Day of the Dead

Dear Families,

Here is a reminder of the schedule.

4th grade needs instruments on Tuesdays and Fridays.
5th grade on Mondays and Wednesdays.
6th to 8th grade on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

On Monday and Tuesday (unless another teacher wants the space), students and I will crowd into the lobby to play music in celebration of those we remember at the altar.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Halloween Music, Forgotten Violins

Dear Parents,

There were a number of instruments forgotten this week, particularly in 4th grade.  It can confusing with our shift and schedule and missed class.  As a reminder, 4th graders need instruments on Tuesdays and Fridays, 5th graders on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 6th to 8th graders on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

4th Grade Detectives  Students are at very different levels of technique and comfort with how music works.  We will stay on the songs on page 13 for a while to let students catch up.  If a student is not receiving regular private lessons and remains confused about the notation on page 13, a parent could go over the information presented on pages 9 to 12.  If, for example, a student forgets how to play F#, page 9 is entitled "Learning E and F# on the D string" and will help remind student and parent.  If students find the songs on page 13 very easy, of course, it would be good for them to work on and practice other material (such as Suzuki) with their private teacher.

5th Grade  While we will continue to work in Strictly Strings Book 2 on page 3 (Scarborough Fair) and the four songs on page 5, students who have mastered the material (or others who are motivated) can work on "Danse Macabre" and "A Scary Night" on page 12.  A number of students seemed interested in learning Halloween material when I introduced these songs in class.  They contain some new technical challenges (low first finger, double stops, tremolo).

6th to 8th Grade  Students still seem to enjoy playing Bluegrass Blastoff, German Dance, Daydreams, and Fanfare Minuet on pages 2 to 5 of More Strings Extraordinaire.  I will keep playing them (though not all songs every class).  We have moved on to "Round and Round" on page 6 and "Ghoulish Gavotte" on page 12.  Students seem to enjoy Jazz Philharmonic; with the exception of an industrious cellist, however, students are avoiding taking solos.  We are gaining good experience playing swing rhythms and off-beats, nonetheless.  I plan to put the first 2 songs to rest for a bit and introduce "Daydeam" (pages 10 and 11) today and "Devious" (pages 12 to 14) next week.

Upcoming Schedule Irregularities

4th Grade  Will have class tomorrow, October 8, and next Tuesday.  I will not be present on October 15.  Students will have a substitute, and will not need to bring violins to school that day.  We will continue working toward page 13 in Strictly Strings 1 (meaning we will try 11 tomorrow and 12 next Tuesday).  Once we can play those familiar songs, we will stay on that page for a few weeks to allow students to catch up.

5th Grade Has class as usual next week.  On Monday, October 18, I will not be present.  Students will have a substitute and do not need to bring their instruments to school.  Students who have mastered exercise 4 on page 4 and the songs on page 5 of Strictly Strings 2 can look at "Scarborough Fair."  It is a challenging arrangement, and I don't expect the whole orchestra to play it now; I will give time each class for students who are learning it to play it as an ensemble; perhaps other students can sing while we play.  We will continue with all 4 songs on page 5.

6th to 8th Grade Schedule is normal.  Please bring both books to class.

Thanks for supporting our program.

William Geoffrey Dolde

2 books in middle school

Beginning Tuesday, 6th to 8th grade students will need both books for our strings classes.

Location : 730-734 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102,

4th Grade DAYS CHANGE FOR STRINGS

Because we are blessed to have Eurythmy for our students this fall, and because some of our students will use Thomas Berry Hall at the Whidbey Institute for their classes, and because the availability of that hall was limited, schedules for classes had to be adjusted.  This affects fourth grade strings.

4th grade strings will now be on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.  All other grades keep their same strings schedule.