Dear parents and students,
What a great first week we had! I’m so excited to be back and working with everyone face-to-face. We had a long, busy week and I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.
Bach to School Social Recap
Our “bach to school” social last Thursday was a success! We had a good number of students attend and they had a lot of fun eating, playing, and socializing together. It was nice to see everyone building back our orchestra community. It has been far too long!! Special thanks to our managers, Meghan and Jonathan for their work and for putting all of us together. I also wanted to thank our AHSOA board for approving funds for their social. I am looking forward to more times together and more socials to come…
First Assignment (OBOY)
Everyone’s first assignment, the orchestra beginning of the year assignment is due tomorrow, Tuesday, August 17. This assignment helps me get of the information I need from students and allows students to better understand class expectations.a
First playing assessment
This week we will practice for and assign our first performance assessment of the year. It will be a very straightforward scale and arpeggio. I consider this assessment a “baseline” measurement for the year to assess where students are right now. Being that we were out of our regular rehearsal schedule for so long, I feel we have a lot of rebuilding to do. Our playing levels (across the board) are much lower than where they were before COVID, and this was definitely expected. It will take patience and time, but I’m looking forward to our progress this year!
Uniforms
Uniforms are back! All members must have the required uniform for performances.
Girls – you will continue to wear the same dress as we did before COVID. If you are new or need a new dress, we will soon be ordering a size run (sizes 0-20) for everyone to try on and determine the correct size. Then we will place our order. Dresses are $67 and include shipping. You may need to have your dress hemmed (shorter) if needed. Girls must provide their own black shoes.
Boys – We will wearing the same tuxedo as we have worn in the past, with a slight change. We will be wearing a BLACK shirt and NO cummerbunds or bow ties. The black shirt must be ordered from our tuxedo vendor so they all match in color and style. The total price for a new tuxedo and shirt is $120. I’m waiting to see how much just the black shirt is. Boys must provide their own black dress shoes and socks.
To all students that have uniforms — please check your uniform to make sure it fits (or not). Boys will be able to return their cleaned tuxedo to our vendor for a deposit on a new tuxedo (waiting for this amount). Girls – if you have a dress that doesn’t fit, please note the size and let Dr. Laux know. He may be able to pair you up with a new student who needs one.
Student Participation Fee (SPF)
In order to maintain a robust, high level music program, every organization charges a yearly fee. This fee is paid to the orchestra boosters (AHSOA) and is used for a multitude of things that help make the orchestra experience great. We use the funds to fund field trips, performance/festival entry fees, bussing, classroom equipment and materials, student socials, pre-concert dinners, guest artists, and more.
This year the SPF is $120 per student. Compared to similar orchestra programs across the country, this is a nominal fee. The fee can be paid on our website at https://www.alpharettaorchestra.org/paypal
If you would rather pay via check, you may send in your payment with your child and have them put it in the orchestra drop box next to Dr. Laux’s office door. Checks should be made payable to AHSOA.
Last, should you have questions or concerns about SPF, please do not hesitate to contact me. I’m happy to help.
School-owned Instruments
Students using a school-owned instrument (in school or at home) must complete the Instrument Use Agreement and pay the $50 rental fee through OSP. This allows us to maintain the instruments and bows, complete repairs, etc. Some parents have asked why a fee is necessary. Please let me explain. Every instrument experiences wear and tear throughout the year. Violin/Viola bows are $50-65. Cello/bass bows are $70-$90. A bow re-hair is $60. A set of violin strings are $40, viola are $55, and Cello/bass are $125. Bridge repairs/replacements range between $75-150 depending on the work needed. Every student using a school-owned instrument is issued a new bow and the instruments are kept in top-notch playing condition. Thank you for supporting
Instrument Use Agreement link – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecTItFDyVKEDADVhqwW0v4UziCL9hClWtnsyPDoGM4bkp4sA/viewform
Instrument Rental Fee payment on OSP link – https://osp.osmsinc.com/FultonGA/BVModules/ProductTemplates/Bvc2013/Product.aspx?productid=EN701-651
Program Book Fundraiser
Our main fundraiser each year is our annual orchestra program book. We raise funds via the sale of business and personal ads. The book is professionally designed and printed and serves as our program to distribute at concerts and as a memory book from the year in orchestra. It contains information about our program, photos of the orchestras and more. Additional details about the program book will be coming soon. Please be thinking about businesses, vendors, or friends that might benefit from an advertisement in our program book. We will have business card-sized ads starting a just $20.
Upcoming Dates
- October 5 – Fall Concert, 6:30 PM
- October 29 – KSU Orchestra Invitational (Philharmonia, Sinfonia, Symphony, Chamber Only)
- December 9 – Winter Concert, 7 PM
That’s all for now. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns!
Dr. Laux