E-Mail Communication
If you ever have any questions or concerns regarding orchestra, your child's instrument, etc. please feel free to email me.
When emailing me, please include the name of the building your child is in and which instrument they play. With three elementary buildings in addition to my ensembles at East it will make it easier for me to address your email if I know this information right away.
When emailing me, please include the name of the building your child is in and which instrument they play. With three elementary buildings in addition to my ensembles at East it will make it easier for me to address your email if I know this information right away.
Drop-Off or Pick-Up
Lanigan & Beechview
Please remember that drop-off is at 7:25 am. Class will begin at 7:30 and I do not arrive much earlier that 7:15. When I arrive, I have to set-up the room for instruction.
Parent Sign-In is no longer required for drop-off.
Highmeadow
Class ends at 4:00. Please make sure that your child knows where to meet you when class is done. If you are running late, please send me a message via the Remind text.
Please remember that drop-off is at 7:25 am. Class will begin at 7:30 and I do not arrive much earlier that 7:15. When I arrive, I have to set-up the room for instruction.
Parent Sign-In is no longer required for drop-off.
Highmeadow
Class ends at 4:00. Please make sure that your child knows where to meet you when class is done. If you are running late, please send me a message via the Remind text.
Absence
If for some reason your child will not be at class, please send me an email letting me know. Please note that when your child is absent they will be missing out on 50% of the instruction for the week and will have to make sure they catch up with class when they return.
Materials for Class
Now that we are moving into materials for developing technique, reading music, and using the book, students should be bringing a binder or folder with them to class on a regular basis. Please make sure this is labeled with their name and building. Students should also have a pencil with them at each class. I recommend either keeping one in their case or binder/folder. Students no longer need to bring a music stand as each building has a set of stands for our use during class time.
- Binder or Folder
- Book
- Pencil
- Shoulder rest for violins/violas - required (I recommend Everest)
Bows
You may have noticed, or your student may have informed you, that last week I collected all student bows during class. I have labeled each bow with your child’s name and school and have them safely stored in the Orchestra room at East. When we are ready to begin putting bow holds on the bow and getting bow on string, I will give students their bow back. Cello and Bass students who did not have their home instrument at school did not turn in their bows. If you are the parent of a cello or bass student (personal instrument kept at home) please either take special care to make sure that your student is not practicing with it at home, or feel free to keep it safe in a closet or cabinet until we are ready for it. If you prefer, they can bring the bow to school to give to me.
There are a few reasons that I have collected bows, but I wanted to share with you the most important ones:
Steps necessary before students are ready to put bow-hold on the bow and bow-to-string:
When will we use the bow??
I will be giving students a checklist to keep track of their progress towards putting bow-on-string. We will use this to track assessments and keep them focused on progressing towards the goal of using the bow with their instrument. Hopefully, this will only take us a few weeks to accomplish. The more that students work diligently at home the faster we will be able to progress as a class.
There are a few reasons that I have collected bows, but I wanted to share with you the most important ones:
- We will be taking many baby steps to building the hand shape for the bow hold. This takes fine motor skills and a lot of “muscle memory”. It is my goal for students to be comfortable with a pencil bow hold before moving on to a dowel rod, which we will use to practice the arm motion of the bow stroke along with the bow hold, then finally progressing to using the bow itself. There are many fine and gross motor skills involved with the right arm that take time to develop. If a student moves to the bow too quickly, they are not prepared for the weight of the bow and their hand and arm build “bad habits” that take a lot of time and focus to correct. This can build a lot of frustration for students because the “bad habits” end up creating road blocks for their development later on, making them feel less successful on the instrument and unhappy with their experience.
- Because we are going step-by-step with instruction before putting bow-on-string, chances of students damaging the bow or instrument by using bow incorrectly are much higher. For the safety of the bow and to prolong the quality of the hair on the bow, I find it to be beneficial to collect bows and re-distribute when we are ready to use them.
Steps necessary before students are ready to put bow-hold on the bow and bow-to-string:
- Finger exercises, coordination & muscle development
- Bow hold development on the pencil - smaller than the bow and very light, allows hand to begin developing "muscle memory" and develop hand shape for the bow hold
- Exercises with pencil bow hold - develop finger flexibility and wrist movement
- Bow hold on dowel rod - transfer bow hold to thicker piece of wood with more weight. Begin in the middle and then transfer to end of the stick
- Bow arm motion development with dowel rod - practicing on shoulder with PVC pipe or cardboard toilet paper cord. Learn the direction of the bow stroke and mechanics of the arm (elbow & wrist movement).
- Basic rhythms with dowel rod - learn how to move the arm in time while practicing proper bow hold and arm mechanics
- Dowel rod with instrument - using a cardboard toilet paper tube attached to the strings with a rubber band, practicing bow hold and arm mechanics to develop bow arm with the instrument. Also begin to coordinate left hand finger placement with bow arm motion.
- During this process, the left hand placement and technique is being developed independent of the bow arm development in order to develop good technique for successful playing.
- Begin practicing bow hold on balance point of the bow.
- Begin practicing placement of bow on strings
- Practice with the bow and cardboard tube on the instrument - learn to balance the weight of the bow and reinforce correct bow hold and arm mechanics
- Rhythms on open strings!! - reinforce bow hold and arm mechanics with bow-on-string
- Tone development - learn how to apply weight to the bow to get a smooth, ringing sound from the instrument
When will we use the bow??
I will be giving students a checklist to keep track of their progress towards putting bow-on-string. We will use this to track assessments and keep them focused on progressing towards the goal of using the bow with their instrument. Hopefully, this will only take us a few weeks to accomplish. The more that students work diligently at home the faster we will be able to progress as a class.
Practicing
Students should be spending 5-10 minutes each day practicing their instrument. We have been working off of the "1st Orchestra Assignment" document that I passed out in class. I have attached a copy of the document below for your reference, or in case another copy is needed. While practicing, your child should work on the following:
To help encourage your child to practice, take time to join them while they are doing these activities. Ask them to teach you, or demonstrate the skills for you. The best way to help your child become a good practicer is to show positive interest in it yourself. Spending 5-10 minutes with them while they practice will pay off significantly in the future. For more information about how to help foster positive practicing skills visit http://eastorchestras.weebly.com/helpful-things.html.
- Review posture and positioning of the instrument
- Spend time practicing holding the instrument in playing position
- Practice the String Song/open strings
- Pencil bow-holds (10-20)
- Up Like a Rocket with the pencil bow hold
- Review parts of the instrument (pg. 2 of the book)
- Practice reading music and playing the open strings on pages 4-5 of the book
To help encourage your child to practice, take time to join them while they are doing these activities. Ask them to teach you, or demonstrate the skills for you. The best way to help your child become a good practicer is to show positive interest in it yourself. Spending 5-10 minutes with them while they practice will pay off significantly in the future. For more information about how to help foster positive practicing skills visit http://eastorchestras.weebly.com/helpful-things.html.
1stassignment.pdf |
Instruments
If there is ever an issue with your child's instrument (repair needed, broken string, etc.) please email me or ask your child to bring it to my attention during class. Very often I am able to make the necessary repair or replace a string myself, at no charge to you. If a repair needs to be sent in I can notify you and handle it with the visiting representatives from Shar or Anderson. If you rent from a different company, and your instrument needs repair, you will need to take it yourself.
Next step - Engaging the left hand
Next week, we will begin building our left hand technique and learn how to place the left hand fingers on the instrument. We will work on our fine motor skills, developing the left-hand finger pattern and how to place the fingers on the string to get different notes with a good sound. We will also begin learning how to read the various notes on the D and A string. I will be giving students note-reading flashcards to practice their reading skills with.