Lessons Information
The student will attend a small group orchestra lesson about once every six school days. This means the student will not attend a regularly scheduled class once every six school days. This allows us to give students instrument-specific instruction.
The schedule of lessons will always be found on Google Classroom, but students can see the lessons for the day on a whiteboard as they walk into school and on a whiteboard outside of my classroom.
Instructions to receive text reminders through Remind to make sure that students never miss a lesson are on their Google Classroom.
Students will stay in contact with their other teachers to make sure nothing is missed. The majority of the time, students will just need to check Google Classroom.
It is HIGHLY recommended that parents and students sign up for "Remind" to know when lessons are happening.
If you sign up for remind, you will receive a text alert (usually around 6 pm) informing you that your that your child has an orchestra lesson the next day. Directions for signing up can be found on your child's Orchestra Lesson Google Classroom.
Frequently asked questions
How are lessons graded?
As long as the student shows up to their lesson prepared and participates in the lesson, they receive a 100. The important part is that they show up with a willingness to learn. If the student shows up late or must leave early, they may receive partial credit, which can be made up by coming to part of another lesson group.
What if a student has a project that they need to work on during their class?
If most/all of the lesson group members need to work on a project, the lesson will be cancelled or rescheduled. If one or two students have a project, they can work on their project that period and receive a temporary 0 in the gradebook until they have made up the lesson. This is to keep the student on the same track as their fellow lesson group members.
How can a student make up a lesson?
Students can make up the lesson by checking the schedule (on Google Classroom or the two whiteboards that are updated daily). The student will then choose another lesson group in their grade to attend and then show up to that lesson prepared to participate.
Violinists and violists should aim to attend another upper strings group, cello/bass should aim to attend another lower strings group. If this is not possible, that is okay. It is a goal, not a requirement.
If a student is having difficulty finding a time to make up their missed lesson, they can also opt to submit a playing assignment via google classroom. The student needs to email me at jchetcuti@ridgefieldps.net and I will assign them an excerpt to play and record at home.
What if my child has Resource during their lesson time?
Students are exempt from all lessons that happen during their resource period. I do my best to keep track of when those are and not mark a student with a 0 if they have a resource period, but sometimes I miss. If a student notices that they have a lesson during a resource period, they can email me or let me know in person and I will make a note to exempt them!