Throughout the school year, I take several pictures of students--during the first few weeks of school when the beginners are still plucking, once students have learned to hold their bow, concerts, Solo/Ensemble tours, etc. I like to display the pictures on the STAR Musician wall (see post here).
On the last day of orchestra, after students have tried out some pieces from their new summer packets, I give students a little photo memento. I order photos through Walgreens (waiting for a good deal to come up!), cut colorful paper in half, hand-write the following information on the back, and tape the photo to the front with double-sided scrap-booking tape.
Name, instrument
School name, grade
School year
Solo/Ensemble piece(s) and ensemble partner(s)
-My name
It's pretty simple, a little time consuming, but a nice memory for students of their year in orchestra.
