At ARIS all Instrumental music students receive one Full Ensemble rehearsal and one 40 minute group instrument lesson once a week.

Full Ensemble Rehearsals (Big Orchestra)

Full Ensemble Rehearsals or "Big Orchestra", as we sometimes refer to it, are a once a week class where students are able to work as a full orchestra (ensemble) to build group skills and rehearse music for the 5th - 6th Grade spring concert. The orchestras in 5th - 6th grade are named after famous composers:

THIS schedule WILL BE CHANGING FOR THE

2019-2020 YEAR

Mozart Orchestra - Grade 5, Teams A/E/G/H

Tchaikovsky Orchestra- Grade 5, Teams B/C/D/F

Brahms Orchestra - Grade 6, Teams A/D

Copland Orchestra- Grade 6, Teams B/C

Bach Advanced Orchestra- ARIS Advanced Orchestra (by try-out only)

We do not assign students an orchestra based on instrumentation or performance level. orchestras are based on grade level only (except for the Advanced Orchestra).

Students enjoy the ensemble experience because it allows them to strengthen their skills in playing as part of a group, teamwork skills, personal troubleshooting of problems, their skills in understanding a conductor's gestures, their individual responsibility/ accountability, and personal preparedness. Our Orchestras are only as successful as our students. As long as we are all working towards the same goal, are respectful towards each other, doing what is expected, taking feedback, and doing our best, our orchestras will continue to be OUTSTANDING!

Understanding Your Full Ensemble Rehearsal Schedule

At the beginning of the year, all orchestra students will receive their orchestra rehearsal schedule. All 5th Gr. orchestra rehearsals take place on Mondays. All 6th Gr. orchestra rehearsals take place on Fridays. Both operate on a rotating schedule throughout the students' school day. We typically will rotate through 6 different periods . This means that once a week, students in orchestra (and band) will miss 1 period (40 Minutes) of an academic class. Students will NEVER miss the same academic class twice in a row. In fact, our schedule is designed where students may only miss the same academic class once every 5 weeks, which averages to missing one particular period 5-6 times throughout the year in total.

All ARIS teachers receive this schedule at the beginning of the year and plan their lessons accordingly.

*** IMPORTANT: Students are responsible for completing all work missed due to a orchestra rehearsal. Your child's teacher will let your child know the best way to find any assignments/ activities missed due to band and how to make them up. Your child's teachers want your child to succeed academically and will help make this process easy to understand. ***

Lesson Schedule

In order to learn the skills necessary to perform on their instruments, all students receive a 40 minute small group instrument lesson once a week. This lesson occurs during 1 period of gym on the same day every week. For example, if your child has gym period 2, they might have their instrument lesson every Tuesday during period 2.

Students are grouped for these lessons by their instrument (all violins during that period of gym have lessons together, all cello, etc.). However, there are times where we will need to blend the violins with the viola, again, depending on the number of students in that period on those instruments.

The number of students in these lesson groups can vary, depending on how many students on that particular instrument are in the same gym class. This ensures that students are able to receive equal instruction as their peers in a 40 minute period.

Small group lessons are considered an Academic class and all students will receive a Letter Grade on their Report Card each marking period. Grades are based on individual performance during class (which reflects practice time put in at home), personal effort, preparedness, attitude, and their participation/ preparation during Full Ensemble rehearsals. Students are expected to arrive prepared for lessons each week, recording/ logging practice as designated by their lesson teacher, and perform playing assessments as assigned.