Newsletter, 10-17-21

Symphony Under the Stars is here!

Come see the orchestras perform this Tuesday, October 19 at 6:30 PM.  I think you will joy our selections, as we have a wide variety of different music.  There will be themes from master composers J.S. Bach, Jean-Joseph Mouret, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Jean Sibelius, and more.

Again, the concert will start at 6:30 PM.  We will hopefully conclude by around 8:30 PM at the very latest.  

Students must stay for the entire concert to receive their full concert grade.   Part of the experience is supporting each of the orchestras and fellow orchestra family members.

At the end of the concert, all students are responsible for putting away their instruments and also helping bring back music stands, chairs, stools, director’s podium, audio equipment, etc. before they leave. 

Pre-Concert Dinner

Our incredible AHSOA hospitality chair, Ms. Yoo, and our AHSOA board will be serving dinner to all interested students starting at 5:00 PM before the concert. 

MENU: 

  • Vegetable Fried rice
  • Chicken with veggies
  • Veggie dumplings
  • Veggie noodles

Students MUST RSVP  by Monday at 2:30 PM for our dinner using this form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCW-n0RfxNl7-oE7NBA1k_7B2vK34-3Gn_Ww_9fC3rFK_DvA/viewform

Grading for concerts:

1. Be on time.  6:00 PM report time.  (5:00 PM if you are eating dinner)

2. Come dressed (or changed into) in concert uniform.

  • Gentlemen:  BLACK Dress shoes and BLACK calf-height socks.  (No leg should be showing when you are sitting down).
  • Ladies: Black shoes and socks/tights/hose.  Your shoes should not be showing when you sit down, nor should any leg).
  • All students: Please bring a hoodie if you think you will be cold as the sun goes down.

3. Do your very best on stage!

  • When performing, students should have their eyes on the conductor at all times so they understand when to sit/stand/play.
  • Focus on the task at hand, not on the audience, friends, etc.
  • Phones should be off and NOT with you/on your music stand.  Please leave phones in your locker or stowed in your violin case.

4.  Be a good audience member. 

  • Phones should be off and stowed. You should not be using them during the concert.  Period.
  •  Full attention should be given to the performers.  Students should not be talking or moving around when other groups are performing.

5. Sign-out at the end of the concert

  • All students are REQUIRED to stay for the entire concert. This is part of the learning experience. Please do not ask to leave early, unless previously discussed.
  • All students are required to sign-out at the end of the concert to receive their full grade.
  • Sign-out sheets will be released once all equipment has been brought back to the orchestra room. Clean-up takes 10 minutes if EVERYONE helps. 🙂

Additional notes:  

  • Students are not allowed to roam the non-fine arts hallways or other parts of campus.
  • Students should be respectful of our equipment and facilities at all times.
  • Students who need to be excused from a portion of the concert (for any reason) should notify Dr. Laux in advance.

A few notes for Parents:  

1. We will be recording the concert using our wide-angle camera and good microphones.  Please refrain from making videos of the concert as it can be very distracting for our performers and other patrons. 

2.  Please bring a blanket, hoodies, cushions, etc. to stay warm and comfy during the concert.  It may get chilly as the sun goes down. Most audience members sit on the stairs leading down to the patio.

3.  Unlike indoor concerts, you may bring snacks/drinks to the concert, but please be sure to deposit all trash in the receptacles.

4.  There will be limited room for some (bring your own) folding chairs in front of the orchestra or at the top of the stairs.

Reminders for next week’s KSU Trip

(This is for all orchestras except Concert)

  1. Permission forms (signed by parent/teachers) are due to Dr. Laux this week.
  2. $10 lunch fee is due now.  Bring in cash/check to the dropbox or pay online with PayPal at https://www.alpharettaorchestra.org/paypal
  3. We will be missing ALL DAY of classes on Friday, 10/29.  Please plan accordingly. We will be back for the Homecoming football game.

KSU Itinerary: 

Friday, October 29, 2021

  • 8:10 AM – Leave AHS for Kennesaw State University 
  • 9:30 AM – Philharmonia warm-up
  • 10:15 AM – Philharmonia performance 
  • 11:00 AM – Sinfonia warm-up
  • 11:45 PM – Sinfonia performance
  • 12:15 PM – Lunch at KSU dining facility, “The Commons” & Campus Tour
  • 1:45 PM – Symphony warm-up
  • 2:15 PM – Symphony performance 
  • 2:45 PM – KSU Symphony Orchestra’s Performance
  • 3:30 PM – Leave KSU for AHS
  • 4:30 PM – Arrive back at AHS

Reminders, 10-8-21

Today is Photo Day!

All students must bring their instrument and UNIFORM for their orchestra photos today! Each orchestra class will have a group photo and headshot taken.  Seniors and Leadership members will be given passes to excuse them from advisement for their group photo as well.

Be a “Friend of the Orchestra”

Just a reminder that the Alpharetta High School Orchestra Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization that supports the students within the AHS Orchestra program. Your donations are greatly appreciated and are fully tax-deductible. Gifts made by this Sunday, October 10 will be listed in our upcoming AHSO program book. Gifts made after Sunday will be posted on our website and listed on the concert program insert page.

The online donation form can be found here!

Program Book Ads – FINAL CALL!!

This is the final call for program book advertisements! 

Do you want to feature your very special string player in our annual program book?  Take out a personal ad!

Do you have a business you would like to promote or know someone with a business?  There are business ads available starting as low as $20.

Check out our program book page to learn more and complete an order form.

If you need help creating an ad, I’ve uploaded some downloadable PowerPoint templates to the webpage that will allow you to create an advertisement with the correct dimensions for a business card, quarter page, half page, or full page. 

The deadline for all program book advertisements is this Sunday, October 10!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Dr. Laux
[email protected]

Newsletter, 10-7-21

Photo day Friday (tomorrow!)

All students will need to bring their instruments and uniforms to school this Friday.  We will be taking group photos for our program book and individual headshots as well.

That being said, if you have not paid for your uniform, please do so ASAP.  You can bring in a check payable to AHSOA or pay online at https://www.alpharettaorchestra.org/paypal

Homecoming Court

Congratulations to AHSO members Henry H., Austin H, and Jenna J. for being nominated to the 2021 Homecoming court!  Please vote for them!!

Fall Concert

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, our Fall Concert is now Tuesday, October 19, and will be held outdoors.  We will need to start at 6:00 PM to ensure that we have enough light.

Fingernails!

We are having issues with many students having long fingernails or artificial nails.  Long fingernails prohibit students from using the proper left-hand technique.  For accurate intonation (playing in tune), the fingertips are used, however, with long fingernails, students are unable to play properly and it impacts their finger agility and their sound suffers.

The comparison I like to make is by asking students if they would consider running a race or playing a sport in high heels or dress shoes. Playing a string instrument requires quite a bit of agility of the left-hand fingers and it’s hard to be agile with long nails.

I highly recommend purchasing fingernail clippers and keeping them in your backpack or violin/viola case.

Please feel free to decorate your fingernails, but please keep them trimmed.  Thank you for your attention to this matter.

long nails and string playing

All-State Auditionees

Details for All-State will be released today, but please know that your audition videos (round 1) are due by October 13.  Be prepared!  Details coming soon…

KSU Orchestra Invitational

All Philharmonia, Sinfonia, Symphony, and Chamber students have received a permission slip for the orchestra invitational trip on October 29.  This should be signed by the parent and each teacher and returned to Dr. Laux by October 22.

KSU Lunch

For lunch on our trip, we will be eating at the legendary KSU Commons. Please bring in $10 cash or check to AHSOA or pay online at https://www.alpharettaorchestra.org/paypal

Washington D.C. Trip

We would LOVE for your to join us on our tour to Washington D.C. in March 2022!  Please use this link for more information and how to register to travel with us!

Alpharetta High School Orchestra