Welcome back to school! Last week we had a great start. I can already tell this is going to be an awesome year!

Throughout the year, I’ll be updating this page with announcements, upcoming events, and other information. I'll be sending an email to families when it is updated. Please reach out if you have any questions or need clarification. Scroll to see specific information for each grade level!

Carley Gerdes - carley.gerdes@nhcs.net

Calendar of Events ● MMS Orchestra Handbook ● Boletín en español

*** If your student has friends in 6th grade, or if you know the families of 6th grade students, PLEASE encourage them to sign up for orchestra! ***

It is not too late for new students to join! Please send them my way if they're interested.

Getting an instrument🎻

If you are interested in getting a personal instrument for your student, here is some information:

• I strongly encourage you to rent an instrument from a reputable business rather than purchasing one outright. The instruments you’ll find online are often poor quality which will only make playing more frustrating for your student. Instruments come in different sizes depending on how tall the player is or how long their arms and hands are. It is very likely that your child will get taller during middle school and therefore will need a bigger size instrument. Renting allows you to swap the instrument for the correct size as they grow. Renting an instrument is the best way to get a quality instrument, without fronting the cost outright.

• We will have an information meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 2nd at 5:30 in the MMS Orchestra Room with Varnam Strings. Varnam Strings is the local partner with NHCS for instruments and repairs and offer a rent-to-own program for NHCS students.

If your family has financial limitations that prevent you from getting an instrument for your student, let me know as soon as possible. There are a limited number of school instruments for students to use free of charge.

Welcome to the orchestra family!!! I'm thrilled to get to know you and your students as the year goes on.

Things to know:

You do not need an instrument, instrument accessories, or the method book yet!

• Over the next few days, I will be showing the students the different instruments and help them decide which one to play.

• This week we will make our final decision, but you should wait until your student is 100% certain before ordering anything!

• We will start playing in class on Tuesday, September 8th. Please have your instrument by then! (See below for more info about getting an instrument.)

Your student’s success in my class is determined by the effort they put in.

• We will go over classroom expectations (Rehearsal Etiquette) in class. The most important of those is: Try your best!

• I never expect perfection, but I do expect everyone to put in their best effort.

• Learning an instrument is challenging! In the first few weeks of playing, you may see a lot of discouragement from your student. If so, please continue to encourage them through the learning process. Every great musician, athlete, artist, etc, was once a beginner!

Supporting music in your student’s life is incredible for their development.

• • Learning to play an instrument teaches so much more than music. It teaches teamwork, perseverance, patience, fine-motor skills, auditory processing, literacy, etc... I could go on and on!

  • Long story short, thank you for making the decision to sign them up for orchestra! I’m thrilled to support them as they learn and grow.

Let's have a great year!

I'm sure you'll have other questions as we get going. Please reference the Handbook or Frequently Asked Questions for more info. If anything isn't covered in there, please reach out! I'd love to hear from you!

Welcome back! I can't wait to see how much we accomplish this year! :)

Changes this year:

If you weren't already aware, this year I am also the orchestra director at Ashley High School. I'm excited for this new opportunity! But this means that some changes will be happening this year.

The biggest of this is the concert logistics.

This year, the concerts will happen one hour earlier. Call time will be 5:30PM, and the concert will start at 6:00PM. Following our concert, the Ashley high school groups will play. Their concert will start at 7:30PM. Students are welcome to stay and watch the high school play, but are not required! This would be a great opportunity for your students to watch the older students and see what their years of hard work has accomplished. :)

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please let me know ASAP. Concert dates are below.

Things to think about...

The beginning of the school year is a great time to think about how to be successful. The 7th and 8th graders now have a new class of 6th graders who look up to them! With the new opportunities this year comes new responsibility. As the content gets more challenging, many students face frustration and lose confidence. I want to remind everyone that in my class, students are successful as long as they try!!! That goes for all of their other classes, too! :)

September  

• Wednesday, Sept 2 - Varnam Strings Rental Night 

October  

• Monday, Oct 12 - Fall Fundraiser Begins 

• Monday, Oct 19 – Q1 Test 

• Monday, Oct 19 - All County Orchestra Rehearsal 

• Friday, Oct 23 - Saturday, Oct 24 - All County Orchestra Clinic 

• Wednesday, Oct 28 - Fall Orchestra Concert 

• Friday, Oct 30 - Fall Fundraiser Ends 

December  

• Friday, Dec 4 – Q2 Test 

• Wednesday, Dec 16 - Winter Orchestra Concert 

February  

• Friday, Feb 12 - Murray Arts Valentine’s Day Dance 

• Thursday, Feb 25 – Q3 Test 

March  

• Monday, Mar 1 - NHCS Orchestra Festival (6th & 7th Grade only) 

• Saturday, Mar 6 - JERO Auditions 

• Wednesday, Mar 10 - Pre-MPA Orchestra Concert (8th Grade only) 

• Monday, Mar 15 or Tuesday, Mar 16 (TBA) - Eastern Regional Orchestra MPA (8th Grade only) 

April  

• Saturday, Apr 24 - Busch Gardens Trip (8th Grade only, date tentative) 

May  

• Saturday, May 1 - JERO Clinic 

• Monday, May 3 – Q4 Test 

• Tuesday, May 18 - Spring Orchestra Concert 

June 

• Wednesday, Jun 2 - Murray Arts Awards Night 

For descriptions of the events, click here.