In keeping with my theme of updating supplements to include audio files, here are the audio files for the packet of music that uses notes on the D string.
And here's the link to the original post about this packet of music.
Showing posts with label practicing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label practicing. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2018
D String Notes Packet--Audio Files
In keeping with my theme of updating supplements to include audio files, here are the audio files for the packet of music that uses notes on the D string.
And here's the link to the original post about this packet of music.
Monday, September 10, 2018
D Major Sheet: Audio Files for Accompaniment
After putting together the audio files for the Orchestra Expressions supplement, I thought this audio-file accompaniment would also benefit my second-year students, so I went ahead and typed up some Finale files to correspond with their first handout of the year (the D Major sheet). For the rounds, I created a solo version with piano accompaniment and then a round version with all string sounds. Some pieces were exported at different tempos (named either Andante, Moderato, or Allegro) to help students at different points in their learning.
Enjoy!
Monday, September 3, 2018
Orchestra Expressions Supplement: Audio Files for Accompaniment
To match up with the Orchestra Expressions supplement packet that I wrote, I whipped up some accompaniment parts on Finale and exported them as audio files. I'm hoping that students will find these pieces more attractive to practice at home when they have a piano part to play along with. Each track begins with the sound of a triangle to show the tempo and meter, and several give options for the tempo--either a slower practice tempo or one marked "fast!"
Enjoy!
Table of Contents to Orchestra Expressions Supplement Audio Files (with links)
Monday, December 11, 2017
Beautiful Bow Hold Bulletin Board
I had been wanting to create a bulletin board showcasing the bow holds of famous string players--and of my students--for a couple of years now and I finally made it happen this year. You'll see some pictures both before and after I added the student pictures. Students can check out some model bow holds and start to become familiar with the names of a few well known string players as well as feel recognized for their work on their own bow hold!
Musicians included:
VIOLIN
- Regina Carter
- Yehudi Menuhin
- Midori
- Julian Rhee
- Chauntee Ross
- Lindsey Stirling
VIOLA
- Yuri Bashmet
CELLO
- Yo-Yo Ma
- Steven Sharp Nelson
- Monique Ross
BASS
- Edgar Meyer (French bow)
- Esperanza Spalding (German bow)
Monday, November 13, 2017
Flashcards on Quizlet
After making paper copies of flashcards and seeing so many sheets in orchestra folders still not cut apart (thus, clearly unused), I went the digital route this year. On Quizlet, you can take existing flashcards and modify them for your purposes. Since I only have a free account (which means I cannot upload images), I used existing images of notes but organized them by instrument and string to get all the different sets that I wanted. I was unable to find an existing image for the viola's high E (4 on A) when I was creating these, so that image is missing. Oh well.
I do like that students do not need to be a member of Quizlet in order to access the content. There are also several options for studying and learning the material on the website including a timed matching game.
Here is the short explanation I share with students followed by the links to Quizlet (right-click on the link and open in new tab to keep this page open):
These links will take you to Quizlet, which should work on both computers and iPads. I recommend using the "Flashcards" option and the "Matching" game. Some of the other activities/games do not work so well (such as "Gravity") because you have to type up the entire answer formatted exactly as I did, with both the letter name and the fingering. Sticking to the "Flashcards" and "Matching" options will give you plenty of practice identifying the different note names and finger numbers!
Be sure to click on the link for YOUR instrument!
OPEN STRINGS
D STRING NOTES
A STRING NOTES
D and A STRING NOTES
G STRING NOTES
G, D, and A STRING NOTES
E STRING NOTES
C STRING NOTES
NOTES ON ALL 4 STRINGS!
D STRING NOTES
Hope this will save you some time! Feel free to make a copy for yourself and modify as you like!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Elementary Orchestra Solo/Ensemble, Part 2: Timeline and Documents
When planning out the Solo/Ensemble unit, I work backwards from the date of the festival itself. Since we meet for small groups only once a week, I really have to be mindful of the S/E timeline so students have enough time to prepare.
Saturday: Solo/Ensemble festival
1 week before: Tour day! Students perform for one classroom during their small group time. If there's extra time, we'll go to a second performance site like the office or special education room or music room. Students perform their solo pieces first, and we end with ensembles. Before the school day, I set up chairs for cellists and music stands outside the different classrooms so everything is ready to bring into the classroom for the performance time and all I have to lug around the school is my camera :) To get comment sheets ready for the Saturday festival, I use mail merge on Word to automatically add the headings (student name, piece, school, site, time, etc.) and print them on colored paper by school to enable quick sorting after the event.
2 weeks before: Dress rehearsal day! Students get in front of their small group, say their introduction, and practice playing through their piece(s) without stopping. I jot down final comments to help during their last week of home practice. I do not want tour day to be the first time students are up in front of an audience playing through their piece. I want them to get their jitters out of the way during dress rehearsal day and to make sure everyone has their introduction planned out. Any late S/E signups should all be in, so I put together the Saturday morning schedule and share that with students and families.
3-4 weeks before: Rehearse! During small groups, a big chunk of time is dedicated to rehearsing with students' ensemble groups. Students also figure out what they're going to say for their introduction, using the introduction template as a guide. I also send out a tour sign-up sheet (using Google Sheet) where teachers can choose a time that works best for them to have students come perform for their class.
5-6 (or so) weeks before: The last 5-10 minutes of small groups are dedicated to practicing individual parts of S/E pieces. I quickly go around helping students--especially in the area of rhythm--to hopefully make the first combined rehearsal with their ensemble go smoothly. The warm-up for each of these weeks gets a different emphasis, based on the different categories on the S/E rubric: rhythm, LH, RH, etc. This is the time when I tell students about the Saturday morning optional festival and send home the sign-up sheet for that. I remind students that everyone will go on tour during school, and then the S/E festival on that Saturday morning is a highly encouraged optional event. We briefly look over the rubric to see which areas the adjudicator would be commenting on.
- Letter/permission slip sample (Word document)
- Letter/permission slip sample (PDF)
- Online registration form template (Google Form)
- Rubric (Word document)
- Rubric (PDF)
- Updated rubric (Word document)--includes a category for body format instead of tone
- Updated rubric (PDF)
2nd week of unit: During full orchestra, students form their ensembles and fill out a planning sheet, indicating which piece(s) they're planning to learn. Every student turns one in, and there's a place to list a solo piece and an ensemble piece plus who is in their group. I type these up into one master list for myself to make sure everyone is accounted for. I talk with those students who signed up for just a solo to see if they also had an interest in playing in an ensemble and help set that up if desired. Repertoire choices may change over the next few weeks, but at least everyone is leaving class that day with an idea of which piece(s) to focus their home practice on.
1st week of unit: Explain what Solo/Ensemble is, hand out the list of choices plus additional repertoire, and give some time to try out options. I tell students that at the end of this unit we will be going on tour around school to perform our piece(s) for an audience.
This timeline covers roughly two months of school. During this time--especially at the beginning of the unit--we are focused on more than just Solo/Ensemble in orchestra, and this advance planning helps me to balance all different areas of what students are learning during this time.
See also:
Monday, February 15, 2016
Elementary Orchestra Solo/Ensemble, Part 1: Description and Additional Repertoire
For the elementary orchestra students in our district, we create our own Solo/Ensemble festival each spring. Since it's not an "official" Solo/Ensemble festival, we can create our own list of repertoire choices suitable for first- and second-year players and really customize the event to make it work for our students.
This is a big unit for us in orchestra, and it's a great experience for our beginners on many levels. They get to prepare a solo and/or ensemble (duet or trio for first-year students; up to a quartet for second-year students), so the outcome of this performance really hinges on how much individual effort each student puts into it. Performing alone is a really different feeling compared to performing as a full orchestra. During this unit, we take a look at the whole process of selecting and learning a piece, getting it ready for performance, and then performing it for an audience. Once students are in middle school and can participate in the "real" Solo/Ensemble festival, they already have an idea of what to expect.
Students take time to try out lots of pieces from the list of choices before settling on their repertoire, and I give time during full orchestra for students to form ensembles. They enjoy getting to play with students who play different instruments than them. The month before Solo/Ensemble, I form small groups based on S/E ensemble groups, which generally includes some mixed instrumentation. We do a dress rehearsal during small groups, where each student introduces what they're playing and something interesting about the piece or something to listen to or watch for, and this is when I do my formal assessment and give last-minute tips.
The next week during small groups, we go on tour around their school. I create a Google Doc with available times for teachers to sign up on, and then each small group gets to perform for one classroom. If it's a time slot I'm having trouble filling, we can always go perform for the people in the office. This is an authentic performance experience, as students get to experience what it's like actually performing for an audience. The audience members always have great questions for our performers afterwards, and it's built-in school-wide exposure for the orchestra program. I make sure to bring a camera and get pictures of each solo and ensemble performing to post in the orchestra room, and on the weekly orchestra newsletter.
Then, that Saturday is Solo/Ensemble. Since it occurs outside of the school day, not all students are available to participate. That's another reason we all go on tour at school--everyone gets to do that, and then the Solo/Ensemble festival is the icing on the cake. We alternate each year between the two high schools in town so students get a sneak peek at the music wings where they will be attending school in the future. Performers dress up, families are welcome to listen, and area teachers and musicians serve as our adjudicators.
Adjudicators fill out a rubric with comments for each set of performers, and they have a few minutes to work with each student too. These one-on-one teaching moments are so valuable for our students, and they really reinforce what we're working on at school too.
It takes a lot of planning to get all the registrations turned in, the schedule created, performance rubrics printed, the sites set up, all the instruments tuned etc. but I'm glad we do it.
Most students perform music either from their book or from this "Additional Repertoire" sheet. "Sweetly Sings the Donkey" is the popular ensemble choice with the beginners--they like the musical "hee-haws" in the last line :) The lyrics are: "Sweetly sings the donkey at the break of day. If you do not feed him, this is what he'll say: 'Hee-haw! Hee-haw! Hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-haw!'" Feel free to use or update these sheets to make them work for you:
Additional Repertoire (for first-year string players):
- PDF *
Contents:
- Can Can
- Frere Jacques (round)
- Cripple Creek (duet)
- Sweetly Sings the Donkey (round)
Additional Repertoire (for second-year string players):
- PDF *
- Old Joe Clark
- Lakota Lullaby
- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
- The World's Best Mother
[Alpha notation included at the end too]
* = updated January 2026 for clearer resolution
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
See also:
Monday, January 11, 2016
Practice Tips Bulletin Board
Here is a list of practice tips. The ones on the left are geared toward first-year players, and the ones on the right I have used with my second-year students. The first couple of beginning practice tips go up on the board early in the year; the bowing related ones come up when we start to combine the left hand notes with the bow. These give students a logical set of steps to take when presented with music that uses the bow and stopped notes. It is easy to forget how overwhelming this can be for a beginning string player, and these steps encourage students to break the music down into more manageable bits before putting it all together.
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