minutes in rehearsal today), but I want students to experience many facets of performing. There are times we perform music we have had lots of time to rehearse in a quiet all; at other times we might play challenging music in a potentially noisy lobby.
With warmth and light,
William Dolde
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Performance Opportunities
Students in grades 4 to 8 will have an opportunity to play music at the Children's Holiday Workshop on Saturday, December 5. See below for times. All music performances will be in the 1st grade classroom. Students are encouraged but not required to perform.
4 and 5 and 6 to 8 choirs will sing at 10am.
4th Grade I will invite any 4th graders who want to play either pieces they have been working on outside of school or songs from Smart Violin with me. This is not a required performance but is instead a low-pressure way to allow some motivated students play in public. I will be glad to lead students in our Exercise in A, Twinkle Twinkle, Green Light, and Woke Up Early. Students can join in for any songs with which they are comfortable. Time 12:50pm (right before the 5th & 6th grades play Christmas music).
5th & 6th Grade We had a good time reading through all the Christmas music in Strings Extraordinaire. I invite all students to join me in the first grade room to play these songs, and possibly old favorites such as Largo, Tumba, and Country Gardens. I will be available to play violin, cello, or viola as needed. Time 1pm
We will also begin the Autumn Assembly next Thursday and play Largo, Tumba, and Country Gardens as the lower grades and parents enter.
7th & 8th Grade After the choirs sing, guitar students are invited to play guitar for a Christmas and children's song sing-along. We will be practicing the following in class: Silent Night and Jingle Bells (Backpacker's songbook); as many songs in the PLAY section if Rise Up Singing as we can get to (e.g. Baby Beluga, Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Fox, Puff the Magic Dragon, I Had a Rooster, Wheels on the Bus, and more). The nursery children adore it when the older students play, and this will be a wonderful bit of community service to play for young children and parents at the Workshop. Middle Schoolers who join me on that day will be excused from a performance quiz the following Monday.
The 7th & 8th grade will also support the 5 & 6 orchestra next Thursday at the Autumn assembly.
Some students have missed a number of classes. It will be important for them to practice at home, especially because other students are ready for more challenging material, and I plan to move the class along quickly--this is what some of our students are ready for, and all students will be ready for with enough practice at home. If a student feels she or he is falling behind, daily practice at home will be important. I will be able to give some 1 on 1 lessons in December, but home practice will be essential. I will expect all students to be able to play the following chords by Monday, December 7: C, A, G, E, D, Am, Em, Dm, and F. (Some students who are proficient on the guitar in other ways would do well to take time to make sure they know these basic chords as well).
4 and 5 and 6 to 8 choirs will sing at 10am.
4th Grade I will invite any 4th graders who want to play either pieces they have been working on outside of school or songs from Smart Violin with me. This is not a required performance but is instead a low-pressure way to allow some motivated students play in public. I will be glad to lead students in our Exercise in A, Twinkle Twinkle, Green Light, and Woke Up Early. Students can join in for any songs with which they are comfortable. Time 12:50pm (right before the 5th & 6th grades play Christmas music).
5th & 6th Grade We had a good time reading through all the Christmas music in Strings Extraordinaire. I invite all students to join me in the first grade room to play these songs, and possibly old favorites such as Largo, Tumba, and Country Gardens. I will be available to play violin, cello, or viola as needed. Time 1pm
We will also begin the Autumn Assembly next Thursday and play Largo, Tumba, and Country Gardens as the lower grades and parents enter.
7th & 8th Grade After the choirs sing, guitar students are invited to play guitar for a Christmas and children's song sing-along. We will be practicing the following in class: Silent Night and Jingle Bells (Backpacker's songbook); as many songs in the PLAY section if Rise Up Singing as we can get to (e.g. Baby Beluga, Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Fox, Puff the Magic Dragon, I Had a Rooster, Wheels on the Bus, and more). The nursery children adore it when the older students play, and this will be a wonderful bit of community service to play for young children and parents at the Workshop. Middle Schoolers who join me on that day will be excused from a performance quiz the following Monday.
The 7th & 8th grade will also support the 5 & 6 orchestra next Thursday at the Autumn assembly.
Some students have missed a number of classes. It will be important for them to practice at home, especially because other students are ready for more challenging material, and I plan to move the class along quickly--this is what some of our students are ready for, and all students will be ready for with enough practice at home. If a student feels she or he is falling behind, daily practice at home will be important. I will be able to give some 1 on 1 lessons in December, but home practice will be essential. I will expect all students to be able to play the following chords by Monday, December 7: C, A, G, E, D, Am, Em, Dm, and F. (Some students who are proficient on the guitar in other ways would do well to take time to make sure they know these basic chords as well).
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Improv
5th through 8th grade It seems it will work well to have our guitar students accompany the strings players for Largo, Tumba, Country Gardens, and--if we are able to feel more secure on a challenging piece--German dance. We will perform at least the first 3 at the upcoming assembly.
Students seem quite fond of Tumba. It can be played with one chord (Dm), and as such, provides a good opportunity for improvisation, which I will allow students to practice and perhaps perform. I am passing out a d minor blues scales for the strings player to practice (I did so already in guitar class); they may wish to practice with their private teachers. It is fine--even helpful--for some students to stick to the printed music so that the song stays together.
Students seem quite fond of Tumba. It can be played with one chord (Dm), and as such, provides a good opportunity for improvisation, which I will allow students to practice and perhaps perform. I am passing out a d minor blues scales for the strings player to practice (I did so already in guitar class); they may wish to practice with their private teachers. It is fine--even helpful--for some students to stick to the printed music so that the song stays together.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Assembly coming up for grades 5 to 8, Grade 4 work
Grade 4
Students continue to enjoy working with Twinkle Twinkle. Because a parent made me aware that it can be difficult to support students at home when we are playing folk songs by ear, I think it prudent to return our focus to Smart Violin so that we are all working on the same material. This week I will introduce "Woke Up Early" on page 7. Students should practice this in addition to Green Light, Exercise in A Major, and the first 6 steps on pages 4 and 5 as appropriate (that is, if a child has mastered an exercise, she or he should not feel compelled to repeat it; she or he is welcome if motivated, and a child can also make challenges, trying to play it faster, coming up with new rhythms and the like).
We are still playing almost exclusively on the A and E strings in class (Twinkle, Twinkle, for example).
Students are working on note reading with Ms. Kenney in choir and some with their teachers outside of school. In January, we will have music stands in class. Students will bring Smart Violin to class. We will reprise the material we have learned thus far (giving some students another chance for mastery), moving fairly quickly to get to new material. At present, I draw the songs on the blackboard, using a story of a cat and a rooster and their journey. My goal is to help students become comfortable reading the shape of a melodic phrase so that when we take up note reading they avoid becoming stuck in reading note for note (much as we don't want students reading prose to become stuck sounding out every letter).
Grades 5 & 6
The ensemble sounded strong when we played without music for the Day of the Dead and when we performed for 4th grade. We will work on some of the songs we have less experience with--German dance and We Gather Together on pages 6 & 7 of Strings Extraordinaire. We will also continue working on an Irish jig by ear--I know it is a frustrating experience for some students (if they could just see the notes), but as a group they are doing well, and I think they will be well rewarded once their minds and fingers can retain the song. I intend that students will play familiar music such as Largo, Tumba, and Country Gardens as students and parents enter for the November assembly. They will also play new material if it is ready.
We may be joined by the 7th & 8th graders for these songs.
Ms. White asked me about the possibility of some strings students playing Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" with the choir at our Christmas Festival. I will play the melody for students tomorrow and pass out parts to students who want. The first violin part (and parts of the 2nd violin part) will likely challenge even our most proficient students. The viola and cello parts have their challenges, too, but they are free from the extended runs of triplets. As a first step, I'll ask interested students to take their parts (the violin parts have 1st and 2nd on front and back) to their private teacher to assess whether the challenge is a healthy one or too frustrating. If a small ensemble emerges, I will be glad to rehearse with them after school a time or two to prepare for our concert. I'm also willing to play along on first violin if that helps instill confidence in our students.
For students who like to or need to look ahead, know that we will play all of the Christmas music in Strings Extraordinaire when we return from Thanksgiving.
Grades 7 & 8
Hoping to inspire students to improvise on their guitars, I introduced vocal improvisation and scat singing, which a number of the students took too with great (and perhaps sometimes too much) enthusiasm as we provided festive and sacred music at the Day of the Dead altar.
As an experiment, I will provide chord charts for the classical and folk songs grades 5 & 6 will be playing at the November assembly. The guitars and violins, violas, and cellos blended well at Michaelmas, and I would like to see how they harmonize with other styles of music.
All students have received Rise Up Singing. Please send in cash or a check for $12. This book is your child's to keep. We will work on songs requested by students in this book, as well as working on other requests such as "Hey Jude," and, of course, more and varied children's songs for the nursery class.
For now, students should also keep the Backpacker's Songbook. It has a decent collection of Christmas music, which we will dive into after Thanksgiving.
Students continue to enjoy working with Twinkle Twinkle. Because a parent made me aware that it can be difficult to support students at home when we are playing folk songs by ear, I think it prudent to return our focus to Smart Violin so that we are all working on the same material. This week I will introduce "Woke Up Early" on page 7. Students should practice this in addition to Green Light, Exercise in A Major, and the first 6 steps on pages 4 and 5 as appropriate (that is, if a child has mastered an exercise, she or he should not feel compelled to repeat it; she or he is welcome if motivated, and a child can also make challenges, trying to play it faster, coming up with new rhythms and the like).
We are still playing almost exclusively on the A and E strings in class (Twinkle, Twinkle, for example).
Students are working on note reading with Ms. Kenney in choir and some with their teachers outside of school. In January, we will have music stands in class. Students will bring Smart Violin to class. We will reprise the material we have learned thus far (giving some students another chance for mastery), moving fairly quickly to get to new material. At present, I draw the songs on the blackboard, using a story of a cat and a rooster and their journey. My goal is to help students become comfortable reading the shape of a melodic phrase so that when we take up note reading they avoid becoming stuck in reading note for note (much as we don't want students reading prose to become stuck sounding out every letter).
Grades 5 & 6
The ensemble sounded strong when we played without music for the Day of the Dead and when we performed for 4th grade. We will work on some of the songs we have less experience with--German dance and We Gather Together on pages 6 & 7 of Strings Extraordinaire. We will also continue working on an Irish jig by ear--I know it is a frustrating experience for some students (if they could just see the notes), but as a group they are doing well, and I think they will be well rewarded once their minds and fingers can retain the song. I intend that students will play familiar music such as Largo, Tumba, and Country Gardens as students and parents enter for the November assembly. They will also play new material if it is ready.
We may be joined by the 7th & 8th graders for these songs.
Ms. White asked me about the possibility of some strings students playing Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" with the choir at our Christmas Festival. I will play the melody for students tomorrow and pass out parts to students who want. The first violin part (and parts of the 2nd violin part) will likely challenge even our most proficient students. The viola and cello parts have their challenges, too, but they are free from the extended runs of triplets. As a first step, I'll ask interested students to take their parts (the violin parts have 1st and 2nd on front and back) to their private teacher to assess whether the challenge is a healthy one or too frustrating. If a small ensemble emerges, I will be glad to rehearse with them after school a time or two to prepare for our concert. I'm also willing to play along on first violin if that helps instill confidence in our students.
For students who like to or need to look ahead, know that we will play all of the Christmas music in Strings Extraordinaire when we return from Thanksgiving.
Grades 7 & 8
Hoping to inspire students to improvise on their guitars, I introduced vocal improvisation and scat singing, which a number of the students took too with great (and perhaps sometimes too much) enthusiasm as we provided festive and sacred music at the Day of the Dead altar.
As an experiment, I will provide chord charts for the classical and folk songs grades 5 & 6 will be playing at the November assembly. The guitars and violins, violas, and cellos blended well at Michaelmas, and I would like to see how they harmonize with other styles of music.
All students have received Rise Up Singing. Please send in cash or a check for $12. This book is your child's to keep. We will work on songs requested by students in this book, as well as working on other requests such as "Hey Jude," and, of course, more and varied children's songs for the nursery class.
For now, students should also keep the Backpacker's Songbook. It has a decent collection of Christmas music, which we will dive into after Thanksgiving.
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