May Update

Hello Canyon Grove Families!

As we near the end of the school year here are a few important items you should be aware of in relation to the music program: 

SPRING CONCERT
Who? All students in 1^st-8^th grades who are involved in music classes (which is practically everyone!).

When? Wednesday, May 18, 2016, from 6:00-7:30 PM. Students please arrive at least 15 minutes early! Instrumentalists will need to arrive 30 minutes early.

Where? Canyon Grove Cafeteria Stage

How should I dress? Students grade 1-4 should wear their best looking school uniform. Students grade 5-8: Boys--White collared top and black pants and black shoes. Girls--White blouse and black pants or skirt and black shoes. All clothes must be within the school dress code and ladies’ skirts should be at least knee length or longer.

Attendance is mandatory for students grade 5-8. This is because every student is needed at the concert! If they have a conflict, please contact me, but I will ask that they complete an extra listening report to make up for the lost participation points to be turned in by May 24th.

If you have questions or concerns, please visit the CGA music blog (cgamusic16.blogspot.com) or contact the music teacher, Mrs. Ormsby (rebekah.ormsby@canyongrove.com).


CONCERT/LISTENING REPORTS (due May 19th)
In addition to the concert, all students grade 5th-8th are required to complete one more Concert/Listening report. They are to either go to a concert or listen to an hour of music in their musical emphasis (band/orchestra/vocal). Then they will write or type a half-page report detailing what they listened to or watched and what they liked or disliked about it. There are a few links on the left side of the page for each emphasis if you are not sure where to look. 

AUDITIONS
If your student (grade 5-8) is interested in furthering their skills rather than repeating a beginners' class next year we are offering advanced music classes in each area: Show Choir, Advanced Band, Advanced Strings. All they have to do is complete a simple audition with me either during class, before school, or after school. 

The auditions include:
Show Choir--Sing a major scale (in solfege) and a short song of your choice. This can be a section of our concert music or another song that shows your singing ability.
Advanced Band--Play all 12 mini scales.
Advanced Orchestra--Play both the D and G one-octave scales and #66 and #67 from the book.

These auditions are to be completed by the end of the school year. Any new students to Canyon Grove will also have the opportunity during their first week at Canyon Grove to audition. 


Thanks for your support! My contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Rebekah Ormsby

April Update

Hello, it's me
You must be wondering if after all these months I'd like to write
To go over everything
That the students have been up to
since the day of Halloween

So hello from the other side!

What a year it has been so far. I got so busy working with the great students of CGA that this blog was put on the back burner. Well, I'm back!

Here's some of the successes you may have missed since I last wrote:
     -The Clothing Drive brought in over $800 which was put to use on servicing our piano and on concert music and materials.
     -We received two grants from DonorsChoose.org equaling about $1500 to buy materials for the program. We bought hand bells, music, bongos, a beautiful concert xylophone, and more. The students have loved the chance to use these materials!
     -The December concert went without a hitch. We utilized our new hand bells in one of the choir numbers and performed some of the new music for band and choir.
     -In March, the 7th/8th grade ensembles had the wonderful opportunity to share their talent with that of the Summit Academy Junior High School students in Draper. We performed for each other and learned a few combined numbers. It was an experience both schools will not soon forget!

This month in our ensembles we are focusing on concert music in preparation for the Spring Concert on May 18th. We have some fun selections planned ranging in music from Mozart to Lilo and Stitch. As part of the concert the younger students will also perform a few selections from Broadway.

On the 29^th, we will be doing an introductory assembly for all 4^th graders and their music options for next year. Summerhays will be bringing instruments to demonstrate to the students and if there is time the students will be able to try them out. We welcome any parents who would like to come! The options are choir, orchestra, or band. For orchestra and band, it is generally expected that students will provide their own instruments. Summerhays and other similar stores have good rent-to-own options for those interested.

Thank you for all you do to support CGA's music program!

October Update

These first weeks of school have been great! I have loved getting to know the students. This month the 3rd and 4th graders are gearing up to play recorders and the 1st and 2nd graders will learn more about the instruments in an orchestra. The choirs are starting to prepare for the Veteran's Day Assembly while the band and orchestra are making strides as they learn new notes and practice their rhythms.

The most exciting thing happening this month by far is the clothing drive. I encourage all who can to participate. Prizes will go to the students who bring in at least 5 bags, but any bit helps.  I have had questions about how we will get the money from the clothing drive. The company will send us a semi-trailer next week which we will fill with the bags of clothes. They then haul away the trailer to weigh it and will give us $0.15 per pound. The clothes will then be sold or re-purposed. This is a trusted company and I know other music teachers who also go through them. Several local stores have donated prizes for those who bring in the most bags and the money we earn will go to music and instruments.

Please contact me if you have any other concerns or questions about the drive.

Thanks to those who have stopped by during Parent/Teacher Conferences! I don't have many opportunities to meet you face to face and I love the chance to get to know you a little bit. Here's to a great month and year!

The Beginning of a New School Year

Hello! I hope you enjoyed your summer as much as me. The new school year is upon us and as much as we'd like to keep having fun in the sun, it's time to dust off that violin and your vocal chords and get ready to make music!

Let me introduce myself a little since I am new to CGA. My name is Rebekah Ormsby. I graduated from BYU in music education, and my instrument of choice is the bassoon.

The start of the year will bring fun and challenges for the students. These first couple of weeks will be a time of getting to know the students and their skills. The beginning instrumentalists will be making some of the first sounds on their new instruments while the more experienced ones will focus on the fundamentals along with the beginners. We will be using two time-tested methods books--Accent on Achievement and String Explorer--to give them a foundation from which we will jump into great music. In choir we will concentrate on ear-training and vocal technique in order to help them feel comfortable with their voices. With time the music will flow through them without strain.

I am excited to get to know these young musicians. It will be a great year for all!

Also, if any parents would like to volunteer and/or help start a parent organization for the music program, please contact me, and let me know your skills in music, if any. We will need all the help we can get to help this program climb to new heights!
     Type of help needed: piano player for choir concerts, help with the clothing drive fundraiser and setting up for concerts, volunteer in the class


Additional information for grades 5-8: 

Instrumental rentals can be made at Summerhays in Orem. Link is on the left to their website.

Music classes start Tuesday the 18th of August. If possible, please have orchestra and band students bring their instruments to school this first week so we can get started! 7th and 8th graders will need them Tuesdays and Thursdays; 5th and 6th graders will need them Mondays and Wednesdays starting the 19th.

Here is the list of materials they should have in class:

Choir

·         Pencil

·         Spiral-bound notebook and pocket folder

Band

·         Pencil

·         Instrument (with reeds, swab, valve oil or slide oil as applicable)

·         Your music folder (will be provided)

·         Method book: Accent on Achievement

o   5^th/6^th book 1

o   7^th/8^th book 1 and 2 (if far enough, will purchase book 3 before end of year; I will let them know when to start bringing book 2 so they do not need it right away)

Orchestra

·         Pencil

·         Instrument (with bow, cleaning cloth, rosin, chin and shoulder rest as applicable)

·         Your music folder (will be provided)

·         Method book: String Explorer

o   5^th/6^th book 1

o   7^th/8^th book 1 and 2