September 13, 2023

Hi everyone!

We had a great first week of the Orchestra Academy. This week was mainly just getting to know each other and we started introducing some things to each class. Look below to see the review for what we did in each class.

Beginning Orchestra

Check out the videos below to see what we did in class this Monday. Everyone has the same video for parts of the instrument and quarter notes and quarter rests, but when it comes to how to hold the instrument and play the D and A strings, the videos are instrument-specific.

Intermediate and Advanced Orchestras

I will do these reviews together because they were very similar! We spent some time getting to know each other, and we listened to each of our pieces. We also worked on the D Major scale and did a round.

One thing that Intermediate and Advanced Orchestra members should be aware of is that we are doing something new this year — playing check-ins. Each month, I will have a short assignment from one of their pieces that I want students to play. On that day of the month, they will go to a practice room to record themselves playing that section. I am doing this mainly so that I can keep a pulse on the orchestra — this can let me know where we are struggling and what I need to focus on. We will also use these playing check-ins to determine where people will sit in the orchestra. The first check-in will be on Monday, September 25th, and the assignment will be as follows:

Intermediate Orchestra

• Everyone — Maiden’s Rescue, measures 5-13

Advanced Orchestra

• Violins — Fantasy on Greensleeves, measures 5-21
• Violas and Cellos — Fantasy on Greensleeves, measures 37-53

Happy Practicing, everyone!