Allstate: 7/8 Grade students who wish to sign up for Allstate auditions must have their $20 fee by THURSDAY in order to be registered. No fees will be accepted after Thursday, 9/14 as the original deadline was 9/12. Please get these turned into the black box as soon as possible.
7/8 Uniforms: Uniforms will be ordered this week. If you have not turned in your fee to the black box OR already emailed me regarding the uniform, one will not be ordered for you. If we have spoken, I have made note. Uniforms must be worn to all concerts and events for full credit.
7/8 Grade Fall Concert: First reminder that our Fall concert will be held at Lassiter Hall on October 5th at 7pm. Mr. Thayer from Sprayberry HS Orchestra will be conducting as I will be out on maternity leave. Please mark your calendars and be aware that this date is coming up very quickly. 6th graders are of course invited to attend this concert in the audience to see where they will be at this time next year!
6th Grade Polos/Method Book Fees: Almost every sixth grader has turned in their orchestra polo/book fee! This is awesome! I am still missing just a handful, so please get these fees in by Friday in order to receive your polo and your book for class.
6th Grade Instruments: It is no longer acceptable for a sixth grader to be sitting in orchestra class with no violin or viola at this point. All students are expected to have their instruments daily and will be held accountable for not having one. We will begin having playing assessments where students are expected to perform a given standard or assignment for me in class and without an instrument, they are unable to do so. Please make sure your child is getting into the routine of bringing their violin/viola every single day to and from school. It is never acceptable to leave an instrument in the orchestra room.
**6th Grade Instrument Tuning: As the cold months approach, it is very common for instruments to go out of tune frequently. It is very normal for the string to become very loose and hang slightly or even fall off without breaking. This does not mean the instrument is broken and in need of a shop visit. PLEASE do not attempt to tune it yourself. If your child plays the cello or bass and it goes out of tune, simply have your child bring the instrument in with them to school and set it behind my desk. I will tune it at lunch and then they are expected to take it home with them that same day. If your child plays violin or viola, they will be tuned often in class. Eventually 6th grade students will be taught to tune on their own, but until then please do not turn the pegs in an attempt to tune it at home to avoid a string snapping. They are not nearly as forgiving as guitar strings. If a string does snap, please do not drop it off at a shop!!!!! A new string can be purchased on its own from a shop or online and then brought to me (please stick to Prelude brand or better to avoid future snapping). I can then replace the string very quickly instead of waiting on a shop to send it somewhere.