May Newsletter

Our spring concert will take place on Wednesday, May 24th from 7 - 8 PM in the WHS auditorium.

We will have a quick run-through of our combined pieces starting at 6:00. Students should arrive by 5:45.

Looking to June, we have historically performed at the WHS Graduation with the high school band. We will do so again this year. Interested WMS orchestra members are invited to learn the music and perform as well. Graduation is on Friday, June 2nd (time TBA, but generally 5:30 - 7 or so).

Students who are attending the Music In The Parks Trip on Saturday, June 3rd, will be performing two pieces:

• Finale from Serenade for Strings
• The Lost Tomb

They have been given this music to practice and we are working on it in class.

We have collected three payments. If you have not turned in the total of $132.45 ($122 for the bus + ticket and $10.45 for the t-shirt) please do so as soon as possible. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding balances due.

Students who are renting an instrument from a vendor (like Johnson Strings, Music.& Arts, Needham Music, etc) should keep their instrument over the summer if they plan to continue playing next year. This is because you are in a rent-to-own plan and will eventually own the instrument as you pay into this program.

• All current 7 - 8th-grade students should size up between now and September so that they are on a full-size instrument. This is 4/4 for violin and cello and we'll say 15" for viola (though in high school violists will want to be on 15.5 - 16")
• Most 6th graders can size up to a 4/4 violin and 4/4 cello for fall
• The size you have is noted inside your instrument if you're not sure
• Swapping is easy! Reach out to the company you rent from (Music and Arts, Needham Music, etc) and ask to switch it out. Our reps are listed below.
  ..........Music and Arts: Rob Sousa, Rob.Sousa@musicarts.com
  ..........Needham Music: Dan Crossley, dc@needhammusic.com
  .........Johnson Strings: Jhon Alvarado, jhon@johnsonstring.com
  
• September/October are nuts for these companies with school rental season starting up, so I do recommend getting in there before mid-August if possible

Intermediate Level Instruments

For students who rent an instrument from a vendor and are already on a full size, and particularly for our high school students: Once you have gotten really comfortable with our basic skills on your instrument, it is a great time to look into intermediate-level instruments, which provide the opportunity to grow musically as they allow for better sound and tone production. It is easier to play and easier to play more advanced techniques, on a better instrument once you have the basic skills; it's like trying to butter your bread with cold butter vs. room temp! Our students will continue to learn and grow on whatever instrument they're playing, but it's always worth checking out. Usually, you are able to get a small kickback from the rental company you worked with.

Students who borrow an instrument from WPS may have to return the instrument for the summer as we will want to make sure we take stock of our inventory and make any necessary repairs. If you borrow an instrument but are planning on playing this summer in a camp, lessons, or for fun, we have a sign out process.

If you borrowed from WPS this year and your child is hoping to continue playing next year, we encourage you to check out the rental programs in the area if you are able. This will allow you to eventually own the instrument and step into a more intermediate-level instrument (versus student level) at a discount.

There are also some excellent vendors from which you can purchase an instrument at a lower cost, but we do request that if you're unsure of where to purchase/which brands are good quality for the price, you reach out to us prior to spending your money on something that is suboptimal for your player.

Rental Companies in the Area (you can also purchase from these companies):

• Needham Music (contact: Dan Cressley - dc@needhammusic.com)
• Music and Arts (contact: Rob Sousa - Rob.Sousa@musicarts.com)
• David French (contact: Dave Proux - david@davidfrenchmusic.com)
• Johnson Strings (contact: Jhon Alvarado - jhon@johnsonstring.com)

Other places from which to purchase an instrument:

• Shar Music (Select Intermediate [instrument] under the "Instrument" tab)
• Southwest Strings (You can also rent!)

Looking for ways to play this summer? Check out some of the summer camps and workshops in the area (and some far away, if that's your thing!)

• Attacca School of Music (Bartlett St, Belmont)
• Powers Music School (Concord St, Belmont)
• Rivers Conservatory (Weston)
• Winchester Music School (Winchester)
• Camp Encore/Coda (Western Maine, not far from Conway, NH, overnight)
• Prelude Strings (Central-ish Maine, North of Augusta, overnight)
• Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Western Michigan, overnight)
  *Ms. Byham worked here if you have any questions
• Interlochen Fine Arts Camp (Western Michigan, overnight)

Congratulations on a fantastic performance at our second annual String Spectacular! It was wonderful to see everyone up on stage together.

Here is a photo album from the concert as well as a digital program.

Congratulations also to our amazing high school orchestra students who were able to attend the NYC trip last month. This group scored a gold rating and represented our department well.

Here are the chorus and band performances. The orchestra performance is embedded below.

Materials (violin/viola)

Most, if not all, of our students, are playing on full-size violins or 15 - 16" violas. At this point, all of our students should have and be using shoulder rests. I recommend Kun or Everest as solid brands - my Kun lasted me from middle school all through college! Highly recommend. Both of these brands offer adjustable rests if the musician is still between upper-level sizes.

Friends of Watertown Music

The Friends of Watertown Music is a parent organization that has been a major supporter of the fine arts program in Watertown for over ten years. Email HelloWatertownMusic@gmail.com or call Chris Lowry at 617-923-0502 to learn more.

8th Grade Families

It's hard to believe but it's almost time for our eighth graders to start building their HS schedule! The high school orchestra meets every day for an hour (with one drop in the seven-day rotation). There is an expectation at the high school that all students who sign up are willing participants who will do their best both behaviorally and musically to enhance the ensemble.

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 sense. 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.

• Rivers Symphony: Sat. May 20/7 PM @ Kraft Dining Hall, Rivers School (Pops!)
• Brookline Symphony: Sat. May 20/8 PM @ All Saints Parish, Brookline
• Lowell Philharmonic: Sat. May 20/2 PM @ Fushion Church, Lowell (Pops!)
• Longwood Symphony: Sat. May 20/8 PM @ Kresge Auditorium, MIT
• Firebird Pops (all pops, all the time!): Keep an eye out for upcoming events

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

Our concert dates are as follows:

• Spring Concert: Wednesday, May 24th, 2023 @ 7:00PM (arrive 5:45 for 6:00 sound check on stage) at WHS
• High school Recruitment Trips: Monday, June 5 & Friday, June 9th: 8:30 - 10:30 AM
• High School/interested middle school students - Graduation: Friday, June 2nd, 2023 (time TBD)
• Music In The Parks: Saturday, June 3rd, 2023 7:00 AM - 8:00 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

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: 570.447.6218
Facebook: http://facebook.com/watertownfinearts