“Clef Notes” #2 – September 29, 2020 Abbreviated updates for WSHS Orchestra students and parents I continue to be impressed with the willingness of the orchestra students to participate in class through TEAMS. “Rehearsal” – which is what we all want to do – isn’t really possible through remote learning. However, the students have embraced the activities that we are doing – playing at home, playing with recorded tracks, demonstrating for the class when called on, and they are always ready to play when it's time for class. These are great kids! There are so many alternate activities that I could plug into our workload, and finding that balance between “new, cool stuff” and “Dr. Palmer, this is too much to do” is always the goal. Please feel free to contact me with any concerns, issues, or suggestions you have as we navigate through this year. 1. Parent-Teacher conferences are this Thursday afternoon, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. If you would like to schedule a conference, please email me at [email protected] . I can schedule a video meeting through TEAMS. 2. All assignments are posted in TEAMS. You can also view them on the Updates/Assignments page on our website. Grades are posted in Powerschool. Assignments in Boldface have been collected, graded, and posted. These are the grades that will be calculated for the first Progress Report. One warning: Since the Practice Plans and Project/Portfolio/Presentation have no grades yet, other categories and assignments are currently affecting the students’ grade more than they will at the end of the quarter. The most important thing is to make sure students are completing ALL assignments by the due dates! Homework (10%) • First Day email to Dr. Palmer, 8/31. • Practice Plans (the “homework” of orchestra). These cover 2 to 3 weeks of practice activities, with student-determined goals in three distinct areas: Technique, Repertoire, and Personal Growth. 1) Plan 1, 9/28 (yesterday, but extended to 9/29 due to a TEAMS outage); 2) Plan 2, 10/22; 3) Plan 3, TBD. Plan 1 will not be graded and entered into Powerschool before the Progress Report deadline of 9/30. Classwork (35%) • “With Nicky” Wednesdays. Video lessons with a Microsoft Form to submit. These are assigned on Wednesdays and due the following week. This series will continue after fall break. 1) Back to Basics 9/9; 2) Your Sound 9/16; 3) Vibrato 9/23; 4) Vibrato, part 2 9/30; 5) Equipment, 10/7. • Weekly Classwork Activity Grade. Cameras on! Instruments out! Play! 9/4, 9/11, 9/18, etc. Assessment (40%) • Playing Tests. (Flipgrid Fridays). Assigned at least one week before the due day. 1) 2 octave major scale 9/11; 2) Star-Spangled Banner 9/18; 3) A Major Scale & #83, 9/25; 4) A-flat Major Scale & Arpeggio, 10/2; 5) Rhythm Demo #6 10/9. • Concerts are usually part of the Assessment category. Of course, without concerts, Playing Tests take on more weight. It is crucial that students complete all playing tests! Class Participation (5%) • MusicTheory.net (Theory Thursdays). Access a MusicTheory.net activity and complete a Microsoft Form during class. 1) Key Signatures, 9/24. 2) Piano Key Recognition 10/1; 3) Piano Key Recognition part 2, 10/8. Project/Portfolio/Presentation (10%) • This is a stand-alone activity. The students chose one of eight options. A writing component is part of all of these activities. Due 10/29. There are some students who have not submitted their work for one or more of the boldfaced assignments. They have been notified through their SCS email account along the way. Late work is almost always accepted (for a reduced grade, of course) because I want the students to learn the material, and a late grade is always better than a zero. Please check Powerschool, TEAMS/assignments, our website, and contact me if you notice any inconsistencies. 3. Our Remind codes are: 6th period: @wshsorc6 7th period: @wshsorc7, and, for all parents: @wsorchpar. Text your code to 81010 or 901-881-9447. You may also register at “rmd.at/classcode.” You can send text messages to me through this service. You are welcome to sign up for your child’s class code, too. |
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