Stevens' Swingin' Strings

End of the year stuff

Many students have not turned in a practice record. They were due one week ago! (May 12)
Please remember that practice records are graded assignments.

Instruments must go home Wednesday afternoon. You do not need your instruments Thursday or Friday. Please take your method books home as well. These are useful practice aids for the summer.

Parents, your children need to continue to practice over the summer. If you are renting an instrument, please do NOT turn it in to the store for the summer. With a standard rental contract, you accrue credit towards the purchase on an instrument in the future. When you turn in th instrument, you are closing the contract and will lose all of the credit you have accumulated. Please have an instrument available for your child so they may practice during the long summer weeks ahead.

Thanks for a great year!

Practie Records

This is the final call for Spring Practice Records. The due date for all logs was Monday, May 12. I have extended the deadline by a few days due to general excitement over the final concert.

Remember....

Thoughtful practice brings pleasing results.

Testing!

Congratulations on a fine performance at your Spring concert!

Students are reviewing in preparation for end-of-year playing tests.

6th grade:

Students will be tested on D Major, G Major and C Major scales with various rhythms and bowings. Please refer to the last page in your method book.
Students will also be evaluated on the correlating excerpts for each key.

7th grade:

Students will be tested on the following Major scales: C, G, D, A,F, B flat
Students will be tested on the following minor scales: D natural minor, G natural minor
Students will also be evaluated on teh correlating excerpts for each key.

8th grade:

Students will be tested on the following Major scales: C, G, D, A, F, B flat, E flat
Students will be tested on the following minor scales: A,E, D, G, C
Students will also be evaluated on the correlating excerpts for each key.

Please review shifting up to position V.

Please review tuning skills.

Please review vibrato.

Please review bowing techniques.

Concert alert

Per the orchestra handbook, all students are expected to perform in the Spring concert tonight.

Please remember to wear your polo shirt and black slacks.

See you tonight! :-)

Spring Concert

The final orchestra concert is Tuesday, May 13. Students need to report to Simpson at 6:30 pm. Please check in at the assigned rooms for each grade.

The performance will begin promptly at 7 with the 6th grade, followed by 7th and 8th grade ensembles.

Thank you all for your hard work, and a special thanks and commendation to the students who participated in the workshop at Disney. What a fun four days!

CRCT and Disney

Parents and Students,

Please remember that all 8th grade band, orchestra, and chorus students who are participating in the Disney trip on May 1-4, MUST be at school each day for the CRCT testing and cannot miss any portion of the test. Make-up days for CRCT are while we are away in Orlando. Students who miss testing days or are late and miss portions of the test, will have to stay to participate in the make-up testing and will NOT be able to go to Orlando.

It is very important that each student be present and on time each day of CRCT testing.

Practice Records, Uniforms, etc...

Practice records are due!

All students must turn in their signed practice record this week for the 3rd nine week grading period. Remember that these are graded!

If you missed the deadline for your shirt money, please turn it in ASAP. These shirts are the mainstay of your Orchestra uniform, along with black concert slacks, socks and black shoes.

All Honor Orchestra forms and fees should have been turned in.

Please note the letter and permission slip for CODA Performance Evaluation that was sent home with yoru child Friday, Feb 29. These should be turned in Monday, March 3rd.

Chaperones are needed for CODA!!!

The final Disney payments are due, and room sign-up should now be complete. Thank you for getting your room buddies together!

The countdown to our Performance Evaluations has begun in earnest. Don't lose momentum!

Performances

We now have schedules for our upcoming events.

6th Grade Jamboree will be held in the Wheeler High School gymnasium March 20th. Students travel via school bus from Simpson to Wheeler after school on that day. PARENT VOLUNTEERS are needed to make our pizza dinner and travel successful!

Large Group Performane Evaluation (CODA)

7th grade Orchestra Large Group Performance Evaluation is scheduled for March 17th. We will travel after school to our site, listen to a group play, and go to the warm-up room at 6:40. Our scheduled concert time is 7:10, followed by our sight reading evaluation at 7:35.

The 8th grade is identical to 7th grade's, with the exception of the date. The 8th grade plays on March 18th.

Each of these three events requires meticulous preparation and coordinating. Parent chaperones are needed to assist with cartage of large instruments and monitoring of students. We want to represent ourselves and our school well!

Detailed letters and schedules will be sent home with students.

UNIFORM SHIRTS...

All students must send in their shirt money for their performance uniform. We are very pleased with the design of our shirts and logo. 7th and 8th grade will wear their new black polo-style shirts with black pants, socks and shoes for CODA. 6th grade may wear jeans with their shirts for Jamboree.

Everyone should be practicing a minimum of 20 minutes per day, 5 days a week. This is the MINIMUM amount of tiem required to prepare students to feel confident and secure as they play for an audience. Please remember to check student practice records. They are due at the end of the nine weeks. Each week I ask students if they are practicing and recording their time. Some have told me that they are NOT doing the minimum practice, or are forgetting to log the time on the sheet. Remeber that these are graded!

Thank you for all that you do. Happy practicing! :-)

CODA Performance Evaluation

7th and 8th grade students, please be aware that our Large Group Performance Evaluation is coming up. 7th grade is performing March 17, with 8th grade playing the following night. Performance times have not been scheduled as yet. Please keep these dates free!

6th grade Jamboree is scheduled for March 20th at Wheeler HS.

More information on all of these events will be sent home in the coming week. Thanks, and practice daily to insure that you are fully prepared to shine.

Playing Tests

As we prepare for our Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPE), students will be tested on passages from each performance piece.

8th grade will play Contrasts in e minor, at letter "D" and at letter "G" to the end. Lullaby will be tested first from measures 67 on.

Please be prepared to play these passages Friday, February 8.

There will be future test passages posted.