We are halfway through the school year! It is really hard to believe. I want to express my gratitude to all of my students! You make coming to “work” not really work! I appreciate you all!
Thank you to all of our amazing orchestra parents for their support, especially our AHSOA board for going above and beyond to help provide the best experience possible for our orchestra students.
I want to wish all of you a happy holiday season and a safe and relaxing break. I’m looking forward to 2022 and next semester!
Here is our news…
Winter Concert Wrap-up
Well, that’s a wrap! What an amazing Winter Concert the students presented last week. I am so proud of each orchestra and the progress they have made this semester. It has been fantastic being able to make music with them daily and face to face. I’m excited for where we are heading!
Winter Concert photo/video request
If you have videos or photos to share, please share them with my Google account at [email protected]
Band Concert
Congratulations to the AHS Symphony Orchestra for their amazing second performance last night at the AHS Band concert. This was the first time they have performed at the band concert and it was nice to be able to present our orchestra to the band parents and community.
“Secret Santa” Gift Exchange
We had our gift exchange this morning, and it was a lot of fun seeing everyone interact. This year we decided to mix classes and allow students to get to know some people from other ensembles. It was a great way to bring in the holiday season and get ready for break! Check out our Instagram for photos!
Holiday Gifts – an app!
Consider “gifting” my favorite metronome/tuner app – TONAL ENERGY. It’s under $5 and is an amazing tool that every musician should have.
Great news! None of our orchestra students will need to report for final exams!! Students can enjoy their extra three days off!
LGPE
Our LGPE is “Large Group Performance Evaluation” and essentially our orchestra’s “standardized test” each year. Some time the week of February 14 at Roswell High School, each of the orchestras will perform for three judges who will evaluate us using a standard rubric. Each orchestra will receive scores based on their performance and must also sight-read a piece for a score. We will be working hard in January to prepare for this performance.
Our Pre-LGPE concert will be on Thursday, February 3 at 7:00 PM in the Auditorium. This will allow us the opportunity to perform our LGPE selections and then have a few weeks to make some tweaks and changes before the actual event.
Our winter concert is here! Come listen to the AHS Orchestras this Thursday at 6:30 PM for our first concert in the AHS Auditorium since December of 2019!
Joining us will be members of the Webb Bridge and Hopewell Middle School 8th grade Orchestras. We are excited to welcome our future Raiders to the building.
Students, remember in order to earn your full concert grade you must adhere to these guidelines:
Arrive to the orchestra room on time. Call time is 6:00 PM for those not eating dinner and 5:00 for those participating in our pre-concert dinner.
Be dressed in proper orchestra uniform, including black socks and shoes.
Do your best on stage, remain focused throughout the performance
Be a respectful audience member when not on stage performing.
Cell phones are not allowed in the auditorium. Students with cell phones in their possession in the auditorium will lose a portion of their concert grade.
Students must stay for the entire concert and must sign out after the concert is complete, the stage is struck, and all equipment is returned to the orchestra room.
Pre-Concert Dinner
Our amazing AHSOA will providing dinner for our students before the concert on Thursday. We will enjoy an Italian meal of pasta and salad beginning at around 5:00 PM. Students were asked to RSVP yesterday if they were eating during before the concert.
Final Assignments
We are almost done with the first semester – it’s hard to believe how fast it has gone! Our last home assessment was due last night (Practice Vlog #4 and a listening assignment). The last few grades are the Winter Concert (Major, 2X multiplier) and a concert self-assessment that we will complete on Friday. Please let Dr. Laux know if you have questions or concerns about grades/assignments.
Holiday Gift Exchange
Our orchestra holiday gift exchange is this Tuesday, December 14 before school (at around 7:45 AM)! We have exchanged names and mixed classes for the first time this year to help promote our larger orchestra community. Don’t forget to go out this weekend to buy for your secret person! Remember, gifts should be a maximum of $10. I am looking forward to seeing everyone exchange gifts and spread some holiday cheer!
Symphony at the AHS Band Concert
Each year the wind, brass, and percussion player in the full symphony give up their time to perform for the orchestra concert, so this year the symphony string players will be returning the favor by performing Christmas Festival at the band concert on Monday, December 13 at 7:00 PM in the AHS Auditorium. Come out and support our hard-working band students next week!
Holiday Gifts
Parents, are you looking for that great holiday gift for your special string player? Here is a list of some things that can help students play better and sound better.
New Strings
Metronome/Tuner
Sheet music books
Rosin
New/Upgraded Bow
Upgraded Instrument
Please support our local string vendors who have in turn supported the AHS Orchestra Program through ads in our annual program book.
Beau Vinci Violins
Ron Sachs Violins
Atlanta Violins
All-State Orchestra
Congratulations to the following orchestra for successfully completing round 2 of the GMEA All-State Orchestra auditions!
Irene Achanti, bass
James Chen, violin
Claire Cho, violin
Samay Desai, violin
Amogh Kondaji, viola
Samuel Lin, bass
Maya Nagia
Audrey Nguyen
Mia Song, cello
Eric Sun, violin
Aaron Wang, violin
J.D. Yoo, cello
Olivia Yu, viola
William Zhang, violin
These students will complete their third and final round audition in January. Good luck, Raiders and thank you for continuing to represent AHS in such a positive way!
SPF – Student Participation Fee
It is expected that each orchestra student pay their fair share toward the orchestra program. Like any other activity that has activities outside of the school day and provides services and opportunities for students, we must charge a fee in order to make everything happen.
This year the fee is $120 per student. If you have not paid your SPF, please do so as soon as possible. You may pay online at https://www.alpharettaorchestra/pay or via check made payable to AHSOA.
Compared with other orchestra programs across the county, state, and country, our fees are nominal. Some examples of things that SPF funds are the KSU Orchestra Invitational, LGPE Entry Fees, our pre-concert dinners, orchestra socials, the orchestra t-shirts, orchestra room supplies and accessories, sheet music, and more. To date, less than half of students have paid this fee. Our annual budget is constructed with the anticipation that we will receive these funds from every student and we may be unable to continue to provide the goods, services, and experiences to students for the remainder of this year if we do not receive the remaining funds.
Please let me know if you have any questions and do feel free to reach out if you have extenuating circumstances or would like to divide the SPF into smaller payment increments. We are happy to work with you on this.
Thank you for your help and understanding.
Washington D.C. Trip
There are still openings for our trip to Washington D.C. on March 11-14, 2022! We would love to have you travel with us! We will explore D.C., experience an orchestra clinic with a nationally-known clinician, and perform a public concert. These experiences don’t come around often and I know many of the students have not traveled since before the pandemic. An orchestra trip like this can be the highlight of a student’s high school experience!
