Holmes, Rachel M / 8th Grade Orchestra

8th Grade Advanced Orchestra

SPRING CONCERT IS TUESDAY, MAY 7TH AT 7:00PM AT GLENN HIGH AUDITORIUM

Students need to be there by 6:30 to get tuned and in place. Concert attire: Black pants/skirt (knee length or longer), a white button down shirt with a collar, dark shoes, and a colorful tie/scarf.

On March 15th, the Southeast Middle School Honors Orchestra (composed of selected 7th and 8th grade orchestra students) will be attending the Music Performance Adjudication (MPA) in Shelby, NC. The orchestra is required to perform two pieces of music in front of three judges, for comments, a rating, and a score. MPA is a very serious event, takes a lot of practice, hard work, and dedication on the students' part.

For the 2012-2013 school year, the 8th grade orchestra will focus on: sightreading, learning all of the middle school state scales and arpeggios, playing music from a wide range of musical styles, and performing a winter and spring concert. We will also be using Essential Elements 2000 for Strings Book 2 in class. Each student is expected to purchase his/her own book and bring it each day to class. I will provide students with a music folder and sheet music.

PRACTICE is VERY, VERY important in order for you to be successful at your instrument. It is important that you understand the correct way to practice, also. Practice, to many students, means playing straight through the music, and then putting your instrument away. Playing straight through the music when you are at home, is not always the best way to practice, especially if there are difficult spots in the music. When practicing at home, it is best to break down the trouble spots or difficult passages in the music. Practice those spots over and over again, until you can't play them wrong. You will soon find that practicing the hard spots over and over will help your playing improve. You are expected to practice regularly, at least 3 times a week, if not more, because playing tests will be given.

CONCERTS/PERFORMANCES: Eighth grade students will have several performances this school year. A winter concert, a spring concert, and an end of year performance will be given by our wonderful 8th grade students. More information about dates and times will be announced at a later date.

ALL-COUNTY ORCHESTRA: Congrats to the following students for auditioning and making the 2012-2013 All-County Orchestra:

Madison Biggs

Samantha Stafford

Mikayla Thamm

Haley Atkins

Jackie Boyd

Maggie Thompson

Hannah Smith

Hannah Schultz

Edgar Salazar Mata

Evy Mosqueda

Nina Boswell

Rebecca Walker

Taylor Meadows

Maddie Crafford

Caroline Moore

Faith Baker

Michael Nolan

KC Cunningham

Victoria Carver

Paul Garza

Jacob Underwood

John Rizzo

Maraiya Lail

Josh Paradis

Allison Posadas

Cidney Hairston

Lauren Ortiz

Claudia Beck

Zachary Ott

Cassidy Bennett

Jenna Durham

Will Rawlings

Kaitlyn White