NW Orchestras Weekly Update
Friday, August 25, 2023
Welcome, and welcome back!
Dear Normal West Orchestra Families,
I wanted to take a moment to welcome all of our new Normal West Orchestra families, and welcome back our returning families! I'm so glad that your student is apart of our Normal West Orchestra Program!
Congratulations -- you all (students, families, etc.) just survived your first full week of school! I can tell we were a little more tired today compared to last week. Don't worry though, Labor Day Weekend is just around the corner.
The students hit the group running this week with Hauntcert music prep! All ensembles started the week by sight reading a variety of possible Hauntcert tunes, and we made some decisions about what tunes we want to work on over the next two months. I hope you're excited for our movie music themed performance coming up in October.
This newsletter idea is new. As an organization, Normal West Orchestras has a lot going on. Through this newsletter, my hope is to put information about all upcoming performances, fundraisers, trips, etc. in one spot! If this is ever overwhelming or you would like clarification on anything, please ask!
Have a great weekend!
Homework?
We are in the beginning "form" phase of the year. A handful of students have not turned in their Orchestra Handbook, or the T-shirt Order form yet. Students were given hard copies of these documents, and can access them on Google Classroom. Questions? Email Miss Boehm!
Practice makes Progress!
We have one week of rehearsals under our belts, and a concert just over 2 months away! While that October date seems far away, students should be practicing their music at home already. Why should students practice at home? Because
practice is the repetition of an action with the goal of improvement, and it helps us perform with more ease, speed, and confidence. If students start to practice now, they will be more confident when we get to Hauntcert! Need more information on the importance of practice? Watch the video below!
So far, we have 8 pieces selected for the 2023 Hauntcert performance. Pieces include: Music from The Avengers, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Over the Rainbow, Theme from Forrest Gump, Highlights from Harry Potter, and the James Bond Theme. Each ensemble is working on a collection of these pieces.
Concert Orchestra: James Bond, Harry Potter
Sinfonia: James Bond, Harry Potter, and Mozart's Requiem
Chamber: James Bond, Harry Potter, Mozart's Requiem, and Music from the Avengers
We've made a lot of progress in a few days this week! Encourage your student to play some of the music they've started to learn at home!
Upcoming Fundraisers & Events
