Dear Families,
I have added names for all families requesting summer lessons. This link should give the most up to date sense of openings still available. All lessons will be at my cottage in Cottage Glen, right near Scatchet Head.
https://docs.google.com/View?docID=0Ac3h2G0LFxkwZGc4NXhwNGtfMTQ5ZnptNW5zZ3M&revision=_latest
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thank You
Dear Families,
Thank you for bringing your students' instruments to school a day early. They are ready to play at Thomas Berry Hall for today's 9am assembly.
I will drive student instruments back to school so that all instruments except for WIWS rentals are ready to go home with your students at dismissal time. If you wish to procure your student's instrument sooner--right after the assembly--that is fine. Please meet me in the dining room at Thomas Berry Hall. It will help if you make sure I know you've picked up the instrument so I don't think I've lost one. Thank you.
I've had reports that I have not been successful in making it possible for you to sign up for lessons on line. Here is a version of my summer lesson schedule to view. Please email me, and I will write in lesson times for your child.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Thank you for bringing your students' instruments to school a day early. They are ready to play at Thomas Berry Hall for today's 9am assembly.
I will drive student instruments back to school so that all instruments except for WIWS rentals are ready to go home with your students at dismissal time. If you wish to procure your student's instrument sooner--right after the assembly--that is fine. Please meet me in the dining room at Thomas Berry Hall. It will help if you make sure I know you've picked up the instrument so I don't think I've lost one. Thank you.
I've had reports that I have not been successful in making it possible for you to sign up for lessons on line. Here is a version of my summer lesson schedule to view. Please email me, and I will write in lesson times for your child.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Monday, June 7, 2010
Instrument Reminders
4th grade -- Instruments needed Tuesday. Ideally bring them and leave them with William on Thursday and he will transport to the assembly. Otherwise the student or parent can bring to the assembly.
5/6 -- no instruments Tuesday. Do give instruments to William Thursday unless parent or student will transport instrument her or himself on Friday.
5/6 -- no instruments Tuesday. Do give instruments to William Thursday unless parent or student will transport instrument her or himself on Friday.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Next Year -- lessons, instruments, music books
Dear Families,
I have been in contact with next year's 4th grade. Some of the information I shared with them may be useful to students in other grades.
Lessons
Parents and students have had good experiences with a number of teachers on the island, and I recommend all of them. The words that follow do not intend to prioritize one teacher above others. I encourage you to find the best fit for your student and you.
Teo Benson will be offering semi-private violin lessons to 4th graders during the year. Contact Teo at the above phone or email to discuss details. Free lessons are available through a Dreyfus foundation grant for families with financial need (as of right now, you would self-select). If fewer 4th graders have lessons with Teo, he would offer private lessons instead. To give 4th grade students a strong start, the free lessons will be held for those students first. Other free or low-price options may be available for 5th to 8th grade students, including my sliding scale experiment (see below).
Other available strings teachers include Kat Fritz, Kimmer Morris, Elizabeth Lovelace, Linda Good, and others of Island Strings http://www.islandstrings.com/
In order to make affordable lessons more available, I am offering an experiment this summer. On Fridays, at my cottage near Scatchet Head, I will offer half hour lessons on a sliding scale from $1 to $25 per half hour. If you can afford $25 per lesson, I encourage you to explore other teachers as well; I have no interest in forcing down the prices of other teachers; rather, I think our strings program at school will be stronger if every student takes a lesson (even if for some of the students in older grades it is only occasionally). Contact me at wdolde@gmail.com with interest; I will try to make an easy on-line sign-up available. If this proves viable, I will try weekend morning lessons on a sliding scale during the school year. I plan to make a way that payment can be anonymous (money put in a basket I do not check until multiple lessons) so you can feel free to pay what works for you.
Acquiring an Instrument for Next Year
Our school collection of violins, normally reserved for 4th grade students, is in need of a vacation. I encourage families to procure a high-quality rental from Joe's Island Music, Island Strings, Click Music, or elsewhere. This link from Island Strings provides a list of options http://www.islandstrings.com/
As I discussed in the 4th grade parent meeting, Shar Music from Michigan (an established company founded by violin professors from the University of Michigan) provides high-quality, inexpensive violins for purchase ($139) or rental ($9.99 a month to rent after a $26 initial deposit). Half of the rental money goes toward purchase; you can upgrade to finer violins and larger sizes. The same luthiers who look over the expensive violins ensure the quality of student violins, making this a reliable choice for student violins. Please visit http://www.sharmusic.com/
I was pleased with an upright bass my family purchased for me from Allegro Violins in Portland (greatviolins.com). His cello and viola prices are particularly competitive (beginner violas in the $300 range, cellos in the $400 range).
Music Book
Next year's 4th grade will use Strictly Strings Book 1. As we discussed, it works best if a student owns her or his book and it is a clean copy. Please write a check to WIWS or provide $7 to me (which I will turn in); thank you to parents who pay for next year in advance. This will allow me to order the books early and have them for you this summer if you wish.
Next year's 5th grade will begin with Strictly Strings Book 2. The price will also be $7. Thanks to families for paying in advance. It is possible we will move quickly enough to purchase another book for $7 later in the year.
Next year's 6th to 8th grade will use More Strings Extraordinaire and Jazz Philharmonic. The price for the 2 books will be $14. Again, thanks to families that pay in advance.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
I have been in contact with next year's 4th grade. Some of the information I shared with them may be useful to students in other grades.
Lessons
Parents and students have had good experiences with a number of teachers on the island, and I recommend all of them. The words that follow do not intend to prioritize one teacher above others. I encourage you to find the best fit for your student and you.
Teo Benson will be offering semi-private violin lessons to 4th graders during the year. Contact Teo at the above phone or email to discuss details. Free lessons are available through a Dreyfus foundation grant for families with financial need (as of right now, you would self-select). If fewer 4th graders have lessons with Teo, he would offer private lessons instead. To give 4th grade students a strong start, the free lessons will be held for those students first. Other free or low-price options may be available for 5th to 8th grade students, including my sliding scale experiment (see below).
Other available strings teachers include Kat Fritz, Kimmer Morris, Elizabeth Lovelace, Linda Good, and others of Island Strings http://www.islandstrings.com/
In order to make affordable lessons more available, I am offering an experiment this summer. On Fridays, at my cottage near Scatchet Head, I will offer half hour lessons on a sliding scale from $1 to $25 per half hour. If you can afford $25 per lesson, I encourage you to explore other teachers as well; I have no interest in forcing down the prices of other teachers; rather, I think our strings program at school will be stronger if every student takes a lesson (even if for some of the students in older grades it is only occasionally). Contact me at wdolde@gmail.com with interest; I will try to make an easy on-line sign-up available. If this proves viable, I will try weekend morning lessons on a sliding scale during the school year. I plan to make a way that payment can be anonymous (money put in a basket I do not check until multiple lessons) so you can feel free to pay what works for you.
Acquiring an Instrument for Next Year
Our school collection of violins, normally reserved for 4th grade students, is in need of a vacation. I encourage families to procure a high-quality rental from Joe's Island Music, Island Strings, Click Music, or elsewhere. This link from Island Strings provides a list of options http://www.islandstrings.com/
As I discussed in the 4th grade parent meeting, Shar Music from Michigan (an established company founded by violin professors from the University of Michigan) provides high-quality, inexpensive violins for purchase ($139) or rental ($9.99 a month to rent after a $26 initial deposit). Half of the rental money goes toward purchase; you can upgrade to finer violins and larger sizes. The same luthiers who look over the expensive violins ensure the quality of student violins, making this a reliable choice for student violins. Please visit http://www.sharmusic.com/
I was pleased with an upright bass my family purchased for me from Allegro Violins in Portland (greatviolins.com). His cello and viola prices are particularly competitive (beginner violas in the $300 range, cellos in the $400 range).
Music Book
Next year's 4th grade will use Strictly Strings Book 1. As we discussed, it works best if a student owns her or his book and it is a clean copy. Please write a check to WIWS or provide $7 to me (which I will turn in); thank you to parents who pay for next year in advance. This will allow me to order the books early and have them for you this summer if you wish.
Next year's 5th grade will begin with Strictly Strings Book 2. The price will also be $7. Thanks to families for paying in advance. It is possible we will move quickly enough to purchase another book for $7 later in the year.
Next year's 6th to 8th grade will use More Strings Extraordinaire and Jazz Philharmonic. The price for the 2 books will be $14. Again, thanks to families that pay in advance.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Bringing and Returning School Violins
Dear Families,
With end of the year trips and other events, our schedule for strings will be slightly different next week.
4th grade will have an abbreviated strings class next Tuesday; please bring instruments.
5th grade will be away, 6th grade will not need instruments next Tuesday.
Because the Friday assembly is at 9am and I intend to tune and set the instruments early Friday morning before school starts, please have students bring their instruments and music books to school on Thursday as they would usually do. I will secure the instruments and transport them to Friday's assembly.
Some students may have lessons on Thursday or intend to practice Thursday night. This is wonderful. The student or parent will then be responsible for transporting the instrument and music to the Whidbey Institute.
For families that have rented violins from WIWS this year, I will retain the violins after Friday's assembly. Other students would do well to take their violins from Joe's or elsewhere home with them on Friday.
4th graders made a reasonable request to perform some new music and some music they now feel more comfortable with. Our program will be: Take a Walk, Take a Rest, March of the Crazy Ants, Hummingbird, and Oats and Beans. (we have removed Smooth Sailing and Jolly is the Miller Boy from the program).
5th and 6th graders will join 4th grade for Oats and Beans, then play Que Bonita Bandera, Pachabel's Canon, and Hava Nagila. The canon sounds lovely and is challenging for our students--largely because the sixteenth notes inspire them to speed up more than they need to. It would do well for 5th and 6th graders to practice the canon (especially with a metronome or a steady beat) as often as possible before next Friday.
Thanks for your support of the strings program,
William Geoffrey Dolde
With end of the year trips and other events, our schedule for strings will be slightly different next week.
4th grade will have an abbreviated strings class next Tuesday; please bring instruments.
5th grade will be away, 6th grade will not need instruments next Tuesday.
Because the Friday assembly is at 9am and I intend to tune and set the instruments early Friday morning before school starts, please have students bring their instruments and music books to school on Thursday as they would usually do. I will secure the instruments and transport them to Friday's assembly.
Some students may have lessons on Thursday or intend to practice Thursday night. This is wonderful. The student or parent will then be responsible for transporting the instrument and music to the Whidbey Institute.
For families that have rented violins from WIWS this year, I will retain the violins after Friday's assembly. Other students would do well to take their violins from Joe's or elsewhere home with them on Friday.
4th graders made a reasonable request to perform some new music and some music they now feel more comfortable with. Our program will be: Take a Walk, Take a Rest, March of the Crazy Ants, Hummingbird, and Oats and Beans. (we have removed Smooth Sailing and Jolly is the Miller Boy from the program).
5th and 6th graders will join 4th grade for Oats and Beans, then play Que Bonita Bandera, Pachabel's Canon, and Hava Nagila. The canon sounds lovely and is challenging for our students--largely because the sixteenth notes inspire them to speed up more than they need to. It would do well for 5th and 6th graders to practice the canon (especially with a metronome or a steady beat) as often as possible before next Friday.
Thanks for your support of the strings program,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Professional Development Feedback for William
Dear Families,
At this busy time of year, I seek your feedback in relationship to my 3 professional development goals this year. Please do not feel obligated to write anything; I have taken in a lot of feedback already. What will be most useful to me are concrete and specific observations, suggestions, or commendations rather than global praise or criticism. Email wdolde@gmail.com or place written feedback in the Dolde parent folder if you wish to remain anonymous. My goals to comment on are below.
1) To harmonize my work in early childhood and the music program; that is, rather than having work in one domain diminish my work in the other, my goal was to bring the two sides of my teaching together.
2) To balance work and home life, especially in light of the increased teaching load of early childhood and strings.
3) To communicate well with my colleagues and work in cooperation with them rather than individually.
Thanks for your time,
William Geoffrey Dolde
At this busy time of year, I seek your feedback in relationship to my 3 professional development goals this year. Please do not feel obligated to write anything; I have taken in a lot of feedback already. What will be most useful to me are concrete and specific observations, suggestions, or commendations rather than global praise or criticism. Email wdolde@gmail.com or place written feedback in the Dolde parent folder if you wish to remain anonymous. My goals to comment on are below.
1) To harmonize my work in early childhood and the music program; that is, rather than having work in one domain diminish my work in the other, my goal was to bring the two sides of my teaching together.
2) To balance work and home life, especially in light of the increased teaching load of early childhood and strings.
3) To communicate well with my colleagues and work in cooperation with them rather than individually.
Thanks for your time,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)