Spring Concert(s)!

Daytime concert at Berry Shoals

Monday afternoon, May 15, at 1:15 pm. 

Please come to school in concert dress.

Parents and family are welcome to attend.

Evening concert at Fine Arts Center

Tuesday, May 16, at 6:00 pm. 

Please be at the fine arts center at 5:30 in concert dress. 

Looking forward to the performances!!!

2017 Orchestra Sign Ups

We had our 4th graders from River Ridge, Reidville, and Abner Creek Elementary schools visit Berry Shoals today.  So excited to see all those future potential orchestra students in the audience.  We played some music for them and showed them our newest video.  Can't wait to meet my new musicians next week!

Sign ups are after school at Berry Shoals in the Orchestra room on the following dates:

Tuesday, April 18 from 3-6 pm

Thursday, April 20 from 3-6 pm

Spring concert(s)!

A friendly reminder that our daytime concert at Berry Shoals is tomorrow morning, May 9, at 9:30 am. Please come to school in concert dress. I will give you time afterwards to change if needed. 

Also, our evening concert remains on Tuesday, May 10, at 6:00 pm. Please be at the fine arts center at 5:30 in concert dress. 

Looking forward to the performances!!!

Orchestra Sign-Ups

The Berry Shoals Orchestra loved playing for the visiting 4th graders this week! We can't wait to see all of you at sign ups on April 25 and 28 from 3-6 pm. Come by the orchestra room to try out our instruments!

Parents, if you have any questions  about the program or rentals, don't hesitate to contact me.

Orchestra Performance Assessment

Friday is the big day!  I have created an itinerary for the day that will be available to students in hard copy if needed.

Performance Assessment Itinerary

The most important item right now is proper concert attire.  Please make sure your child shows up to school on Friday in black and white concert dress.  This is a large portion of our score and we want to make sure everyone looks uniform on stage.

Encourage your child to continue practicing, to eat a big breakfast on Friday (lunch will be late!) and don't forget to pack a bag lunch if you did not order a school lunch for that day.

Please let me know if you have any questions leading up to Friday!

After School Rehearsals Reminder

Don't forget our after school rehearsals for Performance Assessment begin this week!  Rehearsal schedule is as follows:

3-4:15 Thursday, February 25--UPPER strings only (violins/violas)

3-4:15 Thursday, March 3--LOWER strings only (cello/bass)

3-4:30 Thursday, March 10--FULL ORCHESTRA, preview concert to follow at 4:30 in the Cafeteria; Parents are invited to come watch the performance.  It will last no longer than 15 minutes.

Please return the rehearsal form ASAP so I know your children will be present at rehearsal.  We need every member there to be successful!

I will be sending home a permission slip soon for our travels to Performance Assessment on March 18.  As a general reminder, students will need to be in proper concert attire: white blouse/polo/button down; black pants/skirt; black socks/stockings; black shoes.  No jeans or t-shirts please.

Mark Wood is finally here!  Have you seen the write up in Escape?  Our very own District 5 Orchestra students will be on stage tomorrow night performing with one of the founding members of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra!

We are so excited about our field trip tomorrow, and in case your students haven't told you, they are receiving a FREE ticket to the concert Friday night.  All 5th and 6th grade orchestra students get in free with one paying adult (students are not allowed to be dropped off and picked up later).  Tickets are $8 if you reserve them through the Fine Arts Center today, and $10 at the door tomorrow.

If your family would like to use the free ticket, please have your child tell me tomorrow so that I can give them a ticket voucher.

Lastly, if you volunteered to chaperone for the field trip, I sent home a note with your child.  Just in case it gets lost in Backpack Cavern, here is the information:

Date of field trip: Friday, January 29

Time to arrive at school: 9 am if following bus            Departure time: 9:15 am

____ Ride on bus with students            _X_ Drive self to location/meet at destination

Destination: D5 Fine Arts Center

Role at destination: Keep students together; assist in seating students in auditorium; taking kids to restroom facilities if needed; monitoring for behavior during rehearsal; enjoying performance. :)

Technology Tuesday!

Happy (almost) Turkey Day, everyone!  I know I am looking forward to a much deserved break, but at the same time am wondering, "How much will my students really practice?"

I'm here to offer some technology tips for practicing at home over the break or anytime!

Problem #1: I can't remember my note names!

Solution: At www.musictheory.net students can access a multitude of music tools, of which my favorite is the note identification game.  I made a short tutorial on how to access and set up this tool.  Print off your best scorecard page after naming 100 notes or more and bring it in on Monday for a prize!


Problem #2: I'm not sure what my music should sound like!

Solution: Try www.jwpepper.com for access to recordings of our concert music.  Search by title and composer, then see if there is an audio icon.  Follow along in your music or pop in an earbud and try to play along!

Problem #3: I'm going too fast...or too slow...ok too fast again!

Solution: Though there are many similar websites, www.metronomeonline.com is free and easy to use.  I usually put an earbud in my right ear and keep the left one open for listening to my instrument.  Practice under tempo and then speed up quick passages gradually.

Problem #4: I want a nicer instrument/new shoulder rest/colorful case!

Solution: I do all of my music equipment shopping online, especially when websites are running specials for free shipping.  My favorite places to shop are www.sharmusic.com and www.swstrings.com.  questions about any items?  Their staffs are super knowledgeable, and I can always answer questions as well.  Plus, they usually run gift specials this time of year.

Problem #5: I'm BOOOOOOOORED!

Solution: Random Video (insert day here)!!!  Check out Mrs. Grant's Orchestral Entertainment YouTube playlist and keep yourself entertained for hours!  Find a video you'd like to suggest for Random Video Friday?  Send it to me via email or leave a comment on this post.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and I can't wait to see everyone refreshed and ready for our concerts!

Welcome back!

Back to school already? It's hard to believe the summer is gone, but I for one am VERY excited about returning to school. There are so many exciting events planned for this school year in our orchestra program. To stay up to date, make sure you subscribe to our blog. I will be adding  a calendar page to keep everyone in the loop. 

Do you have your instrument already? If not, be sure to make arrangements within the first week of school. Please consult me first if you are looking to purchase an instrument. 

As always, if you ever have any questions, email me, call me, or leave a message on a blogpost. I will make my best effort to answer your questions as soon as possible. 

See you at Meet the Teacher!

Evening Concert Reminder

Berry Shoals Orchestra Spring Concert

Thursday, May 21

D5 Fine Arts Center

Call time: 6:00 pm

Performance begins at 6:30 pm

Dress is concert black and white for performers

Spring Concerts and New Orchestra Students

It is once again concert time, and I am very excited about our upcoming performances.  We have a few things on our program that we have never done before at the Intermediate School level.  The students have been working very hard on their music and are ready to perform.

In order to help the high school out with their concert schedule, we adjusted our evening concert date.  I sent home an announcement flyer with this information a few weeks ago, but wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the change.

Our daytime at school concert is still May 18 at 1:15 pm.  Dress is concert black and white.

Our evening concert at the Fine Arts Center is now May 21 at 6:30 pm.  Please arrive at 6:00 for tuning and set up.  Dress is concert black and white.

As a bonus for my students, extra credit will be given to any student attending the Byrnes Philharmonic performance on Monday, May 18 at 7 pm.  Bring in a program the next day to receive extra credit.

To the newest members of the Berry Shoals Orchestra program, welcome!  We are so excited to have you join our family and we hope you can attend our spring concert to see what is in store for you in the future.  Please take this opportunity to subscribe to my blog to ensure you never miss a post!  Parents, if you have any questions do not hesitate to send me an email at kelsey.grant@spart5.net. 

Orchestra Sign Ups

Welcome future 5th graders!!!

Orchestra sign-ups will be held in the Orchestra room (203) on May 5th and 7th from 3-6 pm.  Bernhardt House of Violins will be here with lots of instruments to play.  Unsure which one you'd like to do?  Come try them all!  I will be here as well to answer any questions parents may have and to reserve your spot in the Berry Shoals Orchestra program.

Also, in case you missed it, here's our orchestra promo video:

Concert Festival Seating 2015

I have finished the seating for Concert Festival and it is posted here:
Concert Festival Seating 2015

A few notes about this round of seating auditions.
-If a student chose not to take the playing test, they received a 0 and will not be going on the Concert Festival field trip.
-If a student took and failed their playing test, they have two chances to improve their grade and be added to the Concert Festival seating list.
-To determine stand partners, the upper odd number sits with the even number below (ex: Chairs 1 and 2, Chairs 3 and 4, etc.)
-The scores this year were some of the highest I have ever recorded.  Nice work!  Very competitive.
-If there is an asterisk* next to your name, you will also be performing in the full orchestra piece (Mahler Symphony No. 1) in the spring concert.  Congratulations!

A note to parents:
We will be holding two after school rehearsals for concert festival in the upcoming weeks.  I will send home a letter on Monday with further details, but mark the dates Wed., March 18 and Tues., March 24 on your calenders.  Rehearsal will be at Berry Shoals from 3:00-4:30.

Any other questions, shoot me a message.  Have a great weekend!

Welcome back!

A heartfelt welcome to new and returning orchestra students.  I hope everyone's summer felt long and restful like mine did.  I am very excited to start this new school year and I can tell my students are as well!

I sent home a folder on Monday with your child that included the Orchestra Handbook, the Personal Shopper form, and for some, the Instrument Rental form.  Please have these forms turned in to me by Friday, August 22nd.

I have been working at updating the "Classroom Materials" and "Private Lessons" pages.  If you lose a form, you can print a copy from home to turn in at school.  Also, there are quite a few new private teachers in the area if you are interested in getting your child lessons.

As always, I am only an e-mail away, so let me know if you have any questions!

Rehearsal Date Change

Due to Berry Idol rehearsal, we have changed the date I originally posted for our dress rehearsal. 

Dress rehearsal for Concert Festival will take place on Monday, March 24 from 3-4pm.  We will perform a preview concert for parents in the cafeteria at 4:00pm.  Please come support your children as we prepare for Concert Festival and give them a chance to play our festival pieces for you.  The preview concert will last no more than 15 minutes.

This date is the same one shown on the field trip permission slip, but is changed from my original blog post last week.

Also, a link to the field trip permission slip which is due Monday, March 24:
Concert Festival Permission Slip

Concert Festival Rehearsals

Happy rainy Sunday to everyone!

With everything going on this week, here is a quick reminder about upcoming rehearsals for Concert Festival.

We will have after school rehearsal for the Concert Festival Orchestra on the following dates:
Monday, March 17
Tuesday, March 18
Tuesday, March 25

These rehearsals will be only for students in the Concert Festival Orchestra from 3:00-4:00 pm.  Please be at the school at 4 to pick up your child.  I would like to have everyone in attendance for as many of these rehearsals as possible.  I understand that afternoons are very busy in the spring, but these rehearsals are the only opportunities we will have to play together as a full orchestra before Concert Festival on March 26.

Also, the final copy of the seating chart for Concert Festival is linked below:
Concert Festival Seating Final

Everyone did a great job on their challenges; results were always very close.  Congratulations to everyone for their hard work.

Have a great weekend!

Concert Festival Seating

I have finished the seating for Concert Festival and it is posted here:
Concert Festival Seating

A few notes about this round of seating auditions.
-If a student chose not to take the playing test, they received a 0 and will not be going on the Concert Festival field trip.
-If a student took and failed their playing test, they have two chances to improve their grade and be added to the Concert Festival seating list.
-Chair Challenges will take place over the next two weeks.  Students can challenge the chair above them.
-To determine stand partners, the upper odd number sits with the even number below (ex: Chairs 1 and 2, Chairs 3 and 4, etc.)
-The scores for cellos and violas were the closest I have ever seen.  Nice work!  Very competitive.

Any other questions, shoot me a message.  Have a great weekend!

Video Submissions and Solo & Ensemble

SNOW!!!!

Hope you are enjoying it more than Everett is:

Playing tests for Concert Festival seating will start the day we eventually get back to school, but if you are able to record your test at home, that would be amazing.

Send me two emails, one for each playing excerpt, and title them with the name of the piece.  Take your time and record until you are happy with it.  You don't have that advantage at school!

Also, I will have Solo and Ensemble forms available to anyone who wants to sign up beginning next week both in class and on the forms section of my blog.  I need the forms and money back by Tuesday, March 4.  It will be held April 26 at Chesnee High School.  $5 per person per event.  Students may sign up for one solo, one ensemble, or one of each.

SC ASTA Violin/Viola Choir Workshop

We have an event coming up in February that is open to all 6th grade violinists and violists.  The SC ASTA Violin and Viola Choir Workshop is an optional opportunity for students of all ages and experience levels.  It is a day-long workshop taking place at Converse College on Saturday, February 1, 2014.  Students would participate in rehearsals, technique classes, master classes, and perform a group recital at the end of the session.  This is a unique event as students will be in classes lead by master clinicians with students from all over the state of South Carolina.

There is a registration form that must be completed and sent in along with the registration fee ($20 + $6.48 if eating lunch in the dining hall).  I have attached a PDF of this form as well as a link to the website for more information.

www.scasta.org

Workshop Registration Form

Winter Concert Seating Results

Here is the seating for the winter concert.

Winter Concert Seating