Hermanson's Orchestral Wonders

I wanted to share a great video I found. Enjoy watching some of the more out-of-the-box capabilities of our instruments!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is here! But beware, we have lots to update today. Look for your class below!

Please be aware of our after-school rehearsals coming up! The schedule is in the handbook that all students received at the beginning of the year and can be found on the McClure Orchestra’s website.

7-1
- A Snake has been given out detailing how/what to practice of our concert music. You may skip around regarding what songs you practice so long as you go in order for the song. The snake outlines how one breaks a song into small pieces, practices them, and then strings smaller pieces along to create a larger whole. Snakes are due Tuesday after Thanksgiving (11/27).
-All students playing "A Merry-Achi Christmas" and "Indian Dance" are requested to attend an after-school rehearsal on Monday, 11/26 until 5:30. This is in addition to the rehearsal already scheduled on 12/5.

7-2
- Skater’s Waltz measures 44-50 and 90-94 need attention from everyone. Practice getting into these sections once you have mastered them (start about 4 measures before and play through.)
-Feliz Navidad’s Coda needs attention. Please review what we worked on as a class.
-Practice records are due Monday, 11/26

8th General Music
- We’ve been seeing presentations on different music industry careers available. If you have not gotten a chance to present, be ready for Monday!
When we have finished careers, we will begin the Musical, complete with lots of video examples.

8th Orchestra
-We will have a special guest in to work with us today! Mr. Brian Hermanson, executive director of the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra, will work with us on the concert music to really help us polish this performance.
-Don’t forget practice records are due Monday, 11/26!
-Disney Candle Fundraiser Order are due MONDAY, 11/26 as well! Please have one check written for the total amount (cash excepted). Delivery will be the last week of school before the winter holidays.

6th Orchestra
-All have been given our first sheet music: First Christmas March. The snake for this week outlines what and ow to practice this song – please follow it in order.
-This week’s snake is due Monday, 11/26, the day you get back from Thanksgiving.

6th General Music
-We just finished watching the history of the Star Spangled Banner. Ask your students how big the original one was!  We will continue with this unit once we return from Thanksgiving by creating a journal entry written as if we were Francis Scott Key and had just been through the ordeal of watching our hometown blasted for 25 solid hours by the British.

Enjoy the break and keep practicing! We hit the ground running on Monday with only 8 school days left before the concert!

We have been doing concert run-throughs and identifying what needs the most attention outside of class for 7th grade. Below are our results:

7-1
General Concepts
- Staying together
- Listening to each other
- Steady Tempo
- Slurs
- Dynamic Contrast

Merry-Achi Christmas
- Presto to the End
    – Notes, Rhythms, Bowings
- Measures 57-71 (cello melody)
    – Playing so the cello can be heard
- Tempo and Time Signature change at measure 41

Indian Dance
- slurs
- Counting
- RESTS

7-2

Skater’s Waltz
- Notes and Rhythms 44-End
- Intonation throughout (watch those low 2’s!)
- Dynamics Contrast
- Slurs/Phrasing – connecting the measures until a resting point appears
    – Bowings
- Shifts in Cello part

Feliz Navidad
- Rhythms and notes
- Coda – go through slowly first
- Listening to other groups so you fit together
- RESTS are very important

Gypsy Tale
- Intonation
- Staying together/Listening
    – especially pizzicato sections
- Transitions: fast-slow-fast, Arco-Pizz
- Bowings

I want to congratulate all our beginning string players; we had a new group join up for the 2nd nine weeks, and they are catching up very well!

However – please know I am here for help before school (any Monday, Wednesday or Friday) and after school (with prior notice, please!) to help those still struggling with some aspects.

We are learning to play with our 4th fingers on viola and violin – this will make playing a lot easier in the future – stick with it! Your 4th finger should sound exactly the same as the open string above that note (violin and viola only, though!)

For the concert we will be playing No. 88 – "Frere Jacques" and No. 89 – "Bile ‘em Cabbage Down" out of the book as well as First Christmas March, which students will be receiving this week.

Good luck! Let me know what I can do to help everyone.

Please check out the orchestra website – a link is located under my e-mail to the left of the page – for additional resources.

Thanksgiving is coming up quickly – and that means that the concert is knocking on our door!

With that in mind, 8th grade listened to a recording of a run-through of their pieces. As a class, we have decided the following needs the most help, in order of importance:

Dreamer’s Farewell
    -Counting
    -Eighth Notes (playing in tempo)
    -Slurs
    -Dotted half notes (holding full value)

Trepak
    -Ending/Shifting (Violins)
    -Dynamics
    -Working tempo higher

Over the River
    -Rests and counting
    -Eighth notes
    -Ending – watching the conductor for the ritardando and a tempo

7th and 6th grade’s turns are coming this week!

All 8th Grade Disney participants have begun their fund-raising to help offset the cost of attending the trip. I wanted to make available to all the website of the company we are using:

http://www.kisscandleco.com/

We are offering only the 10 ounce tins and candle holders, each for $10. Each student who sells gets $5 directly towards their trip for every item they sell.

This is a completely American-made, Georgia produced product, free of dyes and other harmful additives, such as metal in the wicks. The scents are exactly what you would expect, as well. Just ask the kids – they got to smell the candles during our kick-off.

Delivery will be before the winter holiday, so they make great presents, all while supporting our kids!

Enjoy the cold weather!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the McClure Fine Arts fundraiser! It was a success, and further more, all orchestra orders were picked up within a day of arriving at school. Thanks for your support!

Time to kick off the 8th Grade Disney Fundraiser.
This will begin Thursday morning at 8:15 in the cafeteria.  All profits go straight to the individual student’s account to help offset the Disney cost. We will be selling soy candles from Kiss Simply Soy Candle Company. Products will arrive in time for the winter holidays – they make wonderful presents!

All orchestra students: please be looking at the calendar for your schedule of rehearsal for our upcoming concert! These rehearsals are vital to have dedicated time in our performance space to allow us time to focus on our sound as well as procedures for entering and exiting the stage during our performances.

General Music

We are finished up our first unit: Rhythm and Drumming. Please have any missing assignments turned in asap.
8th Grade will begin Music Industry Careers this week. We will be in the media center Friday, Monday and Tuesday. Please be present these days to help your group!
6th Grade is creating their STOMP audition and presenting it to the class in the coming week. Next, we will focus on our National Anthem: the history behind the song, as well as learning the lyrics of our National Anthem.