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Orchestra
Welcome to the SHS Orchestra! A student's high school experience should be diverse and include multiple areas of study, and the orchestra program provides a unique part of that experience. The Orchestra Department is made up of the non-auditioned String Choir and the auditioned Symphony Orchestra. Our Chamber String Ensemble is an extra-curricular opportunity to go along with those ensembles! More information about each group can be found on separate pages.
The Orchestra program strives to create a cohesive, enriching, and life-enhancing experience for all students to prepare them for life in an ever-changing world.
SHS Orchestra Handbook
- Important Dates
- Grading Expectations
- Classroom Norms (Rehearsal)
- Supplies and Instrument Maintenance
- School Instruments
- Student Section Leaders
- Concert Attire
- Practice
- Forms to Return
Important Dates
Please add them to your calendar!!!!!
The following is a list of dates and times that ALL Orchestra students need to know about and be present for if it pertains to them. Events that include ALL orchestra students' participation are underlined.
September/October
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Pick out Concerto if interested in auditioning for Concerto Concert, auditions for Chamber String Ensemble
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Begin choosing music for Solo and Ensemble at Quarter 1 Lesson
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November -
October 31 – End of Quarter 1: First lesson and sectional deadline!
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November 14th - 7 pm – Fall Orchestra Concert
- November TBA - 5-7 pm - 28th Annual Concerto Competition Auditions in SHS Auditorium
December
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December - Madrigal Dinner (members of Symphony Orchestra)
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December 16th – 7 PM - 6-12 Orchestra Winter Concert in SHS Auditorium
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January
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January 24th – End of Quarter 2: Second lesson and sectional deadline
February
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February TBA – Auditions for the 2024-2025 Symphony Orchestra
March -
March 8th – Badger Conference Solo & Ensemble Festival @ Verona HS
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March 18th - 7 pm – 27th Annual Concerto Concert in SHS Auditorium
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TBD – End of Quarter 3: Third lesson and sectional deadline!
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March 24th – 28th - Spring Break - Possible Orchestra Tour - TBD
April
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April 26th - State Solo and Ensemble @ UW-Whitewater
May
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May TBA - 7 pm - Spring Choir Concert, location TBD (members of Symphony Orchestra)
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May TBA Rehearsal for Theme Concert
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May 12th - 7 pm – 26th Annual Orchestra Theme Concert in SHS Auditorium
June
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June 12th – End of 4th Quarter: Lesson and deadline!
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June 1 - Graduation Full Orchestra June
Grading Expectations
Formative Tasks
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Rehearsal/Daily Grade
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Discussion Contributions
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Lessons - 2 formative lessons required per quarter. Students can sign up for a lesson time using the SignUp Genius linked on Schoology. Private lessons also satisfy this requirement. During a formative lesson, students will learn instrument specific technique, work through individual/section goals, and review ensemble music
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Rhythm Reading assignments (i.e. Sight Reading Factory
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Written Drafts of Responses, Compositions, etc.
Summative Tasks
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Performances (Fall, Spring and Winter Concerts, Theme Concert, Solo and Ensemble). A student can still receive credit for a missed summative performance if they complete a makeup by the end of the quarter the performance occurs in.
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Lessons - 1 summative lesson required per quarter. Students can sign up for a lesson time at any time using the SignUp Genius linked on Schoology. During a summative lesson, students will demonstrate proficiency in a variety of content depending on the time of the school year. Content include - memorization of music (field show and spring parades), scales and patterns, rudiments (percussion).
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Rhythm Reading assignments (i.e. Sight Reading Factory).
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Final Drafts of Program Notes, Compositions, etc.
Some formative and summative tasks are graded with these rubrics:
Classroom Norms (Rehearsal)
Timely - Rehearsal begins 3 minutes after the bell
Present - Place your phone in the designated spot until rehearsal is over and be engaged in the rehearsal process
Prepared - Have your instrument, music, and mind ready for class
Organized - Keep your music folder and music locker or storage rack (in humidified room) organized
Rehearse to Improve - Participate with a growth mindset and strive to be successful in rehearsal
Supplies and Instrument Maintenance
Supplies Needed
Students will need their instrument, a pencil, and Chromebook (provided by the District) everyday.
Music will be provided and distributed to students in class.
Students should have rosin and an extra set of strings in their case.
Instrument Maintenance Tips
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Change your STRINGS once a year. Strings often go "bad" or "false" long before they break, and won't stay in tune. Need help? I would be more than happy to help you! Also, it is a VERY good idea to have a spare set of strings in your case at all times, just in case you break one in the middle of class or while practicing at home.
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Suggestion: a good brand of strings would be Pirastro, Dominant, or Helicore.
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- Your BOW should be re-haired once a year. If you are missing a lot of bow hair or the hair is black near the frog, it is in DESPERATE need of a re-hair. *If you need to have your bow re-haired, you can take it to either Voigt Music, Ward-Brodt Music or Heid Music. In some cases, buying a new bow is a great option too!
School Instruments
Renting an Instrument!
If you will be using a school instrument this school year, you will be charged an annual maintenance fee and must sign the maintenance agreement form. For cellos and basses, this fee is $75.00. Because of the increased cost of repairs, the expense for maintaining these large instruments cannot be absorbed by the HS Orchestra account. This fee is consistent with the other instrument maintenance programs in our district. The fee will be assessed for both students who use the HS instruments as their primary instrument (those who have no instrument at home), and those who use the school instruments as a convenience (those who don’t wish to bring their large instrument to school everyday).
The SHS Orchestra Department also has a small number of violins and violas available for rental. Typically rental from Ward-Brodt or Heid Music is encouraged for the smaller instruments, but please reach out to me if you would need one from the district. The fee to rent a violin or viola for the school year is $45.00.
Please sign and return the included H.S. Rental/Maintenance Agreement if you/your student plans to rent from SHS.
Instrument Rental Fee will be released through Infinite Campus in September.
If you are renting a school instrument, the following Instrument Rental Agreement MUST be completed and returned by Friday, September 22nd.
Student Section Leaders
If you have been a Section Leader in the past or desire to be one in the future, this information is for you!
- What is a Section Leader?
- Student Section Leaders may sit on the first stand of their section, but not always.
- They are often in charge of running sectionals and helping other members of their section with fingerings and bowings. I often go to the Section Leaders for their input and ideas concerning things that deal with the Orchestra class.
Does this interest you? Audition with part of your most recent solo piece, and a 2 octave D Major scale (Violin), or 2 octave G Major Scale (Viola, Cello, Bass) and email Ms. Lam to set up a short audition (15 minutes) during a lesson time on either Tuesday, September 12th or Wednesday, September 13th.
Concert Attire
Concerts in the music department are considered formal events and we wear appropriate clothing to reflect that. There are guidelines ALL students must follow in order to participate in the concerts. If a student comes to a concert in inappropriate attire, they will not be allowed to perform in the concert and points will not be earned.
Acceptable clothing for concerts:
- Tops:
- Long Sleeved Black Dress shirt (tucked in), school appropriate neck line
- Black dress shirt with ¾ length sleeves or longer, school appropriate neckline
- Neck tie or scarf/other accessories are optional (we'll choose an accent color as a class for each concert!)
- Bottoms:
- Black dress pants,
- Black dress or skirt (hem of skirt/dress MUST be to the knee or below while seated)
- Black dress shoes (no tennis shoes)
- Black socks
Clothing that should NOT be worn to a concert:
- Any clothing items that would fall outside of our school dress code - this is a formal event!
Practice
Practice is an incredibly important part of developing skills on your string instrument - you do not improve without it!
Students have opportunities to practice at SHS before or after school, during lunch, and during Study Hall ONLY with a pass from Mrs. Meyer.
We talk about productive practice in class - even if you only have 10 minutes to set aside, every bit of focused practice counts! Intonation and keeping a steady tempo are important - tuners and metronomes can be downloaded as applications on your phone or there are websites also. www.theonlinemetronome.com online(it has a metronome and tuner). There are resources on your class Schoology page also to work on practicing.
Forms to Return
To start the year off successfully, there are a couple forms you will need to complete!
Sign the Acknowledgment Form of all the information listed above.
This is due by Friday, September 6th.
School Rental Form (if renting a school instrument)
This is due by Friday, September 20th.
Orchestra Handbook Acknowledgement Form