Orchestra News

1) All City auditions are on Jan 10 - all students have been given their 30 minute audition time slot. Please consult the original audition submission sheet for all pertinent information or direct questions to Ms. Silberman. Mrs. Hughes will be coaching upper strings Friday and next Monday, and Ms. Silberman will offer as much time as she can to those auditioning.

2) All orchestra students know they have 2 reviews due by the end of the semester. One review must be of a live concert, one of a recorded DVD, online video, taped TV show, or CD. Here are a few ideas for those who have yet to finish their reviews:
a) Students who did not play in Advanced Symphony may review the West Salem Dec. 12 winter concert
b) There is a lovely online 1 hour long concert that students may view and review: http://www.medici-arts.tv/lpo.html
c) There is an online concert video website that has a ton of bands on it - if students know any of the bands that might have a string player in it, they'd be welcome to review one of the concerts: http://www.fabchannel.com
d) NPR has a live concert audio site that one can find many concerts on to listen to and review, including Joshua Bell performing Saints-Seans violin sonata: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10210144
e) Ms. Silberman has contemporary and classical CDs that might be of interest to students. She also has a few DVDs that can be review - they can be checked out for 2 days at a time.
f) Students can attend a concert before the end of the semester - There is a Camerata Musica concert Jan 13 and a concerto competition at 3pm on Jan 19... see your Salem Arts Assoc. calendar for more info.
g) Any other creative review ideas will most likely be accepted (like seeing Ron Kilde perform at the Wine festival or at Cascade bakery, for example), so come up with something.

3) The Friends of Music has a very important meeting at McKay this next Monday at 6:30 p.m. Superintendent Sandy Husk and principals from all 6 high schools will be on site to discuss the shape of the music program in the face of small learning communities.

Alan Bushong of CCTV and Friends of Music will moderate the discussion. His e-mail also said:
"Please park in the South lot - a right turn for those entering McKay on Wolverine off Lancaster.
Enter the school through the southeast door directly available from the south parking lot.

"We'll meet in the Choir Room. It is similar in size to the South Salem Choir Room that seated over 100 at the meeting about Small Learning Communities in 2006.

"All are invited. This is our opportunity to help the administration with scheduling and communications issues.

"We want to make sure that students can enroll in music classes and that teachers have adequate time with students.

"It would be fantastic to have a strong parent showing - come help influence the future of the music program in the Salem-Keizer school district."

4) Here is the link to the Encore Photography pictures taken at the December concerts. Please take a look and consider ordering a picture. The order deadline has been extended to January 22nd since there was a delay in getting the link information.

5) Ms. Silberman will be playing the anthem at the 3 pm varsity boys basketball game Jan. 18... come support our Titan team! Any students interested in playing the anthem are welcome to play for Ms. Silberman to either prepare to play live at a game or to record their anthem that will then be played before a game.

6) All orchestra students will be partaking in a 3 week small ensemble unit - the final for orchestra student's classes will to be to perform for classmates during our finals time. In Ms. Silberman's opinion, ensemble playing, also called 'chamber music', is the absolute best part of playing a stringed instrument - though playing in a symphony either recreational or professionally is wonderful, the opportunity to get together with 1 - 4 other string players may be the most rewarding and easiest way of continuing playing for the rest of one's life. In fact, there is a large growth in the number of chamber music camps for recreational string players - mainly full of adults who played once as a young person, maybe they stopped playing for years, but who are interested in reconnecting with their instrument. Ms. Silberman will video tape all the performances - if students request a copy, one will most likely be able to be made for them.

Happy New Year!

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Daryl Silberman, director
West Salem High School Orchestras
(503)-399-5533 x256
cell: (818) 317-8218
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