2006-2007
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Table of Contents
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Welcome
to all parents and students in the new school year. I wish you and your
children nothing but the best year in orchestra. I promise to do my best in
communicating everything that will be expected, and any problems that may
arise before they become an issue. I wish all of you a wonderful year, and good luck.
Sincerely, |
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¦ Respect ♫ I will give respect to other classmates and their equipment by not laughing when someone makes a mistake, and being careful when around their instrument, and my own. ¦ Responsibility ♫ I will be responsible to make sure that I practice, that I bring my instrument and music to class, and that I remember to turn in assignments. ¦ Open Mind ♫ I will have an open mind and try something before I give an opinion ¦ List of Do’s and Don’ts ♫ I will not use the words “I can’t,” I’m not good enough,” “He/She’s better than me,” it’s too hard,” and “I’m never going to get this right.” ♫ I will remember that “nothing is right the first time,” that “practice makes perfect,” “Try, try, try again,” “I can achieve” “My best IS GOOD ENOUGH!” ¦ Trust ♫ I will learn to trust myself and believe in my own potential ¦ Improvement ♫ I know that I will continuously strive to improve and I will get better. ¦ Music is Fun. |
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Instrument – must bring every time Case for instrument Pencil (2) Cleaning Cloth Rosin for your instrument Your own book– must bring every time Shoulder Pad (if necessary) Manuscript paper (later in the year) Spare Strings |
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Your instrument is your responsibility. You will need to clean off the fingerboard and bow at least once a week, and clean off the strings before it gets put back in the case. Instruments are fragile and can be broken just by accidentally hitting a wall or a chair, be careful when walking by only holding it by the neck or for violins and violas under the arm, and cello or bass cradling it sideways under the arm. Loosen your bow until the hairs start to separate before putting it away in the case. Always set the violin/viola down in its case when leaving or even when writing something (it can easily fall off your lap), and set the cello/bass on its side (not leaning against the chair). Do not ever shake the instrument as this action could cause the sound post to come loose making the instrument non-playable. NEVER repair the instrument yourself. Always bring it to a professional or to me. If it is a small repair (strings, bridge, chin rest, etc…) I can do that at no cost, for larger repairs it will need to be done by a professional. |
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Practicing is an everyday experience, kind of like brushing your teeth. If you only do it once a week it’ll work for a while but it does eventually catch up with you. It is best to pick a time and schedule practicing into your daily routine. Regular practicing is the best way to improve on a regular basis. If you practice mon-fri you will fulfill all required time for this class, feel free to take one day and rest your brain. Music is not only physical, but extremely taxing on the brain, so make sure to take the breaks and have them timed. When you practice, start with the technique exercises, and then move onto intonation. Go through the exercises at a slow pace so that you can get it right. You don’t have to get through it 20 times and call it good, if you can only do it 5 but those 5 are right then you are doing well. Correct practicing is more important than the amount that you practice, and doing it in a slow manner is acceptable. Practice for no more than 10 minutes and then take a 3 minute break, continue this method till the required time is complete. |
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Example: Practice Report: Name: ________________ Date: ___________________
What Technique did I practice? _________________________________ What Exercises in the book did I practice? ________________________ What Music did I practice? ____________________________________
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Practicing
-----------------------------------------------15 Assignments and Projects --------------------------25 Playing Tests -------------------------------------------15 Participation/Instrument/Material care --------10
Total ----------------------------------------------------100
Your child only has to get a 90% to achieve an A, an 80% to receive a B, and so on. No late work will be accepted. Each section works as follows.
Practicing: Please refer to the section on this topic Concert Attendance: You must attend one choir and one band concert, and write a one page report, see below. You must attend every concert unless prior arrangements are made with me. Concert Reports: Write a report on the music you heard, how you did or did not like it, and why. Talk about the instruments used, and whether they did well or not. Personal Reflection paper; 1 page; double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman/Calibri font. Assignments and Projects: Grade based upon outcome, effort, and objective reached Playing Tests: It will be graded on progress not perfection. However, I do have high standards and expect improvement constantly Participation/ Care of Instrument and Materials: Come to class prepared, participate in all activities, and do not distract other students and it will be full points for the day. I give fill points when you arrive, it is your job to keep them. |
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This is mandatory. You must be at each and every one of your assigned concerts unless worked out with me prior to that evening. Failure to be there and not making up the points will result in receiving a grade no higher than a B for the term (you must have %100 on all tests/assignments to receive a B). You must also attend one choir concert and one band concert and write up a one-page report to be turned in the following week. |
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(These are Tentative)
Nov – District Strings Festival – Fall Concert Dec – Concert @ Corona (7-8) Jan – District festival concert March – 6th grade concerts (Each School) – Tour for 7-8th grades April – concert for all grades May – Composition Concerts (Each School) |
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Girls: ALL BLACK! NO EXCEPTIONS! A shirt with a sleeve at least to the middle of your upper arm, it must cover your midriff when you touch the floor and raise your arms above your head. The skirt must come to the bottom of the knee and no higher, it can go all the way to the floor if desired. Cellists may wear slacks if they so desire. Shoes can be open toed. No excessive colored hair pieces or excessive jewelry.
Boys: ALL BLACK! NO EXCEPTIONS! A button down shirt, slacks, black socks, black shoes |
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All assignments will be in Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spaced, and at least 3 paragraphs. No late work accepted. Name, class, and date in the left-hand corner, next a centered title, and then only 1 line in between title and essay. Title may be in size 16 font. |
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my website address is http://www.kyrene.org/staff/switbeck/index.htm it contains a copy of my handbook, calendar items, assignment outlines, grades, and other links. The other links tab is under construction but at the moment contains links to local music stores, Orchestras, and assignment helpers. If you know of any really useful links that are not there feel free to email them to me so we can all enjoy. |
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Orchestra shirts this year will be a lime green and will cost $10. These shirts may be worn @ the composition concert at the end of the year and will be ordered in September. Orders must be prepaid. Reminders will be sent through email. Tour Shirts will be lime green as well with the Stickman on the back again, included in your tour cost. |
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Grades can be viewed online by going to my website and clicking on the bottom link on the right-hand navigation bar. On the following page on the left enter your last name and your student ID #. If your ID is only 5 #’s add a 0 at the end because all passwords need to be 6 #’s. You will see your progress report and all entered grades. Grades will be updated onto the website every 2-3weeks |
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I (Parent’s Name) do hereby understand and give permission to Sara Witbeck in the Kyrene School District #28 to touch (Student's Name) for educational purposes. Acceptable and expected areas are from the tip of the fingers through the shoulder, the back, the abdominal area, from the knees down, and their head. Signature _________________ Date ________________
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We the Student and the Parent have read this handbook and do hereby state that we understand the information it contains and will keep and use it as a reference for the future.
Parent______________________________ date_________ |