8th Grade
Great rehearsal of Frippery today! We are feeling more comfortable reading in cut time, and I'm glad to hear your right hand (bow) technique becoming more uniform as we learn to listen to each other.
We began rehearsal with Bb and D Major scales. When practicing scales, use the solfege pitches that you are already familiar with first. Once you can sing a major scales, remind yourself of the key signature (how many sharps or flats), and combine this knowledge with your listening skills to figure out the scale on your instrument. Never let practicing scales be boring! Are your half steps close together? Have you used your open strings to help you tune? Can you play familiar patterns? Use all of the skills we are developing in orchestra at home!
Practice logs were distributed in orchestra today. If you were absent, see me right away for your copy of this assignment. At this point in the year, we should be involved in a regular and routine practice schedule. The practice logs are a way that I can now track your progress, questions, and preparation for orchestra. Each day, record how long (in minutes) you practiced each of the assignments in the corresponding boxes. Have your parents initial your work when completed. Unlike other practice charts you may have received, these should be initialed every day for full credit. Also new: there is no "minimum" amount of practice. Schedules vary, and though successful students practice for 30 minutes or more per day, I understand that this is not always possible. You will not be penialized if your chart does not reflect 3.5 hours of practice (30min x 7 days) per week. I want to see a balanced chart, with focused practice of each assignment throughout the course of the week even if this means only doing one or two assignments each night.
Practice logs for 8th grade will be collected and assessed on Wednesday, October 28th. Bring your practice log to class that day -- late work will not be accepted.
The first round of seat tests will occur after these practice logs have been submitted. I will take your daily practicing record into account when grading your seat/performance tests. Completion of practice logs will only increase your grade.
We began rehearsal with Bb and D Major scales. When practicing scales, use the solfege pitches that you are already familiar with first. Once you can sing a major scales, remind yourself of the key signature (how many sharps or flats), and combine this knowledge with your listening skills to figure out the scale on your instrument. Never let practicing scales be boring! Are your half steps close together? Have you used your open strings to help you tune? Can you play familiar patterns? Use all of the skills we are developing in orchestra at home!
Practice logs were distributed in orchestra today. If you were absent, see me right away for your copy of this assignment. At this point in the year, we should be involved in a regular and routine practice schedule. The practice logs are a way that I can now track your progress, questions, and preparation for orchestra. Each day, record how long (in minutes) you practiced each of the assignments in the corresponding boxes. Have your parents initial your work when completed. Unlike other practice charts you may have received, these should be initialed every day for full credit. Also new: there is no "minimum" amount of practice. Schedules vary, and though successful students practice for 30 minutes or more per day, I understand that this is not always possible. You will not be penialized if your chart does not reflect 3.5 hours of practice (30min x 7 days) per week. I want to see a balanced chart, with focused practice of each assignment throughout the course of the week even if this means only doing one or two assignments each night.
Practice logs for 8th grade will be collected and assessed on Wednesday, October 28th. Bring your practice log to class that day -- late work will not be accepted.
The first round of seat tests will occur after these practice logs have been submitted. I will take your daily practicing record into account when grading your seat/performance tests. Completion of practice logs will only increase your grade.
6th Grade (B/D)
Thank you to all 6th graders who already had their violin and viola cases marked with their names, grades, phone numbers, and addresses! There were more identified 6th grade cases than any other grade. I added tags to cases that were not identified, and I ask that you put this important information on the tags immediately! Many people go in and out of the instrument storage room on a daily basis, and I want to know that all instruments are safe.
C Major scales are getting better. After a few tries, we even were feeling more comfortable echoing tonal patterns in this new key. Students are becoming more discriminating when it comes to pitch and octave, and I encourage you all to keep up this excellent focus!
The 6th grade was introduced to my worksheets today, and I'm sorry that the title was confusing. Although we are working through our own parts in Carmen, Carmela, it is important that we know what's going on around us. To make us more aware, I created performance-worksheets in which the entire orchestra can play specific sections of a piece in unison. Today's worksheet focused on the soli sections in the viola and cello parts. While violins and basses never actually see this material in their original parts, activites like this one provide valuable information about other sections, allow us to layer on new parts, and -- if nothing else -- gives us some relevant sight-reading. We will use this approach in orchestra often in the future.
The D.S. challenge was answered today by:
Sarah Hanlon (what it stands for)
Matthew Darby (what it means)
Rachel Cardiff (what you do when you see it)
As usual, written responses were collected. I'll have the team rankings posted in the next few classes! Please remember to put your name on your written response so that I can give your team credit!
(I'll define D.S. in the near future -- the other 6th graders have to have a chance to answer first)
Thank you to all 6th graders who already had their violin and viola cases marked with their names, grades, phone numbers, and addresses! There were more identified 6th grade cases than any other grade. I added tags to cases that were not identified, and I ask that you put this important information on the tags immediately! Many people go in and out of the instrument storage room on a daily basis, and I want to know that all instruments are safe.
C Major scales are getting better. After a few tries, we even were feeling more comfortable echoing tonal patterns in this new key. Students are becoming more discriminating when it comes to pitch and octave, and I encourage you all to keep up this excellent focus!
The 6th grade was introduced to my worksheets today, and I'm sorry that the title was confusing. Although we are working through our own parts in Carmen, Carmela, it is important that we know what's going on around us. To make us more aware, I created performance-worksheets in which the entire orchestra can play specific sections of a piece in unison. Today's worksheet focused on the soli sections in the viola and cello parts. While violins and basses never actually see this material in their original parts, activites like this one provide valuable information about other sections, allow us to layer on new parts, and -- if nothing else -- gives us some relevant sight-reading. We will use this approach in orchestra often in the future.
The D.S. challenge was answered today by:
Sarah Hanlon (what it stands for)
Matthew Darby (what it means)
Rachel Cardiff (what you do when you see it)
As usual, written responses were collected. I'll have the team rankings posted in the next few classes! Please remember to put your name on your written response so that I can give your team credit!
(I'll define D.S. in the near future -- the other 6th graders have to have a chance to answer first)
7th Grade (Yesterday)
No Challenge question for next class (tomorrow). We caught up and answered 2 challenge questions yesterday:
1.
Q. A ground is a short melody which is performed over and over again by a bass instrument or voice. Above the theme, a string of continuous variations are unfolded. In the case of Variations on a Ground however, the ground melody moves from one instrument to another. What is the word for a variations on a short melody in which the melody moves from one instrument to another?
A. Passacaglia. Refer to the blog entry on October 13th for an excellent Passacaglia for either violin & viola or violin & cello by Handel-Halvorsen. For those of you who want to pronounce it: pass-ah-KAHL-ee-ya
Congratulations to Gianluca who knew the answer to this challenge!
2.
Q. Define: tutti.
A. An Italian word meaning all or together. It may refer to an orchestral passage in which every member of the orchestra (or a section of an orchestra) is playing at once. For instance, in a concerto it indicates the parts for the whole orchestra as opposed to the soloist.
The challenge winners for tutti were: Jo Ann Mulligan, Carrie Rose Mulligan, Walter Nyangaga, Michelle Yu, Julia Sanford, Gianluca Russo, Maddy Farry, Jacob Rosenberg, Hannah Hernandez, Christina Morawski, Kristina Marinopoulos, Elijah Clemente, and Vivian Dai. Congratulations! Your answers helped your team :)
The current team ranking is:
First Place: The Unknowns
Second Place: String Rockers
Tie for Third Place: Firepeople, Gruesome Threesome, 9
Tie for Fourth Place: Four Musicians, Magnificant Music Makers, Team 11
Tie for Fifth Place: The Nobodies, Electric Purple Pandas, Strawberries
In orchestra yesterday, the 7th grade sharpened their skills in a more unfamiliar passage of Variations on a Ground, using a performance-worksheet similar to that described in the 6th grade entry. Violins should continue to focus on this section (measure 33 and beyond) until they feel comfortable playing it at a variety of tempos.
Next class, we will use the same handout, this time focusing on the excercises for Saturday at the Symphony.
1.
Q. A ground is a short melody which is performed over and over again by a bass instrument or voice. Above the theme, a string of continuous variations are unfolded. In the case of Variations on a Ground however, the ground melody moves from one instrument to another. What is the word for a variations on a short melody in which the melody moves from one instrument to another?
A. Passacaglia. Refer to the blog entry on October 13th for an excellent Passacaglia for either violin & viola or violin & cello by Handel-Halvorsen. For those of you who want to pronounce it: pass-ah-KAHL-ee-ya
Congratulations to Gianluca who knew the answer to this challenge!
2.
Q. Define: tutti.
A. An Italian word meaning all or together. It may refer to an orchestral passage in which every member of the orchestra (or a section of an orchestra) is playing at once. For instance, in a concerto it indicates the parts for the whole orchestra as opposed to the soloist.
The challenge winners for tutti were: Jo Ann Mulligan, Carrie Rose Mulligan, Walter Nyangaga, Michelle Yu, Julia Sanford, Gianluca Russo, Maddy Farry, Jacob Rosenberg, Hannah Hernandez, Christina Morawski, Kristina Marinopoulos, Elijah Clemente, and Vivian Dai. Congratulations! Your answers helped your team :)
The current team ranking is:
First Place: The Unknowns
Second Place: String Rockers
Tie for Third Place: Firepeople, Gruesome Threesome, 9
Tie for Fourth Place: Four Musicians, Magnificant Music Makers, Team 11
Tie for Fifth Place: The Nobodies, Electric Purple Pandas, Strawberries
In orchestra yesterday, the 7th grade sharpened their skills in a more unfamiliar passage of Variations on a Ground, using a performance-worksheet similar to that described in the 6th grade entry. Violins should continue to focus on this section (measure 33 and beyond) until they feel comfortable playing it at a variety of tempos.
Next class, we will use the same handout, this time focusing on the excercises for Saturday at the Symphony.
