Patrick Marsh - Q&A

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Q:What book do I need for orchestra?

A: If you are in 6th grade you need " Essential Elements for Strings - Book 1 " (you used this in 5th grade if you were in Orchestra in Sun Prairie last year)

It is the one the orange border

If you are in 7th grade you need " Essential Elements for Strings - Book 2 " (we started to use this in 6th grade last year)

It is the one with the purple border.

These can be bought/ordered from your local music stores (Ward-Brodt or White House of Music) or from any online retailer (Amazon). Make sure to order the book that corresponds with your instrument. There are four versions of each book (Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass).

Q: What if my instrument is out of tune and I can't fix it?
A: We will go over how to tune in class throughout the year. If it is really bad, you can leave it for the next orchestra class to get tuned by your teacher

Q: How do I keep my instrument in tune?
A: Make sure to keep it in a humidity controlled and temperature controlled environment - in the case when you are not playing in the same room. Keep it away from windows/outside facing walls (air/temperature leak can effect the wood of the instrument). If you know how, tune it before you play, every time you play, using one of these apps
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15zVlMTP2e1fAF4g2FFpo6tG0MEOUDoVslDlw0EaFEjE/

Q:What if my instrument is broken and I can't fix it?
A: Email one of the orchestra teachers and we can assess if we can fix it or if it needs to be brought to a music store for repair.