Welcome to our Orchestra website! We hope that this site will be an ongoing resource of information for parents throughout the year. Click on the tabs above to access current announcements, calendar of events, rehearsal schedules and more!

Music study holds an essential place in every child's education! Our mission is to provide your child with positive experiences that will inspire and motivate them to become musicians for life. The orchestra curriculum is designed to nurture the musical talents and skills of all students. We look forward to sharing our love of music with your child!

Orchestra Instruction consists of weekly group lessons during the school day and a large before school rehearsal once a week that goes from 7:30 - 8:30 am. A more detailed description is given in the *Orchestra Program Guide. Both lesson schedules and rehearsal schedules will be available after the start of the school year.

Performances: There are two required formal concerts per year: one in the winter and one in the spring. Advanced orchestra students have additional performing opportunities which include recitals and our annual district wide Fiddle Fest. Concert dates and upcoming events for the current year are posted in the Calendar/Schedules page on this website.

Practice on a regular basis is essential in order for your child to make musical progress. Our expectations are that students practice for 15-20 minutes 5 days a week. Orchestra grades are based on progress made in playing skills, note and rhythm skills, class participation, as well as responsibility - coming prepared for class with all materials , coming to lessons, etc.

Is your child considering joining orchestra for the 1st time? More detailed information is listed on this site under the More /Enrollment page. The instruments of the string orchestra include:

• Violin - smallest string instrument and highest pitch
• Viola - similar to the violin but has a deeper richer tone
• Cello - produces a beautiful warm, lower tone, and is played sitting down.
• String Bass - the largest instrument of the string family with the deepest lowest tone.

Instrument Rental: We highly recommend renting an instrument from one of the preferred vendors, as children will go through several sizes as they grow. Renting with one of these companies will get you an instrument of good quality:

• Austin's Violin Shop. 630 466-7562 www. austinsviolinshop.com
• Quinlan and Fabish. 1 800 63 SOUSA www.qandf.com

Questions? Please contact us: