Looking Ahead to Final Assembly

I've had a request to describe my plans toward the end of the school year.  While this is not everything, this may help you and your student plan what to practice.

No instruments needed Monday and Tuesday next week   I have other activities planned for our classes.  After that, guitarists should bring an instrument (if possible) Mondays and Wednesdays, and strings players on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

4th grade  will work on ensemble playing and playing by ear with two familiar folk songs that we will play for our final assembly.  I will provide more details in a separate email because I want them to be a surprise.  As we prepare for Mayfaire, I notice how well our students are doing; some are trying so hard to play every note just right, however, that they are not noticing that they are playing at a different tempo from the rest of the group.  I think taking on some familiar songs with absolutely no sheet music--as scary as this can be for some--and no worries about bowings and other similar details will be a way to help students to listen to and observe each other as they play.

We will balance this with continued music reading from Smart Violin.  Next Thursday we will look at pages 16 & 17, the G Major Scale, Take a Walk, and Take a Rest.  For these 3 songs, we will try to all read the printed music in the book (the scale makes this particularly possible) rather than from color-coded pages I produce.  Before the year ends, we will play Smooth Sailing (probably for the assembly).  As time allows, we will skip ahead to other songs in G major--"Poetic Soul" on page 24 and "Perfect Day for Playing" on page 25.  I also know students have Potlatch, and if our playing folk songs by ear is helping the group, I will focus more on this than on Smart Violin.

That being said, some private instructors might choose to cover all the songs in Smart Violin this spring or summer, which is great.

5th & 6th Grade  will play Simon Tov, Fiddler's Frolic, Que Bonita Bandera, Pachelbel's Canon, and Hava Nagila from Strings Extraordinaire.  We will play some number of these songs at our final assembly (again, I know class trips are coming up).  We will also attempt  Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring in class again with an eye toward determining if it will work to perform it with a choir at our final assembly.

7th & 8th Grade will collaborate with our Spanish program on several songs for our final assembly.  We will also select two graduation songs from Rise Up Singing by sampling many songs.  We will also accompany the 4th and 5th & 6th strings at the final assembly.

Logistics for Sunday's Mayfaire

In light of the recent theft of guitars, I encourage parents to be particularly aware about where instruments are on Sunday.  Last year, many violins were left in my classroom for a couple of days after Mayfaire (and I was not even the strings teacher at the time).  I encourage you to do whatever is possible to make sure your child's instrument and music leaves Mayfaire with you (whether taking it to your car right after your child's performance or finding some other way to keep track of it).

4th grade  Will perform near the Maypole at 11am.  If the weather permits, I will encourage younger (e.g., nursery and toddler age) children to dance to our 4 songs.  Please have 4th graders present in the Butterfly Room by 10:45am to tune and warm up.  Our performance should conclude by 11:15am.

5th & 6th grade  Will play for a 3rd grade dance at about 12:45 and will play our long set for the community dance.  Please have students in the Butterfly Room with their instruments by 12:15pm for tuning and warm-up.  Please have students turn in their copies of Fiddler's Philharmonic to me after our performance (except for the families that purchased the book).

7th & 8th grade  Will play guitars at 10am by the Maypole.  I will provide the guitars and have them tuned.  Please have students present at 9:55am so that we can commence at 10am.  After our performance (about half an hour to 40 minutes), students who are not signed up for the 10am cafe slot will help me carry the guitars to my car.  Our performance is a sing-along, so parents should bring their singing voices; I will provide lyric sheets. 

6th grade instruments Friday

6th graders will have a rehearsal with me Friday afternoon (5th grade will be getting ready for their play).  Please have 6th graders bring their instruments Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week.

Instruments this week

With Mayfaire and Mayfaire rehearsals and other complexities, some students will need to bring instruments more this week, some less; please look for your child's grade below.

4th Grade  No violins needed Tuesday (tomorrow).  Yes, violins on Thursday.  Plan to bring them on Sunday.  We play at 11am:  Hummingbird, Diddle Fiddle, Hilltop Stomp, and March of the Crazy Ants.

5th and 6th Grade  Bring instruments on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  We will play "Country Gardens" for a grade 3 dance.  We will play for the community dance in the following order:  Kesh jig, Swallowtail, I'se the Byse, Cripple Creek, Bile 'em Cabbage Down, Road to Boston, Old Joe Clark, St. Anne's Reel.  At Mayfaire, we will play as part of the Maypole dances at 12:30pm.

7th & 8th Grade  I will bring guitars Wednesday.  At Mayfaire, we will play at 10am.  I will also bring guitars for students to use Sunday.

William Away Until Thursday

William Dolde will return to school on Thursday, April 15.  Students do not need to bring string instruments to school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week unless your student's class teacher lets you know specifically that she or he has plans to use the instruments for another purpose (such as in a play).

When students do bring their instruments, beginning on Thursday, plan to have them bring them back and forth to school on instrumental ensemble days rather than leaving them at school.

Guitars -- Mondays and Wednesdays
Orchestral Strings  -- Tuesdays and Thursdays

A few students have 2nd instruments that they leave at school to make it easier to walk back and forth.  If you choose to do this, please consult with your child's class teacher for the best way to leave an instrument in an unobtrusive way.