Orchestra Newsletter - October

Greetings, Mill Creek Orchestras!

We're almost through the first quarter of the school year - hard to believe it's going by so fast!

In this month's update:

1. Solo & Ensemble registration recap

2. Grades/playing assignments

3. Parent-Teacher Conferences

4. Important dates and reminders

5. DHS Orchestras Halloween Concert

This week, students & families turned in registration forms and payment for Solo & Ensemble. If your student forgot to turn this form in, I will be checking in with them next week to find out their performance time preference before registering them through MSBOA's website. If you missed the payment deadline for S&E, your student will complete the alternate assignment and perform their music for me instead. (Parents who have already requested the alternative assignment are all set.)

Here’s what's next for S&E:

• Music selection: We will be spending time in class in the coming weeks selecting music, with my help.

• In school practicing: There will be classes dedicated to practicing music in our small ensembles. Some ensembles will be learning the same piece, so we'll work in a large group together before breaking out into our smaller groups.

• At home practicing: Once students have their music picked out, they can and should start practicing it at home! For ensembles, it's best if each student has practiced their individual parts before getting together to maximize their time.

Students have been assigned multiple playing assignments at this point in the year, and everything has been graded accordingly in both PowerSchool and Canvas. Please check these portals to see your student's grade and check if they are missing anything.

We are also working through rhythm lessons as a class, with in-class quizzes on the material to check student's knowledge and understanding. Please reach out if your student is struggling and I'm happy to help.

During the week of November 9, the district will be hosting parent-teacher conferences. My conference hours will be on Thursday, November 12, from 12-3pm and 4:30-6:30pm at Mill Creek. They will be held in my office in my classroom - once you enter the orchestra room, take a right through the cello room and there you'll find me :) These are drop-in appointments, but feel free to contact me and set up a specific time to meet with me if you'd like.

Here are a few important dates and reminders:

• Friday, November 6: End of Q1 - all missing work turned in by this date

• Saturday, November 7: Southern Michigan String Consortium*

• Week of November 9: Chair test due on Canvas - more info coming in Canvas soon

• Thursday, November 12: Parent-Teacher Conferences (see above)

• Thursday, December 10: Mill Creek Orchestra Winter Concert

*Specific students participating in this event

Speaking of important dates... The Dexter High School Orchestra's annual Halloween Concert is coming up! This Tuesday, October 27, the DHS Orchestras are putting on a fun performance with spooky music, skits, costumes, and more! You can use the QR code on the flyer posted here to order tickets OR use this link:

https://gofan.co/event/6906106?schoolId=MI9941

*As with any orchestra event, if finances are an issues, please contact Mr. Deloria for ticket assistance (deloriam@dexterschools.org).

We hope to see you there :)

If you ever have questions or need to reach out, I’m happy to connect!

Mrs. Alison Campbell
Creekside & Mill Creek Orchestra Teacher

📧 Email: campbella1@dexterschools.org (best way to contact me)
📞 Classroom Phone: (734) 424-4150, ext. 5119
🕘 Office Hours: daily 8:15-9:00am