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!