Weekly Updates - Dec 9-13

Dear Parents,

Since there is still quite a number of 7th and 8th grade students who have not turned in their playing test, I wanted to send a reminder that those are due at 11:59pm tomorrow night,. Please remind your child to go ahead and record their test, then worry about CutTime later. If CutTime does NOT work for you, you are welcome to email it to me here on this email or atjennifer.aikey@cobbk12.org. For those who have had issues with error messages when trying to create your account, I am so sorry about that and I am working with CutTime right now to find a solution.

I also wanted to remind you that their concert is Thursday evening at 6:30, and all students should bring their formal uniforms with them as they will be staying after school. I am very much looking forward to Thursday's 7th and 8th Grade concert, as it will also be the debut of the Durham Chamber Orchestra! We are still in need of some supervision and help if you are able to help monitor students. This well help keep them and the fragile instruments safe! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D49AAAA2BA57-7thand4

As always, thank you all for your support of the Orchestra program and let me know if you have any questions!

Jennifer Aikey

Upcoming 7th and 8th Concert and Weekly Updates

Dear Parents,

I would first like to congratulate all of our 6th graders and Fiddlers on a fantastic concert last night! Mr. Crosby and I were proud of their hard work. THANK YOU so much to all the parents who helped us before the concert. We couldn't have done it without you! We will be working on tuning in class for 6th grade, so please make sure your child has theit clip-on tuner with them in class next week if you have purchased one for them.

Speaking of parent help, we could definitely use some parent help and some donations for this Thursday's (Dec 12) 7th and 8th Grade concert (a week from today.) If you are able to help, please sign up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D49AAAA2BA57-7thand4

All 7th and 8th Grade students will be staying after school (Dec 12) on the day of their concert. I will provide pizza for them. This means they will need to bring their formal uniform and black dress shoes to school that morning, perferably in a labeled garment bag, so they can change into their uniform after eating. The concert will start at 6:30pm and should be finished around 7:30-45. 

All 7th and 8th Grade students also have a playing test due on Cuttime on Tuesday, Dec 10. 

ALL PARENTS: If you did NOT receive the registration link from info@cuttime.net, please check your spam, and let me know if it is not in your inbox or spam so I can resend it to you. After your child comes up with their own user name and password from the registration link, all they have to do to log in in the future is go to cuttime.net and click Log In to access their assignments and documents.

If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you!

Jennifer Aikey

6th Grade and Fiddlers Concert

Dear Parents,

I wanted to clarify some details for our concert Wednesday night. 

Uniform: All 6th Grade students should bring in their uniform LABELED with their name (preferably in a garment bag) to the Orchestra room Wednesday morning before homeroom, unless you want them to wear their uniform all day to school. Their uniform is the following: 

1. DMS Music Polo shirt

2. Black DRESS pants (no black jeans or leggings!)

3. Black DRESS shoes (no tennis shoes please!)

I hear that Target and Walmart currently have good deals running on dress pants in particular. If you are having difficulty with these uniform requirements, please let me know. Their uniform is a part of their concert grade, but I certainly will not punish a student if they are unable to obtain these items. Please communicate with mw

All Fiddlers should wear their t-shirt and jeans to school. 

Right after school, we will give them pizza, and after eating, they will change clothing and have their concert dress rehearsal. We invite you and your family to come at 6:30pm to hear the concert! The Fiddlers will be done by 6:45. All 6th Grade students should be finished performing by 7:15pm.

We are still VERY much in need of volunteers for Wednesday afternoon before the concert. Please sign up to help if you can! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D49AAAA2BA57-6thgrade4

We also need some help with filming the concert if anyone is available to do that. Thank you!

If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you,

Jennifer Aikey

FUNDRAISER DELIVERY INFO!

Dear Parents,

Our fundraiser delivery is this Tuesday from 5 - 8pm. PLEASE do not attempt to pick up these items during car line. We will wait until 5 for any pickups for car line and busses to fully clear. Please make arrangements to pickup your orders Tuesday if you have not already, as these items are perishable and will need to be either delivered immediately or immediately put back in a freezer after you pick them up. 

We could use some help Tuesday during the day with unloading and organizing these items, and after school with the sign out. If you can help us below, that would be great!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D49AAAA2BA57-fundraiser4

I also would like to remind 8th grade parents that the November $200 Disney payment is due today. 

Thank you all so much, and we hope to see you Tuesday when you pick up your fundraising items. 

Jennifer Aikey

Updates - Oct 29 - Nov 1

Dear Parents,

Now that our October concert has passed, we have been sight-reading new music this week! I want to congratulate all of the Orchestra students again for an excellent concert last week! They all did a wonderful job. 

For ALL Grades: Please help us make sure your child has a black binder with page protectors and their method book (6th and 7th Grade) as we use these items in class daily. We did a binder check late last week and several students were missing items. I will do another binder check tomorrow in hopes to see more students prepared for class. I do have some donated binders, books, and page protectors, so please let me know if that is a need for your family. They also sell black binders with page protectors in them in the school store for $5. 

Mark your calendars! Tuesday, November 19th is our scheduled delivery date for our fundraiser items. We will need some volunteers to help us sort items earlier that day, and pickup for those items will likely be from 4:45pm-8pm. Students who are eligible to receive wallets/prizes from the fundraising company can expect to do that drawing in class next week. 

6th Grade: The 6th Graders are doing an awesome job! We have been doing D and A string note review and learning new music concepts such as repeats, first and second endings, and bow lifts. We did a quick note reading worksheet yesterday to assess where students are with basic note reading, and will start small group sessions soon to help those who need extra practice with note reading. If you or your child feels they are struggling with note reading or with facilities on their instrument, they are always welcome to come to morning practice and there are several links on the right side of the blog under "Recommended Websites" where they can do note reading games/exercises to help them. 

7th Grade: We have been working hard this week on "Dance of the Toy Flutes" from the Nutcracker in class. This is a challenging piece and they have been putting in great effort on this music! We will be sight-reading more new music this week, in addition to learning minor scales in their method book. 

8th Grade: The 8th graders have been working on their sight-reading and shifting skills this week with a holiday piece titled "A Child for Three Kings". We will continue to work on their vibrato and shifting skills so they can be prepared for more challenges in the future! We will be doing a lot of sight-reading in the next couple of weeks, in addition to preparing music for the next concert. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. 

Jennifer Aikey & Bobby Crosby

FALL CONCERT

Dear Parents,

I wanted to send a reminder about next week's concert on Tuesday, October 22nd.

Where: Allatoona High School Gym (park on the football field side)
Time: Students arrive at 7pm, concert starts at 7:30pm and should last an hour
What to wear: Students should wear a costume, as this is a fun TV and Movie themed concert. If they do not want to wear a costume, they can wear whatever they wore to school that day. They do NOT need a formal uniform or polo shirt for this concert. (They will need the formal uniforms for their December concert.)

This concert will showcase short pieces from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Orchestras at Durham, along with a short piece from each of the Allatoona Orchestras, then one final piece we all play together. It is a great concert that will show you all the progression from beginning string players through advanced levels!

Cellos and Basses: If your child uses a school cello or bass, they should expect to get the instrument after school and transport it to Allatoona. They should bring the instrument back in the morning after the concert. If you have a major logistics  issue with this, please let me know. I will send a more detailed email as soon as I fix a couple of issues with my list tomorrow, but please go ahead and plan for instrument transportation.

For everyone: PLEASE remind your children next Tuesday to bring their instrument home from school!! Since the concert is off campus, it is imperative that they take their instrument home.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you,

Jennifer Aikey

This Friday - Fundraiser Celebration

Dear Parents,

Our Fundraiser Celebration Night for any student who sold 5 or more fundraising items is this Friday after school until 6pm. All students should have a ride by 6pm Friday if they are participating. 

We need some parent help! If you are able to volunteer, please click on the link below to sign up. Thank you!  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D49AAAA2BA57-fundraiser3

At the celebration night, we will have pizza and water, a dunk tank that each music director will take turns sitting in, a bungee run bouncy obstacle course, a basketball bouncy course, corn hole toss, and our silly string station. :) It's sure to be a lot of fun! Your child will receive a wristband in class Friday if they sold enough items to participate, and that wristband will be their entry into the fundraising night. If you have any questions, please let us know!

Thank you!

Updates - Sept 9-13

Dear Orchestra Parents,

We are currently working on getting everyone updated in the CutTime system and will let you know when everyone is able to get logged in!

We kicked off our fundraiser this past Friday and are excited to offer both desserts and candles this year! This money from the fundraiser really goes a long way to providing more individualized instruction and materials for your child. 8th Graders can also fundraise towards their trip, so I hope they participate! :)

8th Grade students received their trip packets this week. Please have those signed and returned by September 20th. If you are interested in chaperoning, you must come to our prospective chaperone meeting on Thursday, September 19th at 7pm in Chorus room, or please make other arrangements with us.

7th Grade students have a in class playing test on Thursday, Sept 19. They are playing Rondeau from their Essential Elements book. We have worked on this for some time now, so they should feel nice and prepared. :)

6th Grade students are doing an excellent job! We are currently working on learning all of our D and A string notes, and also learning Twinkle. Twinkle Little Star and Jingle Bells.

If you have any questions, please let us know!

Student- Parent Info Form

Weekly Updates - August 12

Dear Parents,

If you have not already, please fill out this form on the link below so I can get all students into our new management system for playing tests.

bit.ly/OrchInfoForm19

Here are updates for each grade level:

Small Groups: Our first Fiddlers rehearsal for both new and returning members is this Thursday at 8am. NO audition is required! The only requirement for Fiddlers is that students must have at least one year of experience on their instrument and have a willingness to learn and memorize fiddle tunes! Come join in on the fun! The fee for joining Fiddlers this year is $20, which includes their t-shirt. (All Fiddlers will receive new shirts this year.)

Chamber Orchestra is a new group starting here at Durham, with auditions being held Monday, August 19. Here are the audition requirements:
1. 2 one octave major scales with arpeggios (such as D Major, G Major, etc) OR 1 two or three octave scale. (More points awarded for two and three octaves)
2. A short excerpt of music of their choice (only 30 seconds or so)
3. Sight-reading (they will be given 30 seconds to sight-read an 8-10 measure excerpt)

I will post results from the audition by Tuesday, August 20 at dismissal, and we will conduct our first rehearsal on Monday, August 26. The fee for students who are accepted into Chamber Orchestra will be $20, which includes a t-shirt.

8th Grade: All students should have their binders in class tomorrow. They are doing great work in shifting (playing higher up their instrument) in 3rd and 4th position and have started a new piece called, "Night Shift." Their first playing test will be exercise #10 from the worksheet given to them in class, and they will do this playing test in class on Thursday, August 29th. They have plenty of time to practice. :) They really are doing great work!

7th Grade: All students should have Essential Elements book 2 for their instrument, along with their binder, on Monday. We are almost complete with our review exercises in the book, and will soon be working on learning new notes and rhythms. I will hand out "Somewhere Out There" for their fall concert to 7th grade sometime this week!

6th Grade: All 6th grade students will be receiving information about the materials needed for class this week. We will be learning about the parts of the instrument, setting up lockers and cubbies, and learning some basic music literacy/music theory this week as we wait for everyone to get their instruments and supplies. All instruments and supplies are due in class by Monday, August 19.

Should you have any questions, please let us know!

Welcome back!

Dear Durham Orchestra,

Welcome Back! We are so excited to start our 2019-2020 school year! Students will need their instruments on the 2nd day of school, with a materials due date of August 8th. The Equipment and Materials list is on the right hand side of the blog and is also in the Handbook. A physical copy of the equipment list will be handed out on the first day.

Please fill out the following form to access the handbook and for us to gather important information:

bit.ly/OrchInfoForm19


We are SO excited to welcome you all back and look forward to a fabulous year in Orchestra! :)

Jennifer Aikey and Bobby Crosby

Small Group Celebration

Dear Parents,

Our Fiddler and Cello Choir celebration breakfast is tomorrow morning starting at 8am! I am bringing Chick-Fil-a chicken minis and cookies, but could use some help with drinks and other things. Please sign up with this link if your child can bring something!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D49AAAA2BA57-small1

Thank you,

Jennifer Aikey

Weekly Updates IMPORTANT May 6-10

Dear Parents,

As we are approaching the last few days of school, there are some things we need to do to wrap up the year in Orchestra. 

FINAL CONCERT for 6th Grade, Fiddlers, and Cello Choir is tomorrow night at Durham! All students should arrive in their uniform at 6:30pm, the concert will start promptly at 7pm. Fiddlers and Cello Choir are allowed to leave as soon as they are finished performing. 

Summer Checkouts - If your 6th or 7th grade child needs to check out a school instrument over the summer, please have them let me know so I can indicate on my summer forms that they will have it. I will use the same contract as this school year, so there are no additional forms that need to be filled out by you. 

ALL 6th and 7th Grade Students (and 8th graders not attending Universal) should take home their instruments tomorrow unless they are doing the Smartmusic competition for Olympics. Ms. Sanchez and I will be with the 8th graders on their Universal trip this Wednesday through Friday, we have Olympics during connections all week next week, then it's the last three days of school, where we will be cleaning out lockers/cubbies and doing other activities. 

8th Grade Students attending Universal: All Universal students should arrive at Durham by 6:15am Wednesday morning to be prepared to load the buses promptly at 7. We need time for students to exchange info with chaperones, change into their first trip shirt, and receive bags and lanyards. Please being a case of water if you can!

Don't forget to have a look at the Summer Camps email I sent out a few weeks ago, as most discount deadlines for these camps are May 15!

Thank you,

Jennifer Aikey

Weekly Updates April 24 (copied from e-blast)

Dear Parents,

Spring time is definitely here, which means a busy time for many of us! Orchestra is no exception, with final concerts and the 8th Grade Spring Trip to Universal soon approaching!

Final Concert Dates:

7th and 8th Grade Orchestra: 

Thursday, May 2 at Durham MS

Students arrive at 6:30pm, concert start at 7pm

Wear Formal Uniforms

6th Grade, Fiddlers, and Cello Choir

Tuesday, May 7 at Durham MS

Students arrive at 6:30pm, concert start at 7pm

Wear Formal Uniforms or small group uniform

Thank you,

Jennifer Aikey

Updated 8th Grade Announcement

Dear 8th Grade Parents,

Our rehearsal Wednesday morning is cancelled due to a meeting that I am now required to attend. I am so sorry for any inconvenience. 

This is also a reminder that our required parent meeting for Universal is Tuesday night at 7pm in the theater (6pm in the chorus room for chaperones). Please make arrangements to be there. If you cannot be there, please let me know right away. Thank you,

Jennifer Aikey

8th Grade announcements

Dear 8th Grade Parents,

Universal: We have a VERY important parent meeting for the Universal trip on Tuesday, April 23rd. Please come to the Durham theater at 7pm for this meeting. Chaperones, please meet with us in the Chorus room at 6pm. If you cannot make this meeting, please let me know so I can set up an alternate time for you. This meeting goes over the itinerary, packing list, and will allow you to meet the chaperones. Your child is not required to attend, but they are encouraged to come if they can. 

Also, next Wednesday (the 24th), it would be great if we have as many students who are doing the Orchestra workshop at Universal (which is everyone going on the trip in this email group unless they are a doubler and chose their other program) to meet at 8:15am on the 24th in the Orchestra for a rehearsal. We are recording the Despicable Me music in a recording studio and must adhere to their tempo (speed) and music, so having an extra rehearsal with just the students who are playing in the workshop would be very helpful. Please also make sure your child is practicing at home if possible to help us have the best recording we can have. 

Final Concert: It's hard to believe, but these awesome students will have their final concert on Thursday, May 2 at 7pm at Durham. Please have your child arrive at Durham at 6:30 in their uniform.

Please let me know if you have any questions,

Jennifer Aikey

Weekly Updates - March 25-29

Dear Parents,

What a busy time in March it has been! We are so proud of our 7th and 8th graders performance at LGPE, and are very proud of our awesome Durham students who participated in Honor Orchestra this weekend!! It was a fantastic concert and we are so proud of them. We hope to have even more participation next year. 

There are a few important updates:

6th Grade - Jamboree is this Thursday at Allatoona High School. Please attend the concert at 7:30 if you can, but students must have a ride by 8pm (the concert shouldn't last more than 30-45 minutes). All 6th grade students should come dressed to school in their DMS Music polo and jeans. Please have your child bring their folding music stand to school Thursday if they have one!!

7th and 8th Grade - We are handing out a lot of new music to prepare for our Spring Concert! Please make sure your child has their Orchestra binder, and that 7th graders also have their Essential Elements book. 

Universal: Everyone should have made their final payment for Universal, including any chaperone payments. (I will reach out to anyone that has not caught up yet.) We are making some final preparations soon since we are a little over a month away!! Don't forget our required parent meeting for the trip is Tuesday, April 23rd at 7pm, with the chaperone meeting beginning at 6pm. More details to come. 

Thank you so much,

Jennifer Aikey

Pre-LGPE Updates for 7th and 8th grade

Dear 7th and 8th grade parents,

We have a busy week and half coming up in Orchestra as we prepare for Large Group Performance Evaluations. (LGPE) 

The Pre-LGPE concert is this Thursday, March 7th at 7pm at Durham. Please have your child arrive at 6:30 for tuning/warm up. 8th grade will perform first, 7th grade will go second. (This is so that 7th grade can sight-read on stage after they play their prepared pieces, which will hopefully be a treat for you parents!!) The whole concert should be finished by 8, if not sooner. Students can wear whatever they wore to school that day, as we want to keep their uniforms in shape for LGPE. 

7th Grade LGPE is Monday, March 11, and 8th Grade LGPE is Tuesday, March 12. PLEASE make sure your child has a ride by 5:30pm at Durham on the day of their LGPE. They should have their entire uniform labeled and preferably in a garment bag to take to school with them on the day of their LGPE. Please make sure they have all parts of their uniform with them, including their black dress shoes!

Please join the Orchestra remind as I will be using this quite a bit over the next week: 

7th grade: text @7grorch to 81010

8th grade: text @8grorch to 81010

LGPE Chaperones: Please meet me the day of your child's LGPE at Durham at 11:15am (7th Grade, Monday) or 11:45am (8th Grade, Tuesday) We are still in need of more 8th grade chaperones!

We have NO Fiddlers rehearsal this week. We will have cello choir tomorrow, but will not have it next week (12th).

Leading up to LGPE, please encourage your child to practice. Our biggest focus is intonation (playing notes in tune) and continuing to work on their musical expression. They had great rehearsals last week and I hope that continues as we prepare. Please email me or Ms. Sanchez if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you!

Jennifer Aikey

Weekly Updates - Feb 25- March 1

Dear Parents,

I hope your children enjoyed their week off! 

We are back to it this week as we approach a very busy March ahead of us!

7th and 8th Grade parents: PLEASE make sure your child's uniform fits and is ready to go for LGPE in 2 weeks! We are still in need of 8th grade parent chaperones for LGPE on March 12. 

We will have assessments (playing tests) for all three grade levels soon, so please encourage your child to practice to ensure they will do well on those and on LGPE (7th/8th)/Jamboree (6th). Remember that we have early morning practice available daily at 8:15am, and we have Cello Choir and Fiddlers this week. :)

Thank you so much,

Jennifer Aikey

Weekly Updates - Feb 11-16

Dear Parents,

So far, we are having a great week in Orchestra! The 7th and 8th graders are working hard on their music and several of them have had time in sectionals with instrument coaches. The 6th graders just received the Jamboree information form this week that is due the first week of March. The 6th grade did a great job on the ASO field trip, and a special thanks goes out to all chaperones!

We are still in need of chaperones for LGPE on March 11 (7th Grade) and March 12 (8th Grade). If you are available to help either of those days, please let me know. 

Thank you for your continued support of the Orchestra program!

Jennifer Aikey

Weekly Orchestra Updates - Jan 14-18

Dear Parents,

There are only few updates this week:

Universal 8th Grade Trip: Please make sure you have paid $600 towards your child's trip at this point (or $1200 if you are chaperoning) if possible. The final $245 is due on Friday, February 15. Please email me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Fiddlers and Cello Choir: We have regular Fiddlers rehearsal tomorrow at 8. Please have your child wear their green shirt if they can. If your child is in cello choir, please have them wear their blue Cello Choir shirt this Tuesday. We will be taking club pictures for Fiddlers tomorrow and for Cello Choir on Tuesday. 

Here's a reminder of the dates I sent out last week:

6th Grade: 

Atlanta Symphony Orch Trip (During the school day) - Friday, Feb 7

Jamboree Spring Concert at Allatoona High School - Thursday, March 28 (students go by bus to AHS after school for rehearsal, concert starts at 7:30)

7th and 8th Grade:

Pre-LGPE Concert - March 7th, 7pm at Durham

LGPE 7th Grade - Monday, March 11th, students perform at 2:30pm at McEachern HS, will need a ride at Durham at 5:30pm

LGPE 8th Grade -Tuesday, March 12th, students perform at 2:45pm at McEachern HS, will need a ride at Durham at 5:30pm

Thank you,

Jennifer Aikey