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