The WHS and WMS orchestras have been invited to perform at the Whoville Jubilee at the Commander's Mansion on Saturday, December 3rd! The Whoville Jubilee is a winter celebration with holiday lights, pictures with Santa, donations for Toys for Tots, food trucks, and the official Watertown tree lighting.

We will be performing from 7:15 to 7:45:

• Participating students must arrive by 6:50 for tuning and set up
• Students must bring a folding stand
• Middle school students must be accompanied by an adult caregiver (this can be a friend's caregiver, their caregiver, etc - just as long as there is an adult who is responsible for that student for the duration of their time with the orchestra)
• Participating students should wear Watertown/holiday gear (casual wear is fine: jeans, leggings)

Concert Date: Moved to January 25, 2023

We are combining the high school and middle school orchestra concerts this year. The reason behind this is that we have quite a few middle school students who are motivated to learn the high school music, and I think it could be good for the students to be able to see the trajectory of the program and what they're working toward. The middle school performing arts groups started later than anticipated this year and so we are going to move our concert to Wednesday, January 25, 2023. This is atypical, as we usually have a December concert, but I think will help everyone to feel more confident about their music.

Concert Dress

For our performances, we ask students to dress "professionally" with black dress clothes on the bottom and a white dress top, or in all black (black dress pants/skirt/dress and black top). Black shoes are also preferred if possible.

WHS Conferences

WHS Orchestra

• 12/1 In Person 6:30 - 8:30 pm
• Please note on Sign Up Genius if you'd prefer a virtual slot on 12/1; I can do both that evening, but will not be at conferences on 12/6.
• Sign Up Genius Link Here

We Love Music!

We are so fortunate to be able to maintain an in-school instrumental lesson schedule. This makes it possible for all of our students to participate! We strive to be able to support our students in their musical endeavors in the most equitable ways possible. Here are some reasons why music learning is so beneficial to our students and why it's so important that everyone has the opportunity to explore their musical interests:

• Students learn to improve their work: Learning music promotes craftsmanship, and students learn to want to create good work instead of mediocre work. This desire can be applied to all subjects of study.
  
• A sense of achievement: Learning to play pieces of music on a new instrument can be a challenging, but achievable goal. Students who master even the smallest goal in music will be able to feel proud of their achievements.
  
• Kids can learn teamwork: Many musical education programs require teamwork as part of a band or orchestra. In these groups, students will learn how to work together and build camaraderie.

The WHS Performing Arts groups will be taking a trip to New York City from March 31st - April 2nd, 2022.

Students who are participating should join our Google Classroom by clicking here.

We are still waiting for all confirmation slips to come in before confirming the price of the trip, but anticipate it to be $850 - $950 (though are optimistic it will be on the lower end of this number).

Some things we are looking into for fundraising:

• Percentage night at Not Your Average Joe's, Ben & Jerry's
• Merchandise "swag" sale

The pay schedule is as follows (subject to change):

• November 10, 2022: $100 (Deposit)
• December 2, 2022: $150
• January 6, 2023: $150
• February 3, 2023: $150
• March 3, 2023: $200
• March 24, 2023: Balance

Here is the confirmation of attendance letter that was sent home with students on October 28, 2023.

Refunds are dependent upon what has been purchased at the time of the request; for instance, if we've already bought the Broadway tickets, we cannot refund that portion of the trip, etc.

The overview Zoom and/or slideshow are linked in the Google Classroom (invite linked above).

Being near the city we have lots of amazing orchestras performing all of the time! These groups are made up of community members; all musicians, but not all musicians in a professional setting. For instance, the Longwood Symphony is comprised of many talented musicians who now work in the healthcare and research fields. It's always amazing to see the Boston Symphony, but our local groups showcase how we can continue being musicians as a hobby throughout our lives, while still working in our chosen fields.

• Boston Philharmonic: November 12, 2022 @ 8:00 PM/Symphony Hall
• Rivers Symphony: November 13, 2022 @ 3:00PM/Needham Town Hall
• Boston Civic Symphony: November 13, 22 @ 3:00PM/Jordan Hall (New England Conservatory)
• Lexington Symphony: November 19, 2022 @ 7:30PM/Cary Hall

It's also time for Holiday Pops! Many of these orchestras have a concert in mid-December featuring holiday classics like Sleigh Ride, Polar Express, Nutcracker, and more!

This year, we will be having 6th -12th grade Orchestra Concerts. These concerts will be hosted at the high school.

Our concert dates are as follows:

• Winter Concert: Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 @ 7:00PM (arrive 5:50 for 6:00 sound check on stage)
• High School only - New York City (Optional): Friday, March 31, 2023 - Sunday, April 2nd, 2023
• String Spectacular: Thursday, April 6th, 2023 @ 7:00 PM (dress rehearsal after school 3:00 - 5:30, pizza dinner to follow before concert)
• Music In The Parks: Friday, May 19th, 2023 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM - Students in 7/8th Grade and Festival Orchestra will have the option to opt into our spring Music in the Parks Festival at Six Flags.
• Spring Concert: Tuesday, May 23, 2023 @ 7:00PM (arrive 5:50 for 6:00 sound check on stage)
• High School/interested middle school students - Graduation: Friday, June 2nd, 2023 (time TBD)

• Festival Orchestra (6 - 8th grade): Festival Orchestra club will meet right after school on Tuesdays, from 3:05 - 4:15 or so. Open to all string students at WMS who are in at least their fourth year of playing, this group will perform for assemblies, field trips, Six Flags, etc. 7th and 8th-grade students who are not in this group but want to attend the Six Flags trip (likely May 19, 2023) will be given the opportunity to learn the music.

• All-City Orchestra (First, Second, and Third Year Players): We will also continue to have All-City Orchestra, which will primarily be first and second-year players, as well as 6 - 12th-grade mentors. WMS and WHS students interested in earning community service hours can join us on Tuesdays from 4:30 - 5:30 to mentor the younger players, offer sectionals, etc.

Students in 7th - 9th grade can audition for the MA Music Ed Association's Junior District Festival. I highly recommend that students interested in auditioning for this group look into private lessons, as the audition is quite competitive in this area. That said, this is a really cool ensemble to try out for, is a low, one-time commitment, and is a minimal fee (I think $30-40 total for audition and participation). Auditions and festival both happen in the greater Boston area.

• Audition details here
• Private lesson instructors here

WMS Classroom: The classroom code is cnjrrp6, or you can click this link while logged into your Watertown email account.

WHS Classroom: The classroom code is f5tyayg, or you can click this link while logged into your Watertown email account.

Email: macullen.byham@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: https://tinyurl.com/watertownorchestra
Phone: 617.564.1713
Facebook: http://facebook.com/watertownfinearts