Orchestra students will be expected to keep track of their practice minutes each week and turn in a practice card. Why?

Practice=progress. You don't master skills during lessons. To take a skill from "I can," to "I always can," you have to practice individually. 100% of the time in orchestra, effort beats natural talent over time. It may not be today, but the hard worker always catches the lazy player that "just gets it."

Is it ok to miss notes in orchestra? YES. YES. ONE MILLION TIMES, YES. Beethoven said, “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” We practice to minimize these wrong notes, because of course playing passionately AND correctly is best.

Your practice will be graded as follows:

1. Practice Cards. Weekly. 10 points per week.

• Practicing 60+ minutes and writing a clear, focused goal receives a 10/10. 

• Writing a clear practice goal earns 1 point on the practice card. 

• Practicing 50-59 minutes= loss of 1 point.

• Practicing 40-49 minutes= loss of 2 points

• Practicing 30-39 minutes= loss of 3 points

• Practicing 20-29 minutes= loss of 4 points

• Practicing 0-19 minutes= loss of 5 points

• Minimum grade of 5/10 if a practice card is turned in. Missing practice cards will receive a 0/10.

2. Playing Checks. You will have a playing check due twice per quarter. These will be due Monday of the week after they are assigned. You may turn these in either of two ways:

   1. Mr. Hegert will stay after school Thursday/Friday to listen to in person playing checks. If using this plan, be to Hegert's room before 3:15. If no one is here, he is leaving :) 

   2. Turn a video recording. We will do a test video before the first playing check is due to learn the process. I am hoping to utilize google classroom this year. 

   3. Playing checks will be worth 25 points in the gradebook. Missing checks will remain a 0 in the gradebook until they are completed.

   4. If a playing check is more than a week late, you will be assigned homework hub to complete the playing check.

   5. You may retry a playing check at any time for a better grade by turning it in the same way you did the original. Your original grade will never be lowered if you do worse the second try.