Instrumental Music Notes
From Mrs. Caulfield and Mrs. De La Rosa-March/April 2019
Directors notes:
We are about 6 lessons away from our spring concert! Most students have been diligently practicing their concert music. If you haven't been hearing daily practicing on our performance pieces, encourage your child to play daily so they are ready. Below we included links to listen to what the final band or orchestra pieces will sound like. It is a good idea to listen to these pieces often so your child has a good idea of how their part fits into the piece. Once they learn a complete song, they can play along with the recordings. We have high expectations for our students, and daily practice is essential! Please review the practice pointers listed below.
ALL students will participate in the evening spring rehearsal and concert! Please mark your calendars-May 6 for the band students (woodwinds, brass and percussion) and May 8 for the orchestra (strings). Both concerts will be held in the Tuscarora High School auditorium at 7:30pm, with a rehearsal beforehand for all students 5:00-7:00pm. "Concert Dress" is mandatory for the rehearsal and concert, which includes a nice white shirt, nice black pants/skirt (below the knees), black socks/tights, black dress shoes. Students should come to the rehearsal in their concert outfit. There will not be time to change clothes or eat between the rehearsal and concert, so please have them eat an early dinner that night.
As always, If you have any questions for us, please do not hesitate to email us at michele.delarosa@fcps.org or christina.caulfield@fcps.org. Please include your child's name and school attended in the email.
Look for your child's instrumental music progress report this week!!
Listening links for the spring concert
Band (Woodwinds, Brass and Percussion):
Orchestra (Strings):
Congratulations Honors Band and Orchestra students!
Congratulations to the following 5th grade students:
Caleb, Cassidy and Chloe at Carroll Manor ES.
Brenna, Derek, Lily, Delilah and Michael at Ballenger Creek ES.
Talia, Ariana, Brynna, Huleg and Cailyn at Orchard Grove ES.
Mallory, Alana and Ariyanna at Butterfly Ridge ES.
Andy, Camden, Parsa, Samantha and Matthew at Tuscarora ES.
Practice makes Perfect!
Practice is essential to progress and success. We have found that the amount of progress a child makes on his/her instrument is directly correlated with practice and effort. The more you practice, the better you will sound. Below are some practice tips for your young musician:
Have a scheduled time every day to practice in a quiet spot. The student should sit on a chair or stand as appropriate and should use a music stand.
Establish a practice routine. We suggest the following:
Warm up-5 minutes (this varies due to instrument and ability level, but model after what we do in lessons)
Work on a challenging selection-5-10 minutes
Review previously learned selections-5-10 minutes
Check off each day’s accomplishments on the practice chart
Students love for their family members to listen to a song or two. Please encourage your child to play for you and tell them how proud you are of their progress.
Keep in touch with us with any questions you may have! You can communicate with us via email or Seesaw. We do our best to reply within 24-48 hours.
Seesaw-Reminder
- Ballenger Creek ES families click on this link: https://app.seesaw.me/s/198-129-866
- Butterfly Ridge ES families click on this link: https://app.seesaw.me/s/755-155-950
- Carroll Manor ES families click on this link: https://app.seesaw.me/s/458-644-491
- Orchard Grove ES families click on this link: https://app.seesaw.me/s/272-170-767
- Tuscarora ES families click on this link: https://app.seesaw.me/s/597-922-180
- Choose your child from the list
- Create your account
- Once we approve you, you can see content from your child
After you sign up, download the free Seesaw Family app and sign in. You can also access Seesaw from a computer at https://app.seesaw.me.
Thank you for supporting your child's learning!
P.s. If you used Seesaw last year or have more than one child using Seesaw, follow the link above, then click the 'Sign in' tab at the top of the screen. You do not need to create a new account, but you do need to access this years class.