Young Artist's Concert Sunday, 2:30pm

While I know many of our students will be part of the Children's Theater production at the same time, I recommend attending the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra's Young Artist concert this Sunday, March 21, at 2:30pm.  The four young soloists (two violinists, one flautist, one horn player) are inspiring.  One student is free with a paying adult.  An adult may bring additional students for $5 each.  For more information, visit the orchestra web site.

All three of the ensembles I teach showed motivation, attention, and pleasure in their recent classes.

Looking Toward Mayfaire

On Sunday, May 2, instrumental students in grades 4 to 8 will perform at Mayfaire.  As I have written before, this will be a required performance and of a much larger scale than in past years (students are playing at times when adults may have performed in the past); this is to replace the annual March WICA concert.  I expect all 4th to 8th graders to be present with their instruments.  If a student has an obligation elsewhere, please let me know; if possible, I will arrange an additional, alternate time for your student to perform.  I find students gain much more from my classes when they are working toward a performance.

We will be working in earnest.  With the April break (and I will be absent the first 3 days after break), Mayfaire will come upon us quickly.

4th grade

Our set list will include Hummingbird (page 13), Diddle Fiddle (14), and Hilltop Stomp (15) from Smart Violin.  We may add more songs (or reprise familiar songs) once we become comfortable with these three.  To aid students, I will produce color-coded copies; we will also work on note reading, and I applaud the private teachers for doing so as well.  Remember, there are CDs of the songs from Smart Violin in the Dolde parent folder that you are welcome to borrow to help your student.

5th & 6th grade

We will reprise Country Gardens from Strings Extraordinaire.  We will work to performing two longer sets of jigs and reels (without stops) from Fiddler's Philharmonic.

Jig set:  "I'se the B'y" (6), Swallowtail Jig (14), Kesh Jig (22)
Reel set:  Cripple Creek (4), Bile 'em Cabbage Down (7), Road to Boston (10), Old Joe Clark (12), St Anne's Reel (30)

If we master these, we will add a waltz or two.  I encourage you to purchase the book for your student.  The sign-up list is still at the base of the tower stairs.  Because so few parents have (which is fine), I am not keeping an extra inventory to avoid burdening the music cost center--this means your student must remember the book (as they should always--it is good to form this habit).

7th & 8th grade

We will perform a number of Celtic and/or British and/or Summery songs for a sing-along (expecting Joe Dunkley to come and help us again).  All songs will come up from Rise Up Singing.  Here is a list of some songs we will be playing; we will add others as we master these.

Star of the County Down (Ballads),  John Riley (Ballads), Scarborough Fair (Dreams), Loch Lomond (Outdoors), Wild Mountain Thyme (Outdoors), Take me Out to the Ballgame (America)

4th grade violins playing Friday

In the interest of clarity and elegance, our 4th grade violinists will be our representatives for grandparents' day.  Please make sure their violins are at school.

Working with the 4th grade teacher's schedule, William will tune up the 4th grade violins in their classroom.  At a little before 8:30, we will play in the hallway (right outside the door) for 15 minutes or so--pretty much every song we have played this year to make a satisfying medley for the grandparents.  Students will then pack away and continue with their main lesson.

Thank you to students in other grades who were prepared to play; the logistics seem best if 4th grade are our players.

I continue to work with all the instrumental groups to prepare for Mayfaire.  Expect more details soon.

Rendezvous Performs Tomorrow during 5/6 strings

Troels Oxenvad and Elizabeth Lovelace (the duo Rendezvous) will perform for and speak to our string instrumentalists at 2pm tomorrow, Thursday.  5th & 6th graders need not bring instruments to school tomorrow.  4th graders will have violin class as usual (please bring instruments) and then stay with me in the common room for the performance final period.

As sometimes happen, the best time for the performance is after the official school day for 7th & 8th graders.  We encourage these students to attend as an after school activity (I will be with them until 2:45pm) but are not requiring them to be present.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde