!!ALL-CITY ORCHESTRA INFORMATION!!    Dear 4th-6th Grade Students and Parents, On Monday, April 7th, all string students in grades 4 through 12 will be involved in the All-City Orchestra Festival held at the Cedar Falls High School.  The concert will be in the High School Gym at 7:00 p.m. In the afternoon on Monday, April 7th, they will all rehearse at the high school, so students will need to bring their instrument, wire music stand and music to school that day. *Bass & cello players see below.  Busses will transport the students from their school after lunch at 12:30 to the high school, then back to their school about 2:15. Students are asked to be at the high school that night at 6:20 p.m. to get their instruments tuned and get seated and ready for the concert.  The one-hour program begins at 7:00 p.m., and is free.  Students will need to wear nice dress-up clothes for the evening concert.  The program will be videotaped and shown on CFU Cable Channel 15.  Check your local listings for the dates and times. It will be on CFU Channel 15.     4th grade music repertoire:    5-6th grade music repertoire:     Twinkle, Twinkle                     Crossing Pirates Cove     Mississippi Hot Dog                 Dance of the Tumblers     French Folk Song                    America the Beautiful       Go Tell Aunt Rhody         Allegro     America the Beautiful  (finale piece with 4-12 gr)         Please bring the following:     Instrument & Music     Folding wire stand (with your name on all parts)     Book (to read while you are not playing at the rehearsal)                                 Water bottle (if it’s hot) Please call if you have questions.  See you at the concert! * Bass & cello players will need to have their basses dropped off at the high school gym on Monday morning, anytime between 8-10:30 a.m.  They may keep them at the high school between the rehearsal and the concert, but will need to bring them home after the concert.

August 22, 2007

Dear Parents,

The Cedar Falls Community School District is pleased to be able to offer beginning strings instruction to students in the 4th grade this year. Orchestra lessons will meet during the school day and will be free of charge. They will also have the opportunity to play in a large group orchestra with other beginners, second semester.

Learning to play an instrument and belonging to the school orchestra opens up a whole new world of friendship and fun. The opportunities for playing a stringed instrument after high school are abundant, with many universities offering scholarships just for orchestra participation. Orchestra provides a great foundation for your child in all aspects of life. In addition to music, students learn self-discipline, group cooperation, problem-solving, goal-setting, self-expression, memory skills, concentration, poise, enhanced physical coordination, high self-esteem, and the importance of teamwork-skills in great demand in almost every aspect of life. Like all the arts, music has a profound effect on the academic success of students as well.

Today I spoke to the 4th grade classes about joining the orchestra program. They also had a chance to play a violin, viola, cello and double-bass, to get an idea which instrument would be best for them to learn. Please talk with your child about what he/she learned about the program. I marked the recommended instrument and the size on the attached sheet. In most cases, every child will be able to learn their first choice with the exception of the double-bass. This instrument, which is very important to the orchestra’s sound, has some special requirements. If you would like to play the bass, you should consider the following:

*You will need a car that can transport the instrument to and from school once a week; a student will not be able to carrying it back and forth as it is hard on the instrument.

*You will need to have physical strength in the hand’s and arm’s. (Or at least be willing to work on it.)

*Have a sincere desire to play the bass & commit to the full year. (And hopefully, beyond!)

The school owns a limited number of basses (you cannot rent from the music store), so when we meet we can discuss the possibility of playing this instrument. Since there are so few instruments available, and the bass provides the foundation to the orchestra, I want to choose the players carefully. Please discuss the importance of the bass with your child.

If your child wants to try another music group (band/chorus) in 5th grade, they are still encouraged to try orchestra this year. You never know when something will click and it may just be the highlight of their life. All students are able to continue with a band & orchestra instrument in 5th grade and beyond. Some will choose to only play a band instrument, others only a string instrument, and then there are some who will do both with the addition of chorus! All of the music directors require practice and attending rehearsals and understand it could get very busy in your home at times. As I’ve mentioned above, there are so many studies that show that kids that are involved in music improve greatly academically as well as enhance their personal lives and others in their family.

If your child plays piano, I highly recommend they still try a string instrument, as the musical notation is the same and these students usually do much better on the string instrument.

A limited supply of school instrument are available, however, they are not always in the best shape. Your first option is to rent through a music store if you are choosing a violin or viola. Check the prices, they are really not too bad for string instruments and they’ve ordered some new instruments over the summer. Violins/violas will run around $20/month. Cellos run around $25/month. I do have several 1/2 size cellos, but none in the 3/4 to full size to rent this year. Part of the responsibility of being a musician is taking care of the instrument. Having an instrument that is in good working order, will make THE difference in your child’s learning. You could make a comparison to a teenager learning to drive a car with brakes that are not working. It would cause tremendous stress on the driver, not to mention other people on the road and, you, the parents! String players will be taught the proper way to handle, care for and play the instruments in the first week, and I will continue to remind them throughout the year. Since they are made of wood, there is some natural wear and tear on the instruments. If it is a school instrument, the school will take care of the repairs to the best of their ability, but if it is obviously something that was the result of a lack of care or reckless behavior, the student will have to pay for it. If it is rented from a music store, they have an insurance plan that takes care of the major repairs that is not expensive at all. Please understand that there may be some repairs needed throughout the year on school or music store rentals, and they will have nothing to do with your child’s care. Like I said, there is normal wear and tear, so please let me know if there is a problem so it can be taken care of quickly. If it is a music store rental, then bring it in as quickly as possible and ask for a loaner. If they don’t have one, please check with me to see if there is one available to use. Loosing valuable lesson time is worse than having to do the actual repair.

Some parents are reluctant to have their child begin a string instrument because they know nothing about them. I applaud your desire to be a part of your child’s musical experience, but you don’t have to know anything in order to help your child learn an instrument. Setting up a regular practice time, encouraging and motivating your child, making sure he/she has the instrument and other materials at all lessons and signing the practice record each week, will make a HUGE difference in their success. Another thought is to have your child help you learn the instrument. They could be the teacher at home, and this way it reinforces what they’ve learned in school.

After you have read everything, and you have questions regarding the 4th Grade String Program, please call me. I will be happy to take the time to make you and your child feel comfortable!

Ms. Laurie Busch

Cedar Falls Community Schools
Lincoln @ 553-2979
Elementary Orchestra Director buschl@cedar-falls.k12.ia.us
Elementary Music Department Head

Keep this for your calendar at home!
4th Grade Orchestra
Schedule Of Events

Week of 8/27
Parent meetings at Lincoln School on Tuesday and Thursday, 6 @ 6:30 PM.

Week of 9/4
In-Put Conferences at each school- parent and child.
Then materials are obtained.

Weeks of 9/17-28
Lessons begin in school.
A schedule will be sent home telling you what day you will have to bring your materials. Throughout the year, the classroom teachers & I try to re-schedule during the day if possible, if there is a conflict with the lesson because of a school event. If your child will miss a lesson due to a doctor appointment (or other), please let me know so I can re-schedule them also. Having their materials at every lesson is imperative.

TBA
4th grade REHEARSAL (in preparation for the All-City Concert 4/7/2008)
Parents will be responsible for dropping them off at Lincoln at 7:15AM. Rehearsal will end at 8:30AM and a
bus will take the North Cedar, Hansen and Orchard Hill students back to school in time for classes.

4/7/2008
In-School REHEARSAL (in preparation for the All-City Concert that evening.)
Chaperones are needed to ride the bus to and from each school from 12:30-2:30PM.

Please let Ms. Busch know if you would like to volunteer.

4/7/2008
All-City Orchestra CONCERT at 7:00 PM @ CHFS Gym for grades 4-12. This concert will be videotaped and aired several times on the CF Cable Access Ch. 15.
(More info will follow.)

5/6/2008
May Concert at 7:00 PM @ Lincoln School for grades 4-6.
HN, LN, NC, OH string students.
(More info will follow.)

Return this form to Ms. Busch ASAP
4th Grade Orchestra
Registration Form

Student Name:
School:
Classroom Teacher's Name:
Parent's Name(s):
Home Phone:
Work/Cell/Mom:
Work/Cell/Dad:
Email address: (please print clearly)
Is this a work or home email account?
Do you check this account? YES NO
(Is it a good way to communicate?)


My child wants to play the: (Please circle)

VIOLIN VIOLA CELLO DOUBLE-BASS*



I have signed up for an in-put conference with Ms. Busch and my child on the following date/time:

______________________________________________________________________


I have been playing the (please circle) violin/ viola/ cello/ bass for 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6 years, (please circle again) and can read music fairly well. I am interested in playing in the 5th & 6th grade Orchestra in addition to playing with my friends in the 4th gr. Orchestra Program. Please call Ms. Busch if you have questions about your child’s ability or for the schedule of events for that group.





Please take this to the music store!
4th Gr. Orchestra
Materials Needed for Class

An instrument may be obtained from any of the stores listed below:

Kephart’s Music Center West Music Company
120 E. Water Street 6322 University Ave. Decorah, IA 52101 Cedar Falls, IA 50613
1-800-369-9633 277-1000


You should obtain the following for your child:
An Instrument:

Violin Viola Cello Bass

Violin Size 1/4 1/2 3/4 4/4
Viola Sizes: 12" 13" 14"


New Directions for Strings Book 1 The book is green, tan and black.CD’s are included. Make sure it says the correct instrument on top of the book.

A folding metal music stand for practice at home.

A soft cloth to clean instrument. THIS IS A MUST!!! Please make sure this is in the case from the beginning with all the other supplies at the beginning of the year.

Rosin Should come with rental of music store instrument.

For basses: Get"Pops"Bass rosin.

Shoulder Rest: For violin & viola only.

Purple/blue sponge for 1/4, 1/2 size violin/viola, comes with the instrument rent. For 3/4 and 4/4 size you will need either a Kun or Viva shoulder rest.


Cello Stop For cello only. Do NOT get the black, round rock stop; doesn't work well.

Bass Stop For bass only. Do NOT get the black, round rock stop; doesn't work well.

HOW TO MEASURE FOR A VIOLIN The best way to find out what size violin you need is always to ask your teacher or anothr violin professional. If you for some reason have to decide what size you need on your own, here are some helpful hings: HOW TO MEASURE WITH AN INSTRUMENT The student should hold the violin playing position, supporting the instrument with their chin on the chinrest. Then reach out the left hand and grasp the scroll. If the palm and fingers of the left hand are able to comfortably cup the scroll of the violin, without stretching and while bending the elbow slightly, you have found an instrument of the right size. HOW TO MEASURE WITHOUT AN INSTRUMENT Let the student extend their hand fully. Place a yardstick or measurement tape on the shoulder against their neck- just where the edge of the violin hits the body when you play- and measure from the neck to the middle of the palm. Violin Size Arm Length in inches Approx. Age 1/16 14"-15 3/8" 3-5 years 1/10 15 3/8"-16 7/8" 3-5 years 1/8 16 7/8" - 18 1/2" 3-5 years 1/4 18 1/2" - 20 3/8" 4-7 years 1/2 20 3/8" - 22 1/4" 6-10 years 3/4 22 1/4" - 23 5/8" 9-11 years 4/4 (Full size) 25 5/8" 12 years to adult