Upcoming Events
- Sunday, January 14th @12pm: Deadline for Pre-Orders of Ice Cream and Cookies for Post-concert social!
- Wednesday, January 17th: 4th Grade Orchestra/5th Grade Orchestra Winter Concert, 7pm @ Twin Groves. Students must arrive by 6:15pm
4th Grade
What we did this week:
- Reviewed bowing on the D and A strings
- Worked on our concert songs!
Assignment:
- Concert Songs
*Students should be practicing note naming at home via Staff Wars! This fun note naming game is a great way for our students to learn their notes.
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...)
Lesson Schedules:
4th Grade Prairie Orchestra Lesson Schedule
Post-Concert Ice Cream and Cookie Social Info
Join us on January 17th, for an After-Concert Social featuring Culver’s vanilla custard or lemon ice or a decorated cookie from Original Bagel and Bialy.
Please pre-order your sundaes and cookies now so we don’t run out. Prices will be higher at the door and quantities available limited.
To find the order form please sign in to your Band and Orchestra Boosters Membership Toolkit account or click on the link below. If you have any problems with the form, you can contact Donna Cobb at [email protected]. We are also looking for five volunteers to help with the event. More information on that is also in the Band and Orchestra Boosters Membership Toolkit.
https://
All pre-orders are due on January 14th at noon.
Look forward to seeing you after the concert,
District 96 Band and Orchestra Boosters
Orchestra Lost and Found Box!
If your child is missing their books, accessories etc., please have them check the lost and found box on the stage at Prairie. If it is not in the box, please have them check around the room, since it is a shared room. Thank you!
5th Grade
What we did this week:
- Worked on our concert songs
Assignment:
- Concert songs
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:
- Name the notes in rhythm, making sure to tap your foot to a steady beat beforehand.
- Name the notes AND finger the notes, making sure to tap your foot to a steady beat.
- Play the song pizzicato (plucking) making sure to keep a straight wrist.
- "Shadow bow" while fingering the note names to help practice our bowings
- 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:
Our Instruments and the Cold Weather!
Because our instruments are made from wood and are very delicate, the cold weather can greatly affect our instruments! Please see important facts and information below about how to keep our instruments safe this winter!
- Our instruments do best when they are stored in a temperate room, preferably one that has a humidifier.
- Please do NOT leave the instrument in the car/garage overnight or right underneath a window.
- Students MUST bring their instruments home before Winter Break. This is for the well-being of the instrument since the building temperature drastically changes when school is not in session.
- Some results of our instruments being exposed to cold for a long period time are: Strings popping, "open seams" (the wood will completely become unglued on the sides", cracks in the wood, extreme out of tuneness.
- Usually in the winter time, constant tuning has to occur since our instruments are exposed to different temperatures throughout the day (at a house, brought outside to go to school, left in the orchestra room etc.)
- If there are any issues that come up with an instrument, please bring the instrument to the vendor or have your child bring it to me to fix.