This playing test will be done in class on Tuesday, December 6th:
›1st
Violins on Trepak- m. 57-end›
1st
Violins on Irish Yuletide- m. 67-74
›Viola- Kindle m. 61-68›
Cello- Irish Yuletide pickup 39-46
›Bass- Trepak m. 17-32
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
Orchestra Updates- November
Hello Everyone,
We are busy working on a lot of music to prepare for our December concerts! Here is what is happening in each grade level:
8th Grade- Your child has 6 pieces to work on right now. We will have a playing test sometime after the Thanksgiving break, in which your child will play a short excerpt from one of their pieces and record it on the school iPads at school. Details TBA. They are doing a great job!
7th Grade- Your child has a playing test this Thursday, November 17th in class that will be recorded on school iPads. They are playing #47 (Rondeau) in the book. Your child now also has 5 concert pieces...hopefully, you are hearing a lot of practicing at home! Expect another practice log sometime in early December!
6th Grade- Your child has their first note quiz on the D String notes on Friday. They are completing a study guide in class today. This quiz should be fairly easy for them, since these are the notes most familiar to them. If your child is struggling with note reading, there are links on the right side of the blog and there are MANY apps out there.(my favorite is Staff Wars. It's $3 well spent, in my opinion!!!) In addition, your child should have their binders in class this week to receive new music and they have circled numbers in their book to practice for their upcoming December concert! YOu should be hearing things like Twinkle, Twinkle, Jingle Bells, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Good King Wenceslas, etc. :)
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!
We are busy working on a lot of music to prepare for our December concerts! Here is what is happening in each grade level:
8th Grade- Your child has 6 pieces to work on right now. We will have a playing test sometime after the Thanksgiving break, in which your child will play a short excerpt from one of their pieces and record it on the school iPads at school. Details TBA. They are doing a great job!
7th Grade- Your child has a playing test this Thursday, November 17th in class that will be recorded on school iPads. They are playing #47 (Rondeau) in the book. Your child now also has 5 concert pieces...hopefully, you are hearing a lot of practicing at home! Expect another practice log sometime in early December!
6th Grade- Your child has their first note quiz on the D String notes on Friday. They are completing a study guide in class today. This quiz should be fairly easy for them, since these are the notes most familiar to them. If your child is struggling with note reading, there are links on the right side of the blog and there are MANY apps out there.(my favorite is Staff Wars. It's $3 well spent, in my opinion!!!) In addition, your child should have their binders in class this week to receive new music and they have circled numbers in their book to practice for their upcoming December concert! YOu should be hearing things like Twinkle, Twinkle, Jingle Bells, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Good King Wenceslas, etc. :)
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Fundraiser Delivery
Dear Parents,
The fundraiser delivery is Tuesday, November 8th. We will need several volunteers to assist in unloading the truck, sorting, and facilitating in the delivery of the items. Volunteers may bring middle school students to help, but we ask that any younger students remain at home. This is for safety purposes. Due to Durham being a voting location, all volunteers must stay in the cafeteria and not go to the other parts of school.
We have not received any definitive times from the shipping company; therefore, all times are tentative. At this time, we are going to guess that you may pick up your items between noon and 9:00 PM. We will inform you of any changes to this time.
Please go to the sign up genius below to volunteer. Thank you in advance for your help.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Fall Concert Info
9th Annual TV and Movie Music Extravaganza!!!
Featuring the Durham and Allatoona Orchestras
When: Thursday, 10/27/16. Students report at 7:00 PM. Concert starts at 7:30PM.
Where: Allatoona High School Gym
Who: All members of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade orchestras. Plus AHS orchestras!
What: Our first concert of the year! We will perform themes from TV and the Movies.
Costume: To fit the theme of the concert, orchestra members are invited to wear a costume (a favorite TV or movie character, or something just plain fun). Otherwise, regular school outfits will be fine for this concert.
*Please avoid costumes that might be considered offensive, unpatriotic, or otherwise scary for children in the audience!
Arrival: Middle school students should be at Allatoona at 7:00 PM, in order to tune and be set up.
Music Stand: If you have your own portable music stand, please bring it to the concert.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
October Orchestra Update
Hello Parents,
We have been busy working in Orchestra across all grade levels! Here's a look at what is coming up and what we've been doing:
ALL GRADE LEVELS: Thursday, October 27th- TV and Movie Concert at Allatoona High School
participate in this awesome concert!! Students will wear costumes (or school clothes if they don't have a costume) and will play music from TV shows or movies. The concert starts at 7:30 pm, and all students should arrive by 7. More details to come!
8th Grade Orchestra: All 8th Graders attending the Disney trip in the spring should have their Disney packets and $200 deposit turned in by this Friday, 10/14. We have been working hard on music for our October concert and lots of advanced techniques such as shifting and vibrato. You can ask your child how to do these techniques and they should be able to show you. :)
7th Grade Orchestra: The 7th Grade Orchestra students have been given a practice log that is due next Friday. They must have 5 twenty minute practice sessions, signed off by the parent, in order to earn a 100 on the practice log. They can also come in at 8:15 any day for early morning practice, in which case I would sign off on their log. I put on the bottom of the practice log a list of things for them to practice, with concert music being the top priority. Please email me if you have any questions.
6th Grade Orchestra: The 6th Grade Orchestra is working on maintaining great posture and position, with good bow grips and good bow movement involved. Hopefully, you are hearing no squeaking or scratching if they are playing correctly. :) We are working on basic songs, scales, and skills from their Sound Innovations books and their concert pieces, Middle School Story and Jaws.
Fiddlers: The Fiddlers have a performance this Saturday at 2:15pm at the Taste of Acworth festival. They will meet me at 1:45pm at the stage near the Post Office on Main St. They will play until 3pm. Hope to see you all there!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at durhamorchestra@gmail.com or jennifer.aikey@cobbk12.org
We have been busy working in Orchestra across all grade levels! Here's a look at what is coming up and what we've been doing:
ALL GRADE LEVELS: Thursday, October 27th- TV and Movie Concert at Allatoona High School
participate in this awesome concert!! Students will wear costumes (or school clothes if they don't have a costume) and will play music from TV shows or movies. The concert starts at 7:30 pm, and all students should arrive by 7. More details to come!
8th Grade Orchestra: All 8th Graders attending the Disney trip in the spring should have their Disney packets and $200 deposit turned in by this Friday, 10/14. We have been working hard on music for our October concert and lots of advanced techniques such as shifting and vibrato. You can ask your child how to do these techniques and they should be able to show you. :)
7th Grade Orchestra: The 7th Grade Orchestra students have been given a practice log that is due next Friday. They must have 5 twenty minute practice sessions, signed off by the parent, in order to earn a 100 on the practice log. They can also come in at 8:15 any day for early morning practice, in which case I would sign off on their log. I put on the bottom of the practice log a list of things for them to practice, with concert music being the top priority. Please email me if you have any questions.
6th Grade Orchestra: The 6th Grade Orchestra is working on maintaining great posture and position, with good bow grips and good bow movement involved. Hopefully, you are hearing no squeaking or scratching if they are playing correctly. :) We are working on basic songs, scales, and skills from their Sound Innovations books and their concert pieces, Middle School Story and Jaws.
Fiddlers: The Fiddlers have a performance this Saturday at 2:15pm at the Taste of Acworth festival. They will meet me at 1:45pm at the stage near the Post Office on Main St. They will play until 3pm. Hope to see you all there!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at durhamorchestra@gmail.com or jennifer.aikey@cobbk12.org
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Encore Fundraiser
Hello Parents,
We are excited to kick off our Music Department Fundraiser through Encore! Your child should have brought home a packet yesterday. The products are great and the prizes available to your child are even better!! These funds are used for a multitude of things, but most importantly for us in Orchestra, we use these funds for string clinicians to help differentiate and individualize instruction for your child. These small group clinics/sectionals are crucial for their success in Orchestra. Here are the fundraiser details:
Dates: The fundraiser runs from now until September 14th!
Handling Money: All customers should write a check to you (the parent), and you will then write one check to Durham Middle School. (this helps immensely with bookkeeping!)
Delivery: Items from Encore will be delivered to Durham on the week of November 7th, when you will need to pick up the items to hand back to customers.
(All of the items come frozen, so pickup on pickup day will be very important! The items stay good in the freezer for 6 months.)
Please email me if you have any questions! Thank you for your support of the Durham Music Department!
Jennifer Aikey
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Beginning of the Year Info
Hello Orchestra Parents,
Please fill out the form below this blog post if you have not done so already!
Here is important information for each grade level:
8th Grade: If your child is planning to perform and attend the Braves game, please make sure their Blanket Permission form, ticket order forms, and polo forms are turned in by August 25th. They should have the National Anthem mostly memorized by the next rehearsal, which is this coming Monday at 8am in the theater. Any student who missed this week's rehearsal should come to the make-up rehearsal tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 8:15am. The Braves game price for students and chaperones has been changed to $40 and will occur on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016. Parent and family tickets are $25. Students who attend the field trip must ride the bus to and from Durham and stay with the group through the duration of the trip. The 8th Grade also has a playing test that was assigned today that is due on August 19th. These tests will be done in class; it is a short, 8 measure test...between the National Anthem and the playing test, you should be hearing some practicing at home! :)
7th Grade: Everyone in 7th Grade should have their Essential Elements Book 2 by the end of this week. I have extended the deadline as some stores have ran out of books. Please call ahead before going to a store to obtain the books. We are working on note reading review and are getting started with the books in class! All students should have turned in a blanket permission form. We will be handing out information about Formal Uniforms tomorrow. Please be on the lookout for those forms, as they will be due soon. Boys uniforms will be a little different than in the past, with the students wearing black pants, a black shirt, and a black tie. Girls uniforms will be the same as previous years (a black dress), so if you have obtained an Orchestra dress through a neighbor or friend, then you are good to go. Boys uniforms will be $68 and Girls uniforms are $64. Students must order through us so they will have matching uniforms. Please keep their polo shirt as it may be needed for other events.
6th Grade: Please come to the Music Night Open House on Thursday from 7-8:30; this is a drop-in event, so come anytime that is convenient for you in that period to meet the music teachers and for your child to try the instruments one more time! We will get everyone signed up for classes on Friday and students will have their first official day in Orchestra on Monday of next week.
Small Groups: Cello Choir will have its' first official rehearsal on next Tuesday and Fiddlers will have a rehearsal for new and returning members next Thursday. Returning members from Fiddlers have a meeting this Thursday at 8:15am.
Please email me if you have any questions! jennifer.aikey@cobbk12.org Thank you!
---Jennifer Aikey
Please fill out the form below this blog post if you have not done so already!
Here is important information for each grade level:
8th Grade: If your child is planning to perform and attend the Braves game, please make sure their Blanket Permission form, ticket order forms, and polo forms are turned in by August 25th. They should have the National Anthem mostly memorized by the next rehearsal, which is this coming Monday at 8am in the theater. Any student who missed this week's rehearsal should come to the make-up rehearsal tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 8:15am. The Braves game price for students and chaperones has been changed to $40 and will occur on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016. Parent and family tickets are $25. Students who attend the field trip must ride the bus to and from Durham and stay with the group through the duration of the trip. The 8th Grade also has a playing test that was assigned today that is due on August 19th. These tests will be done in class; it is a short, 8 measure test...between the National Anthem and the playing test, you should be hearing some practicing at home! :)
7th Grade: Everyone in 7th Grade should have their Essential Elements Book 2 by the end of this week. I have extended the deadline as some stores have ran out of books. Please call ahead before going to a store to obtain the books. We are working on note reading review and are getting started with the books in class! All students should have turned in a blanket permission form. We will be handing out information about Formal Uniforms tomorrow. Please be on the lookout for those forms, as they will be due soon. Boys uniforms will be a little different than in the past, with the students wearing black pants, a black shirt, and a black tie. Girls uniforms will be the same as previous years (a black dress), so if you have obtained an Orchestra dress through a neighbor or friend, then you are good to go. Boys uniforms will be $68 and Girls uniforms are $64. Students must order through us so they will have matching uniforms. Please keep their polo shirt as it may be needed for other events.
6th Grade: Please come to the Music Night Open House on Thursday from 7-8:30; this is a drop-in event, so come anytime that is convenient for you in that period to meet the music teachers and for your child to try the instruments one more time! We will get everyone signed up for classes on Friday and students will have their first official day in Orchestra on Monday of next week.
Small Groups: Cello Choir will have its' first official rehearsal on next Tuesday and Fiddlers will have a rehearsal for new and returning members next Thursday. Returning members from Fiddlers have a meeting this Thursday at 8:15am.
Please email me if you have any questions! jennifer.aikey@cobbk12.org Thank you!
---Jennifer Aikey
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