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#1 2008-05-22 07:00:51
- orchdork777
- Participant
- Registered: 2008-04-16
- Posts: 20
End of the Year Activities?
I'm planning to do a lot of sight reading, but I need some other activities to break things up with my high school orchestra for the next 3 weeks now that our concerts are over. Any ideas?
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#2 2008-05-22 08:57:42
- Gabriel Villasurda
- 2008 May Orchestra Mentor
- Registered: 2008-04-14
- Posts: 63
- Website
Re: End of the Year Activities?
Get all the seniors up to conduct.
Teach them how to hold a baton and do basic preparatory beats. Make a chart of the basic beat patterns; give everyone a copy. Go through the patterns as a group.
Hand out easy arrangements, grade III or easier. If you can find a collection, so much the easier from a library standpoint. Purchase multiple copies of the score. Limit their time to include everyone; no Mahler symphonies!!
They'll love it. As a matter of fact, the such an activity years ago had the result of setting a young girl in my group on a path to becoming a professional conductor today!
Gabriel Villasurda
May Mento
www.stringskills.com
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#3 2008-05-22 10:37:19
- fiddle-player Sue
- 2009 November Orchestra Mentor
- From: Finger lakes o New York state
- Registered: 2008-04-17
- Posts: 232
Re: End of the Year Activities?
How about some music theory in the form of worksheets, guided listening lessons, sight-singing, or some ear-training/dictation? Do you have students who have solos, small ensembles or other musical talents they could show off in a mini-talent show? Is there someone who could come in and give an interesting presentation on some facet of music? Maybe a former student now in music school, a local group of music hobbyists like a barbershop quartet or "wedding trio", someone who can play and talk about an ethnic style or instrument? Sue
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#4 2008-09-04 05:01:32
- pianoboe
- Just arrived
- Registered: 2008-09-04
- Posts: 2
Re: End of the Year Activities?
First of all, I have never taught an orchestra class before; I just think this might let all of us appreciate the composers even more.
How about teaching them orchestration? First, point out what the composer's options are. Then, talk about the different families of instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion) Here's where the fun begins, reasonably switch parts within the orchestra, so all the parts are playable technique-wise, move things up and down by octaves if needed. Ask the students to play it, and then talk about the experience of playing some other instruments’ parts and whether or not they like the sound of it as an ensemble.
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#5 2008-09-04 05:27:56
- pianoboe
- Just arrived
- Registered: 2008-09-04
- Posts: 2
Re: End of the Year Activities?
First of all, I have never taught an orchestra class before; so I have no idea if this will actually workout. I just think this might let all of us appreciate the composers even more.
How about teaching them orchestration? First, point out what the composer's options are. Then, talk about the different families of instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion) Here's where the fun begins, reasonably switch parts within the orchestra, so all the parts are playable technique-wise, move things up and down by octaves if needed. Ask the students to play it, and then talk about the experience of playing some other instruments’ parts and whether or not they like the sound of it as an ensemble.
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#6 2008-09-07 18:58:08
- le5a
- 2010 April Orchestra Mentor
- Registered: 2008-08-11
- Posts: 17
Re: End of the Year Activities?
Hello! this is a really interesting idea. Obviously this can be done at anytime of year but is also a great way to kill those extra days of time at the end of year or right before a long break when you have just had a concert. the kids will need some minimal knowledge on what everyones clefs are, the instrument ranges and abilities. One way to help this along would be to get a good method book that allows the group to warm up together with scales or chorales. Bach and Beyond for strings, and Technicises both allow string groups to perform and switch parts around, there are some books for full orchestra as well.
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