HERITAGE ORCHESTRAS

2020-21

Heritage Academy Mesa

Instrumental Music Department

Mrs. Sandra Alston, Director & Arts Department Chair

salston@heritageacademyaz.com

Dear Heritage Orchestra Members and Parents:

Welcome all new and returning students to the 2020-21 school year. What a privilege it is to be here at Heritage! This 2020 school year begins my 29th year of teaching!~ My first expression to students and parents is “Thank you!” Because of your commitment on so many levels, your child is in for an awesome journey of personal and collaborative growth! We expect to continue the tradition of musical excellence here at Heritage. With that, your child will gain a greater LOVE of music, their instrument, themselves, and gain an even greater appreciation and value for the process of learning to play an instrument. It’s a journey that encompasses so many attributes including hard-work, patience, selflessness, determination, persistence, joy, a willingness to try, commitment, responsibility, and most of all, personal best. Being accountable and patient with oneself is often the hardest attribute of all to obtain. Music is definitely a realm that puts these attributes to the test! Our upcoming time together will afford many opportunities in which each one of us will be required to self reflect, reach beyond our current abilities, and together create experiences that will change our lives for the better.

I LOVE what music allows us to experience. It’s a world of never ending discovery that naturally leads us all to greater levels of ability. If I can assist you in any way possible, please feel free to contact me. Your support as members and parents is imperative to our success.

Sincerely,

Sandra Alston

“Where Words Fail, Music Speaks.”

ORCHESTRA SYLLABUS/Handbook

Heritage Academy Mesa

2020-21

To EVERY Orchestra Parent and Student, your signatures are required to ensure that you have read and are familiar with the following guidelines. Signatures need to be returned by Thursday Aug. 13th, 2020.

Instruments, Supplies, and Technology:

Each student is expected to provide their own instrument.

Each student will need to be able to make video/audio recordings of themselves playing their instrument and upload these recordings into google classroom.

Students will benefit from having access to an instrument tuning app, as well as a metronome app.

School Instruments -The school owns just a couple of string instruments. These instruments will be available for check-out for a one time fee of $100. (August to May) Instruments are to be brought to and from school for every class as playing time at home is imperative.

• Every instrument (excluding the Bass) needs to have 4 fine tuners. If your child’s instrument does not already have these, PLEASE acquire these as soon as possible. (these are not too pricey)

• Pencil: ALWAYS - EVERY REHEARSAL (part of daily preparedness points

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• Rosin: Please write your name on it. Bass Players: Kolstein All Weather

• Shoulder Rest: ALL violin/viola players -please write your name on it

• Every Instrument must have a permanent ID tag or visible label with student name on the OUTSIDE of the case.

• Emergency extra strings (violin/viola players: I recommend “Dominant” strings as they are a higher quality string and will last longer than the less expensive strings.)

• Bows: please ensure that the bow has an ample amount of horse hair and is not warped. Fewer bow hairs and warped sticks makes the bow difficult to control and affects the overall tone of the instrument.

• Metronome and Tuner: FREE apps are available

• Music Stand: Very helpful to have at home to hold music at appropriate angle/height

PERFORMANCE ATTIRE

“Why so much black? It’s professional! The focus is on the player and instrument!”

(Please See attached flyer for images)

Chamber Orchestra: (audition only ensemble)

Men- Black tuxedo/suit jacket

White long sleeve oxford style dress shirt

Black: Bow tie, belt, dress pants, dress socks, dress shoes

Ladies- Black: uniform floor length dress, dress shoes, sheer nylons

Black dress: This is available for $62. We have a new vendor for our formal dresses. LeSuers Tuxedos will be on site Aug. 26 and 27 to take all measurements. Orders need to be placed and paid for online no later than Sept. 5th. All concert attire will then be delivered to Heritage. Isn’t that wonderful?

Sinfonia Orchestra : (audition only ensemble)

Men- White long sleeve dress or tuxedo shirt

Black: Bow tie, belt, dress pants, socks, shoes

Ladies - Black uniform floor length dress, dress shoes, sheer nylons

(see above for black dress information)

Symphony Orchestra: (audition only ensemble)

Men- White long sleeve dress or tuxedo shirt

Black: Bow tie, belt, dress pants, socks, shoes

Ladies - Black uniform floor length dress, dress shoes, sheer nylons

(see above for black dress information)

Concert Orchestra:

Men- White long sleeve dress shirt

Black: Bow tie, belt, dress pants, dress socks, dress shoes

Ladies – Black head to toe

Black long dress or may wear long skirt or dress pants and blouse with

sleeves. Black dress shoes, black sheer nylons or socks. No leggings.

Spirit Day Shirt! ALL ORCHESTRAS: an ORCHESTRA “Spirit Day” T-Shirt is available for purchase. These shirts may be worn to school on designated Spirit Days. T-Shirts are $13 or $15 pending on optional ‘glitter’ for the red ORCHESTRA. Please have your scholar bring home an ORCHESTRA Spirit Day order form!

CONCERTS

All Concerts are FREE. Our Orchestra concerts are held in the beautiful Sanctuary at First United Methodist Church located at the south/east corner of 1st Ave and Center. 15 E 1st Ave Mesa 85210. Our only exception is our newly added INSPIRE concert, in which all orchestra members are required to attend, but only Chamber/Sinfonia members are auditioning to perform in small ensembles. A calendar of events is in at the end of the handbook.

Tentative Concert Dates: Oct 20th Dec. 15th Feb. 2nd INSPIRE (Heritage Auditorium) May 4th

CLASS PROCEDURES & GRADING

REHEARSALS

No rocket science here! Students enter and prepare for rehearsal by being prepared, on task, and on time. Change in orchestra: Tardies will affect grades. Period. Students are to be IN the orchestra room by the bell. They should be seated with all their music and instrumental materials within one minute after the bell. Tardiness to either the bell or to ensemble readiness will result in loss of 10/25 daily points. In the world of instrumentalists, there is a saying that goes like this: “To be early, is to be on time. To be on time, is to be late.” This year, all orchestra classes are either first or third hour. Everyone can be a few minutes early to class. The room is available for us! Students, plan to get to class before the bell rings so you are ready for rehearsal in a timely manner. Our time together is precious and valuable. There is equipment to unpack, and it takes TIME! To show 100% commitment and respect to the ensemble, students full attention during rehearsals is appreciated and expected. All Heritage rules of conduct, behavior, and use of the school facilities will be strictly expected & enforced. Anything less is unacceptable. This means NO food or drink (including gum) or “horse-play” is permitted in the rehearsal room. Our rehearsal room is not the lunch room. Points will be subtracted from daily grade if this policy is violated. Regarding restroom: There is ample time to visit the restroom in between classes. Rehearsals are effective when every musician is present! Again, our classes are first or third hour. We can remain in class for the entire rehearsal.

CELL PHONES

NO CELL PHONES ARE TO BE VISIBLE OR USED DURING CLASS TIME. EVER. STUDENTS ARE TO REMOVE PHONES FROM POCKETS AND PLACE PHONES IN THEIR BACKPACKS ALONG WALL DURING REHEARSAL. STUDENTS: DO NOT HAVE THEM IN YOUR POSSESSION DURING REHEARSAL. IT’S LIBERATING TO STEP AWAY FROM OUR ELECTRONIC DEVICES. Using a cell phone during rehearsal, performance, or in the audience for student use is not allowed. Should a student choose otherwise - result will be loss of daily participation points and or concert points. The phone will be taken and kept by the teacher and may be retrieved by the parent at the end of the day.

GRADING & LATE WORK

At the end of each grading period, points are totaled and put into percentage form:

Performances =30% Daily Points/Participation/Citizenship =30%

Playing Tests/Written work & quizzes = 40% Total Possible = 100%

Grades are earned on the following basis:

Participation/Rehearsal Points: 50 points per week (900 per semester)

Daily and Rehearsal points serve as motivation for us to have productive rehearsals, and make wise efficient use of time.

This grade is all encompassing. Daily points are given for overall citizenship which includes being present, on time, prepared with instruments for rehearsal and participating with No gum, No phone. Tardies will result in loss of 10 daily points. Misconduct or choosing to not follow appropriate rehearsal technique will result in lost points. Students are expected to have their instrument, music, and pencil at EVERY class. This is not optional. Grades will reflect a student's level of commitment. Participation & Rehearsal points are worth a large portion of your total grade.

Music checks/Playing Exams: specific points attached to each selection

Written assignments: Concert reflections, teacher surveys, & theory

Performances: 900 points earned a semester by arriving on time, having complete performance attire, appropriate audience etiquette, appropriate performance etiquette, observation of the entire concert.

LATE WORK: NO late work will be accepted. Students may complete 2 extra credit assignments (see “going the extra mile” on google site) per grading period.

MUSIC

Every student will receive a practice copy of the performance music we are working on in class. This copy may be taken home for individual practice. ALL originals are to remain in the orchestra room. NO exceptions. Original copies will be assigned to each stand for class rehearsal and will be kept in a music storage cabinet. Originals will also be used at the performances. Students are responsible for keeping music accounted for. Any lost original music will result in a $6.oo per page replacement fee.

INSTRUMENT STORAGE

String instrument storage is available in the orchestra practice room. This room is open before and after school so students may drop off instrument before the school day, and pick them up after school. Students may drop off instruments as early as 7:40am Mon.- Thur. & need to pick up instruments from orchestra room by 3:45. Instrument storage rooms will be locked daily after 3:45pm. A limited number of lockers are located in the hallway just outside the orchestra room, for upperclassman violin and viola players who desire to have their instrument locked up and more easily accessible. Students permitted to locker use will need to provide their own lock, and for safety reasons, share combination with Mrs. Alston

ORCHESTRA SEATING

Chair placement for performances may be determined from scores on playing tests. Within each section, the highest score will determine the first chair, with the rest of the section seated in succession of attained score. Where a student sits in the orchestra is NOT as important to me as HOW WELL you make an effort to contribute to the overall ensemble.

PERFORMANCES

Purpose

Nothing has changed in the last 500 years of orchestra rehearsals. This is a performance based class. Our purpose in meeting, is to prepare as an ensemble for performance, while maintaining a mindset of learning and discovery along the way. Every performance is an opportunity for the orchestra to share & demonstrate its present level of skill, musical maturity, mastery of techniques, interpretation, and musicianship. Through performing, we share with each-other and audience member the joy of music. It is crucial to our success as an orchestra team that each member of the orchestra prepare and perform at the best of one’s ability.

Grading & Performance

Performances are the orchestral equivalent of taking a major exam in an academic subject. Since a performance is a one-time occurrence, there are NO make ups for missed performances. Individual participation for every performance is crucial! We need EVERY member present! Attendance at performances are IMPERATIVE. Please mark your family calendar today with our concerts for the year!

Call Times for Performance

The “call time” is the time that students are expected to arrive for a performance. All students are to be present 30 minutes prior to a performance. Students will sign in prior to warm up. Tardies that occur with ‘call time’ will be reflected in the performance grade.

Performance Calendar

The performance calendar is located in this handout. Please remove it and add the dates to your family calendar. Use it to help plan vacations and family time – outside of performances. If any unforeseen changes need to be made to the calendar, you will be informed immediately. Festivals are required performances. Chamber orchestra members will be participating in the ABODA festival on _______. Time TBA. Please leave this date open and free of commitment until we receive our performance time.

ORCHESTRA TOUR

Due to COVID, we are uncertain as to whether our upper orchestras will be allowed to tour this year. We will continue to make tentative plans for TOUR with the understanding that we may need to cancel. Details will be given as they become available.

Regionals & All State

It is expected that all High School members ofChamber and Sinfonia orchestra prepare and audition for Regional Orchestra. This is a class requirement. $25 is the audition fee and is due with the student's name and ensemble to the front desk by Nov. 1st. Any other orchestra students in grades 9-12 may also audition for regionals. These auditions take place in January at Desert Vista High School. Audition Etudes are available from Mrs. Alston. Regional auditions require that musicians are prepared with the three selected etudes, and all major and melodic minor scales/ arpeggios up to four sharps and four flats. Sight reading will also be part of the audition assessment. Students who place in the Regional Orchestra will have the opportunity to participate in Arizona All State. All State is at ASU this year.

Private Lessons

Acquiring a private teacher for your child certainly offers many benefits. It’s a one-on-one time to get instant feedback and further insight in learning to play an instrument. If you would like any help in finding a teacher for your musician, please let me know. On the other side of the table – I frequently get calls from parents seeking older students (YOU) that are interested in teaching private lessons. Please let Mrs. Alston know if you are wanting to teach private lessons. It’s good money, you can set up times that might allow you to teach here at Heritage after school, and the education is simply outstanding. You will learn a TON!

Tax Credit Form https://heritageacademyaz.com/tax-credit-contribution/

If you are interested in helping out the Heritage Academy Instrumental Music Program, you can now take advantage of the state tax credit which allows you to contribute any amount up to $400. This money is used to pay for new music, instruments, buses, repairs, festival registration fees, etc. Making an ECA donation is made easy through the Heritage Academy website (see above)! All TOUR fees may be paid with ECA funds.

MYS (Metropolitan Youth Symphony) PYS (Phoenix Youth Symphony) EVYS (East Valley Youth Symphony)

These organizations offer an opportunity for students to challenge themselves by performing in another orchestra, outside of the school day with musicians from all over the valley. MYS and EVYS accept members through the 9th grade. PYS accepts musicians 9-12^th grade. Auditions are in the fall – but may also occur throughout the season. Please look into more information online regarding these other orchestras, or ask Mrs. Alston for more information!

______________________________________________________________

Name: ______________

Due by Thursday August 13th

Parents/Guardians and Students, please fill out the following information below and provide your signature, assuring that you have read and are familiar with the Heritage Orchestra Syllabus/handbook.

With parent consent, students from the Chamber & Symphony orchestra may provide a personal cell number that Mrs. Alston may use to contact them regarding school orchestra & outside school events such as playing test updates, pertinent practice strategies, current events, Regionals, and other important orchestra information & reminders. We also keep in communication with each other through the app “GroupMe”. This is optional, but very helpful!

Ensemble: Concert Symphony Chamber

Student Signature ______________________ Cell: ___________

Yes, please allow my child to participate in communication through the GROUP ME app.

No, my child will not be participating in communication through the GROUP ME app.

Parent Signature ______________________ Cell: ___________

“Thank you parents and students for your willingness to support our orchestra program here at Heritage! Let’s make it another great year!” - Mrs. Alston