4th/5th Grade Orchestra: Week of 9/17/18

Upcoming Events

-Friday, September 28th: Deadline for ordering Orchestra Concert Shirts on the Membership Toolkit

-Thursday, November 1st: 4th and 5th Grade Demonstration Concert, 7pm at Twin Groves

4th Grade

What we did this week:

- Reviewed the "Ants Song"

-Reviewed p. 4, focusing on the D and A string

Assignment:

- pg. 4 and 5; Ants Song

Practicing Expectations:

Students should be writing down their assignment at each lesson. Our goal is to practice every day that we eat! We should be aiming to take our instruments out every day and practicing. There is NO time limit at this point. Students should be practicing each day for however long they are able to. Students should record their minutes for each day and get their practice record signed. If a student has practiced every day and has it signed, they receive a sticker! (This will be very important later this year...)

Membership Toolkit:

The school year is off and running on a great note!!  The District 96 Band & Orchestra Boosters are looking forward to another great year. The Boosters Membership ToolKit  is how the Boosters will communicate important information to the parents of students participating in the band or orchestra programs.  The ToolKit gives you online access to forms for ordering your students required concert polo shirt, forms to volunteer for various activities or serve on the Booster Board, and forms to register for events (i.e. the “End of the Year” party).  All purchases can be paid online with your credit or debit card!  Please stay “in the know” and create an account in the Boosters Membership ToolKit today!  To create an account and get started head to https://bandandorchestraboosters.membershiptoolkit.com and follow the prompts.  If you already have a Membership ToolKit account with the PTO at your school, you can use the same e-mail and password to set up this account.  

The forms to order your students required concert polo shirt are now live and accessible through our ToolKit!  Orders can now be placed for these shirts.  The absolute last day to order a polo shirt for your student is Friday, September 28.  When you set up your account in the ToolKit, you must complete the student information page, where you will check the boxes for the program your student participates in – either band or orchestra, or both. There are two separate polo shirt order forms, one for the BLUE BAND POLO SHIRT and one for the WHITE ORCHESTRA POLO SHIRT.  You will only have access to the form that applies to your student(s).  Shirts will be delivered to your student at school before their first concert.

Questions about Membership ToolKit or how to order a concert polo shirt?  Please contact Marlene Mahn at [email protected]
Thank you!

Lesson Schedules:

4th Grade Prairie Orchestra Lesson Schedule

5th Grade

What we did this week:

-Learned about 3/4 time signature and dotted half notes

-Reviewed "Ode to Joy"

-Practiced our new piece "First Scale March"

Assignment:

-p. 28, Ode to Joy and First Scale March

Practicing Expectations:

Our goal is to practice 15-20 minutes each day for 6 days. Students should record their minutes in the practice record and get it signed each week.

-Students should practice each song  in small parts at least 5x-10 every day.

-Below are the steps on how to practice our songs in the book:
1. Name the notes in rhythm, making sure to tap your foot to a steady beat beforehand.
2. Name the notes AND finger the notes, making sure to  tap your foot to a steady beat.
3. Play the song pizzicato (plucking) making sure to keep a straight wrist.                                        4."Shadow bow" while fingering the note names to help practice our bowings

5. Play the song with the bow, making sure to bow from your elbow.                              

Lesson Schedules:

5th Grade Prairie Orchestra Lesson Schedule

Topic of the Week:

What to do if something is wrong with the instrument:

Because the string instruments are fragile, sometimes our instruments are in need of repairs and/or tuning. If your child opens up his or her instrument and finds an issue, PLEASE bring it to the vendor as soon as possible. Insurance is usually included or part of a rental contract so your vendor will typically replace parts and no extra charge (unless it is significant damage). In terms of tuning, the vendor will be happy to tune the instrument for free!

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIX/TUNE THE INSTRUMENT YOURSELVES (unless you currently play a string instrument). Even if you watch youtube videos on how to do it, you can still do more damage to the instrument very easily. Please utilize your vendors. I also tune the students every week during lessons. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!