Beck JH Orchestra 2015-2016 Handbook ",,",. "! -Professor Dumbledore, from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K.Rowling Barb Nelsen, Director BarbaraLNelsen@katyisd.org 281.237.3407 (VM) 1 P a g e
Goals Our focus as an orchestra team is to continue to develop and improve. The Character Goal for this year is You Matter. We will work as an orchestra to continue to exemplify the expectations of excellence in every day, showcasing how each individual student contributes to the team. The musical goal this year is to be Fully Successful in our endeavors. We will work tirelessly to put forth our best effort for every practice and performance to excel and strive for greatness. Student Leadership The opportunity for student leadership this year will be expanded. Many students will have the opportunity to help the orchestra regularly, with setup and cleanup for performances, for daily class functions and more. Some students really look for extra chances to help out, these students can apply to become part of the 2015-16 Orchestra Leadership Team. These students will help plan social activities and more. Positions include president (8 th grade), class representatives, and Equipment Managers. 2 P a g e
First Years (FYO) The first year orchestra is comprised of 3 beginning or near-beginning classes designed for students with little or no previous musical experience on their choice instrument violin, viola, cello and bass. Students will have few afterschool responsibilities; regular home practice and additional rehearsals as needed to prepare for concerts and competitions. Students are encouraged to participate in the BECK ALL STAR ORCHESTRA in the spring semester. All students will participate in the BECK FYO RIBBON FESTIVAL and the KATY ISD FYO FESTIVAL. All students are encouraged to participate in our social activities planned throughout the year. Philharmonic Orchestra (Phil) The Phil orchestra is designed for students with at least one year experience on their instrument. This course is also designed to continue to develop fundamental technique and nurture ensemble skills. Students will have regular afterschool responsibilities; regular home practice, bi-weekly sectionals, and additional rehearsals as needed to prepare for concerts and competitions. Eligible students are encouraged to participate in the KATY ISD SOLO AND ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL. This orchestra will participate in UIL CONCERT AND SIGHTREADING contest in the spring semester. All students are encouraged to participate in the spring trip and all social activities planned throughout the year. These students are also encouraged to enroll in private lessons to further develop their skills and technique. Symphony (Sym) The Symphony is designed for students with 1+ years of experience on their instrument and is a competitive ensemble. Students are encouraged to participate in the TMEA All-Region Orchestra auditions process. Students are required to participate in the Region and Recreation Experience at CRHS before the Region auditions, and students are required to participate in Katy ISD Solo and Ensemble competition. This orchestra competes in the UIL CONCERT AND SIGHTREADING contest in the spring semester. Students will have required afterschool responsibilities throughout the year; regular home practice, afterschool rehearsals. All students are encouraged to participate in the spring trip and all social activities planned throughout the year. These students are also encouraged to enroll in private lessons to further develop their skills and technique. Chamber (Ch) The Chamber orchestra is designed for students with 2+ years of experience on their instrument and is a competitive ensemble. Students are required to participate in the TMEA All-Region Orchestra auditions process. Students are required to participate in the Region and Recreation Experience at CRHS before the Region auditions, and students are required to participate in the Katy ISD Solo and Ensemble competition. This orchestra competes in the UIL CONCERT AND SIGHTREADING contest in the spring semester. Students will have required afterschool responsibilities throughout the year; regular home practice, afterschool rehearsals. This orchestra is also featured throughout the year, including performing before the Beck Backstage shows. All students are encouraged to participate in the spring trip and all social activities planned. These students should be enrolled in private lessons to maintain their skills and further develop their technique. 3 P a g e
Equipment The following will be expected of all orchestra members: 1. Personal instruments (violin/viola) & binders should be placed in your storage area, aka cubby. After class, all instruments should be completely packed (end pins in and bows loosened) and stored in their assigned areas for safe keeping. 2. All instruments are to be in good playing condition. Proper maintenance is required. Leaving your instrument at the repair shop is not a valid reason for lack of an instrument. Most shops will provide a loaner instrument while ours is being repaired. 3. Students are expected to have rosin, shoulder rests, rock stops, cloths, sharpened pencils, good strings, etc. cellos and basses should have rockstops at all times. 4. All instruments kept in the orchestra room during the day mist have the students name clearly printed on the outside of the case. 5. Students are to purchase replacement strings immediately following a sting breaking. In an emergency, strings may be bought at school but must be paid for within 24 hours after receiving one. Lisle Violin, Sam s Strings, and Fishburn Violin shops can arrange to bring supplies you purchase to the school for no extra charge. Repairs String instruments are fragile. Keep your instrument in good repair. Carry extra strings in your case. Have your bow rehaired at least once a year. Instruments should not be put in repair without first being inspected by the director. Many times minor adjustments can be made by the director which may eliminate a trip to the repair shop. The choice of repairman for school owned instruments is as the discretion of the director. Please do NOT attempt to repair the instrument yourself. Realize that neglecting a repair may lead to long term damage and depreciation in the value of your instrument. 4 P a g e
Insurance Information PERSONAL INSTRUMENTS: It is highly recommended that all instruments be covered by the parent s homeowners or renter s policies. If coverage of the instrument on the policy proved to be cost prohibitive, there is a specific insurance available for a reasonable premium. It is also recommended that by the8th grade year, a student is no longer a beginner and should be playing on a first level step-up quality instrument. See the director for more info about upgrading instruments. ***SCHOOL OWNED INSTRUMENTS: All students using Katy ISD owned cellos and basses must pay a $100.00 maintenance fee. Full payment is due on Tuesday, September 8, 2015. Make your checks payable to Katy ISD Fine Arts Department. This fee is minimal, but necessary for the upkeep of the instruments. Please do not send payment until you receive the form from Mrs. Nelsen. Notebooks and Music Students will be given one three-ring binder and important papers for use during the year. Lost notebooks will be the student s responsibility to replace. If you have lost your notebook, it is in your best interest to replace it quickly. Notebooks left out in the room are the responsibility of the student. Replacement copies of music can be found on charmsoffice and/or school web. It is the student s responsibility to replace the lost sheet music on his/her own. Uniforms Students are responsible for obtaining the appropriate attire: Philharmonic, Symphony, and Chamber Orchestras follow these guidelines for formal wear: Boys: Black dress shirt with black buttons and black tux pants (can be purchased through Al s Formal Wear), Burgundy neck tie (supplied by Beck), Black socks and black DRESS shoes (provide on your own) Girls: Black dress uniform purchased through Southeastern Apparel. Black closed toe, full back dress shoe no more than 2 heel. All students have an informal dress code: current % Beck Orchestra t-shirt, blue jeans, sneakers. 5 P a g e
Classroom and Rehearsal Rules Student Code of Conduct applies, infraction of these rules results in appropriate consequences according to district policy. If an infraction occurs, the student(s) involved will complete a Behavior Response Form. This form will be taken home for parent s signature to be returned to school the next day. 6 P a g e
Concert Etiquette Audience Stay quiet during performance Applaud when the concert master walks the stage Applaud when the conductor has lowered their arms Help cleanup Performer Before Arrive 10-15 minutes before assigned time for setup/tuning Bring all materials Follow instructions from chaperones and teachers Be sure you have a ride home During Play your absolute best!!! % After Stay focused and enjoy the music! Help cleanup moving equipment an instruments, stacking chairs/stands o Café chairs stack in 12 s o Musician chairs stack in 4 s on the floor, or 20 on the cart o Music stands rack 10 per side (flip the lid and follow the feet) Practice Journals Students are expected to practice regularly. We are going to a new system that includes the online Music Prodigy account that each student will be given. The amount of minutes for weekly practice are in the following chart; however, students may have the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of skill/technique in part to compensate for a portion of the minutes. Each assignment will indicate details. First Years Performing Groups Minutes Grade Minutes 120 100 200 100 95 160 80 90 120 60 85 75 40 70 60 0 0 0 7 P a g e
Grading Policy 15% Weekly practice journals, Music Prodigy assignments, materials checks and worksheets 35% Playing and written quizzes, composition projects, rehearsal/sectional attendance 50% Playing and written tests, performances and clinics Orchestra retest policy: Should a student want to master an assignment, they need to live with their earned grade for a minimum of 24 hours before retesting to allow time for individual practice and growth. And, this retest must take place at least 3 days before the final concert or performance of that particular music. Any failing test grade will follow school reteach-retest procedures regardless of concert date to accommodate the six weeks average. Bonus/Extra Credit: Students who attend a college, semi-professional, or professional concert (with their instrument in performance), may add up to 2 points to their six weeks average. Students must turn in ½ page typed paragraph describing what they heard for full credit. Example performance groups include: Houston Friends of Music at Rice University, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Ballet Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera. Attendance Policy: If a student should miss a sectional, they should strive to attend another sectional within the same week. Or, to makeup the lost grade, students must video record their practice for the same amount of time; they may submit a CD, DVD, or USB. Academic Eligibility A student shall be suspended from participation in all extra-curricular activities sponsored/sanctioned by the school district during the six-weeks period following a grade reporting period in which the student received a grade lower than 70 in any class on their report card. This ineligibility begins seven days after the end of the six weeks period. Events affected bit this state law would include orchestra contests, solo and ensemble contests, region orchestra, and any off campus performance, field trip, or performance where admission is charged. Ineligible students are required to participate in on campus concerts where no admission is charged. An ineligible student may regain eligibility seven days after the grading period end or after the three week evaluation period if all classes are passing with a grade of 70 or higher. 8 P a g e
All Region Junior High Orchestras are made up of the finest junior high school students in the Houston area. Student audition each fall for a chance to perform with one of the two all-region orchestras. Those who are selected will rehearse and perform on a specified weekend of November and are featured in a special concert. This is an honor and an exciting experience for those participating. Even the students not selected will experience musical growth in preparing for, and participating in, a competitive audition. Katy isd Solo and Ensemble Contest is held annually each February during our solo/ensemble unit in orchestra. The contest provides an opportunity for each student to perform a solo and/or ensemble and receive a rating and evaluation of their performance. Those students that earn a Superior performance rating will receive medals. Performing Orchestra members are required to participate in this contest. Youth Orchestras Houston is home to excellent youth orchestra which provide students with a region orchestra level experience on a weekly bases. The Houston Youth Symphony (houstonyouthsymphony.com), and Virtuosi of Houston (virtuosiofhouston.org) are fine groups conducted by professional conductors and educators. A New youth orchestra is starting up in the Katy area! You may want to check out Katy Youth Symphony (katyyouthsymphony.org) which meets at Thompkins HS in Katy ISD. Students are encouraged to audition for one of these fine ensembles. Please visit the websites for more information. Private Lessons are offered by the Katy ISD Fine Arts Program to instrumental music students that are interested. Most of the lessons run through a high school nearby. These teachers dedication and service to our orchestra program is exemplary and worthy of your consideration. I highly recommend private lessons for all students. If you are interested, Mrs. Nelsen can provide you with a list of private teachers in the area upon request. Although your child receives valuable instruction in class, private lessons provides: 1. Students with an opportunity to deal with the unique challenges of the particular instrument one on one with an expert teacher. This will allow him/her to progress at their own level and all times rather than at the rate of the class. 2. Review and reinforcement of class assignments when necessary. 3. Earlier exposure to techniques such as vibrato, advanced bowing, shifting, and intonation. 4. Expanded opportunities for advanced solo and ensemble instruction. 5. Greater confidence in their individual performance because of the individual attention private lessons provides 6. Enhanced opportunity for success at individual competitions such as All-Region Orchestra, and Solo and Ensemble contest. 9 P a g e
CharmsOffice.com School code: BeckJHOrch Login: (student id use capital letter) MusicProdigy.com Practice and assignments. Students will login with email. Link to the class code to find assignments and practice sessions available to you. Many more details to come!!! Class codes: Chamber 694-656-1259 Symphony 482-577-1258 Philharmonic 414-632-1257 FYO Cello/Bass 786-791-1256 FYO Viola 929-180-1255 FYO Violin 736-112-1254 QR Reader App Be sure to have a QR reader. We will have digital concert programs online. They will be emailed out beforehand, but also QR codes posted around the concert hall for all others to download the PDF. You are encouraged to bring devices to concerts, however, please do keep them silent during performance. Thank you! 10 P a g e
Additional Links www.crhsorchestra.org www.violins.com (Lisle Violin Shop) www.fishburnviolins.com www.samsstrings.com www.sharmusic.com www.amativiolinshop.com www.jwpepper.com www.tmea.org WWW.RBCMusic.com www.utexas.edu/uil/pml www.menc.org and more!! 2015-16 Beck Orchestra T-Shirt $15 Supplied Equipment $10 Individual stocked Binder (1 black viewfront, pencil, worksheets) Class materials (method book, replace/cleaning ties, Pick-ups for tuners) Supplemental Music Prodigy account $20 KATY ISD is providing 40 logins, but we need another 100 logins for each student to maximize this neat practicing tool! Supplemental Guest Conductors/Instrumentalists $5 KATY ISD provides some funding for this incredible opportunity, however the funds do not cover guest clinicians for each group TOTAL $50 No student will be denied membership of the orchestra due to inability to pay the expense fee. Please consult with Mrs. Nelsen if you have a question or concern about the expense fee for 2015-16. BarbaraLNelsen@katyisd.org or 281.237.3407 11 P a g e
Orchestra Period: Name: Beck orchestra handbook Agreement form 2015-16 Please sign NEATLY and return this PAGE along with $50 Expense Fee (check payable to Beck Orchestra) to Mrs. Nelsen immediately. You will be asked to turn in another copy if not legible. I, (student s name), understand the expectations as lined out tin this orchestra handbook. I understand membership participation, in particular, in study, practice, rehearsal and concert attendance. I will do my best to follow the principles, rules and regulations indicated in this handbook Parents: I give permission to photography representative of the Beck Orchestra which may include my child. This photo may be used in a local newspaper(s) or webpage for publicity and recognition of honors achieved. Parents: I give permission to view PG rated movies during the 2015-16 school year for special occasions only (i.e. spring trip, fun nights, etc.) Private lessons: I am currently enrolled in private lessons with Mr./Ms. who can be reached at this phone number or email I am currently not enrolled in private lessons, but am interested in signing up or at least inquiring about lessons. I have no interest in private lessons at this time. Parent Helpers: I am willing to help out the orchestra and Mrs. Nelsen by any of the following when my schedule allows: Chaperone trips Plan fun activities I am an instrumentalist / vocalist and could perform (for class/ concerts) Assist with uniforms and/or fundraising Help with receptions after concerts Light filing/organizing/computer Building/assembly skills Student Signature: Parent Signature: Date: Please attach a check or money order payable to Beck Orchestra in the amount of $50.00 for student expenses for the 2015-16 school year. Contact Mrs. Nelsen with any questions or concerns regarding this fee. 12 P a g e For office use only: Paid amount: Check #: