Hermanson's Orchestral Wonders

7th Grade Orchestra has a full rehearsal tomorrow (Thursday, Feb 25th) after school from 4:30-5:30. This will be the ONLY time students from both classes will be able to play with each other before the day of the clinic, so it is vital as many students are there as possible.

Our Pre-Festival clinic will be this Tuesday, March 2nd. 7th Grade will perform around 4:45 and then work with David Doke, the orchestra director from Hillgrove High School, until 6:00. Pizza will be served from 6:00-6:30 for all students participating.

Parents are welcome to attend to clinic and watch your student’s class.

Chaperones are needed to help distribute and supervise during pizza time. If you are willing to help, please let me know.

Students must participate in the clinic to perform with us at Festival (Large Group Performance Evaluations) on March 18th (7th grade day only).

The Harrison concert was a success tonight. Good job to all who attended this evening – Pirates was a great hit with the crowd as well as our students!

Any students who did not perform with us this evening will need to play their music for me at some point in the next week to make up the grade.

Our concert tonight bears great things for our Pre-Festival clinic in one week!

Have a wonderful evening!

An interesting read about how music enhances language skills in the brain:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100220-music-brains-language-stroke-dyslexia/

If you have any articles you’re heard or heard of, please let me know!

8th Grade is performing at Harrison High School tomorrow at 7:30 – part pre-festival, part fun-to-play-with-high-schoolers concert.

Students will stay after school and should wear dark jeans and a nice, solid black shirt.

Dinner will be provided by Harrison’s Orchestra, and the concert should conclude by 8:15. Please pick your student up no later than 8:15 if you cannot attend this concert yourself.

8th Grade: Our Concert with Harrison High School is Tuesday. I only have 8 permission slips so far! If you lost yours, please download, fill out and turn in the slip below ASAP.We will perform 1 – 2 pieces alone for the audience and Pirates II together with all the middle schools and Harrison. It should be a great performance!

Performance begins at 7:30 in the Presidential Gym. We will be finished by 8:15 at the latest.

Harrison Concert Permission

Parents - We will need at least 1 other chaperone to make this field trip happen. Please let me know if you are able to help. You can drive to Harrison – no need to ride the bus.

All 7th and 8th Students:

Our Pre-Festival Clinic is in just over a week (March 2nd). It will be directly after school (4:30-6:00) and I will provide pizza from 6:00-6:30 should you wish to stay. All students must attend the Pre-Festival clinic in order to play at Festival. Any student that does not attend the clinic will need to play their music for me individually twice – once that week, and again for missing Festival later in March.

School clothes are fine for the clinic. Parents are encouraged to come watch a leading conductor from the area work with their students – Mr. David Doke from Hillgrove HS for 7th grade and Mr. John Concklin from the Cobb Symphony for 8th grade.

Cobb County Schools are closing an hour early today. This means the ORCHESTRA FIELD TRIP THIS EVENING IS CANCELED.

CSO Rehearsal tonight is also canceled, if anyone was wanting to come out with your family. We will be rehearsing tomorrow from 1:00-3:30 if you want to see us then!

I will let you know plans for a future event or refund for those who were planning on participating this evening.

I hate that everyone will have to miss the rehearsal tonight.

If you are able, we will probably still have our rehearsal at 7:30 this evening. You are welcome to join us if you are able. I will update by 4:00 regarding rehearsal this evening.

All students need to take their instruments home this evening – I will be checking lockers after school is out. Students have been alerted to this in class as well.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Our field trip to the Cobb Symphony Orchestra is tomorrow!

Since we are leaving directly from school, please do not bring your instruments to school tomorrow. If you do, there will be room on the bus as well as a place to leave them at the Murray Arts Center during the duration of the rehearsal, so you will still be able to take them home to learn these last pieces of music.

Chaperones: We will be at McClure from 4:30-5:45. You may come any time during that window. We have almost 70 students attending, which is fantastic. I cannot wait to share my passion of playing with a symphony with my students!

E-mail me if you have any questions!

Events this week:

Note: All classes will meet every day, despite the odd schedules for Stars and Strikes. You are expected to have your instrument every day.

Tuesday: 8th Grade Violin Sectional (4:0-5:30)

General Music Make-an-Instrument projects due

Thursday: 8th Grade Viola/Cello/Bass Sectional (4:30-5:30)

• Cultural Arts Night – Fiddle Group Performing at 7pm

Friday: 8th Grade Permission Slips due for Harrison Concert

• Field trip to the Cobb Symphony Orchestra Open Rehearsal (after school; pick up at Murray Arts Center at 8:30)

Look on the calendar for things coming up next week for 7th grade!

We are planning a field trip to see the Cobb Symphony Orchestra (with myself on stage playing cello) rehearse their concert program for their Valentine’s Weekend performance. Come see the professionals doing what the students do in class!

Attached below is the information and permission slips to attend. This field trip is open to all Orchestra students, and we will need several parents to help chaperon.

If any parent is able to leave their car at McClure and travel on the bus to the Murrary Arts Center (corner of Stilesboro and Barrett Pkwy – less than 3 miles from school) that would be wonderful, as we will need chaperones on each bus, and I am sure we will have at least 2 busloads of students participating.

Date: Friday, February 12th from 4:30-8:30. Transportation TO the Murray Arts Center and dinner (pizza) will be provided for all participants. Parents need to plan on picking their student(s) up by 8:30 at the Murray Arts Center - or come at 7:30 to enjoy the rehearsal, as well.

Permission slips are due Friday, February 5th. We are requesting $7 per student, which covers dinner, transportation and admittance into the rehearsal, as well as the pre-rehearsal talk about the music on the program.

CSO Rehearsal permission Slip

CSO Open Rehearsal Info Sheet

If you have any questions, please let me know. I look forward to seeing everyone in the audience!

The McClure 8th Grade Orchestra has been invited to perform a concert for and with the Harrison High School Orchestra, Durham Middle School 8th Grade Orchestra and Lost Mountain Middle School 8th Grade Orchestra. We will perform one or two of our LGPE (Festival) pieces individually, and then have an opportunity to perform The Pirates of the Caribbean II with all four groups together.

Date: Tuesday, February 23rd (we already have an after-school rehearsal scheduled that day)

Schedule:

4:30-5:15: Stay after school, rehearse the LGPE peices to perform, change into concert attire

5:15-5:30: Travel to Harrison HS (We need at least one additional chaperon if you are interested!)

5:40-6:00: Unpack and tune, mingle with Harrison’s students

6:00-7:00: Rehearse with all groups

7:00-7:25: Dinner provided at Harrison

7:30: Concert in Harrison’s Presidential Gym (same place as Jamboree in 6th grade)

Also – Disney Forms and Payment are due this Friday, February 5th.