5th & 6th Grade Orchestra

!!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!

August, 2007

Dear Parents,

It's time again to get started with string lessons and rehearsals and I have some great new pieces for us to learn for our concerts this year!

Enclosed you will find the Fall Rehearsal Schedule, Events for the Year 2004-2005, and the 5/6th Grade Orchestra Registration Form. Please return the forms as soon as possible because I am preparing the binders with new music. Once I receive your registration form, I'll drop off the binder in your child's room. Also, if you are renting a school violin, viola or cello, please bring it to school and leave it in my room with their name on it. I will re-measure and re-assign instruments if needed. If you are moving to a larger instrument and need tapes put on, bring it to school and leave it in my office with a note telling me what you want done with your name on it.

I want to take a moment and share with you the many benefits your child will reap as he/she continues in the orchestra program. Orchestra literature is one of Western culture's great treasures. It provides a broader historical perspective than one finds in other instrumental literature. Playing a string instrument integrates a person's physical, intellectual and expressive qualities. This provides a very positive experience at an influential period in the lives of students.

There has been much publicity about recent research that indicates the powerful effect music can have on the intellectual and creative development of children. One noted author, teacher and musician Don Campbell, has written a book on "The Mozart Effect" which describes how children listening to the music of Mozart have increased verbal, emotional and spatial intelligence, plus improved concentration and memory. In an orchestra, students not only hear the music of Mozart, but they are actually involved in playing his music!

The opportunities for lifelong participation are numerous. For those who excel in musical ability, many colleges offer scholarships for string instrument players, even if they are not music majors. There are many community orchestras as well as countless church music groups. In addition to standard orchestra concerts, string instruments are also used in a variety of other entertainment settings. They often provide accompaniment for musical theaters, choral productions, jazz and country music shows.

Through participation in orchestra, students can experience an added dimension to their education. I encourage you to take advantage of this enrichment opportunity.

Please return the forms as soon as possible and as always, please call if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Laurie Busch
Elementary Orchestra Director
Elementary Music Department Head
Lincoln @ 553-2950 Voice Mail @ LN 553-2979
Hansen @ 553-2775 North Cedar @553-2810
eMail buschl@cedar-falls.k12.ia.us

*Students are able to play a string and band instrument in 5th grade and beyond. Some will choose to play 1, some 2 and others will choose to participate in Chorus also. All the music directors in the Cedar Falls Schools require practice and attendance at rehearsals and understand it could be very busy in your home at times. Please feel free to talk with us if you have questions about how things will work and know that Mr. Mackey, the vocal teachers and myself will work together to give your child the best musical experience!!