DWPO Tempo Times

Fall is upon us and your students are making strides and getting better each day on their instruments.

October brings cooler weather along with our first concerts!

A word on instruments - all students have instruments now and should be in the habit of taking their instruments home to practice on a consistent basis.

A reminder for all students:

Fingernails must be kept trimmed in order for the student to properly play their instruments. Fingernails should not be visible behind the finger when looking at the palm of the hand. Artificial/acrylic nails are not allowed during the school year because it is impossible to play correctly with them on.

We are seeing an uptick in students with long nails. Please help us remind your students to keep their nails trimmed to allow them to play their instruments properly.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Musically,

Eric Chui and Tap McIntosh

Upcoming Dates:

October 3rd - All Region Orchestra Auditions - All Day (select students only)

October 6th - Fan Pledge Fundraiser Kick-off

October 7th - Beginner Orchestra Rehearsal - 4 - 5 PM

October 8th - Beginner Orchestra Concert - 6:30 PM

October 8th - Mariachi Gig at Thompson Elementary - 5:30 PM (Mariachi students only)

October 9th - Parent Teacher Conferences

October 12th - 16th - Fall Break

October 20th - 7th/8th Grade Orchestra Rehearsal - 4 - 5:30 PM

October 20th - Mariachi Gig at McLaughlin Strickland Elementary - 5:30 (Mariachi students only)

October 21st - Chipotle Spirit Night - I-35 and Valley View Location - 5 - 9 PM

October 21st - 7th/8th Grade Orchestra Concert - 6:30 PM

October 22nd - Mariachi Gig at Perry Hispanic Heritage Night - 5:00 PM (Mariachi students only)

Looking Ahead:

November 2nd and 3rd - Student Holidays

November 11th - DWPO Community Thanksgiving Dinner

November 13th - Mariachi Gig at Carrollton Elementary - 5:30 PM (Mariachi students only)

November 23rd - 27th - Thanksgiving Break

Our Fan Pledge fundraiser has kicked off and we are off to a hot start!

Please help us share the link below with your social media network.

Funds raised go directly back to your student to help offset costs and pay for various events throughout the school year. Thank you for your support!

Fall Rehearsals - Tuesday, October 20th

Concert Orchestra - 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM

Philharmonic Orchestra - 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Symphonic Orchestra - No scheduled rehearsal

Fall Concert - Wednesday, October 21st

Timeline:

5:45 PM - Students arrive at RL Turner HS

6:15 PM - Doors open for parents

6:30 PM - Concert Begins

Support the Orchestra by grabbing a meal at Chipotle.

Location: 2427 Valley View Lane Farmers Branch, TX 75234

Use the flyer attached or used code "WE7BH8W" when ordering online or the app.

Our Beginner Orchestra students had a FANTASTIC first concert. They demonstrated all techniques they've learned so far this year. We're excited to see how far they'll go!

The DWP Orchestra Activity fee for the 2026-2027 school year consists of a one time fee for all students. This fee covers: student Orchestra T-shirt, entry fees for Solo/Ensemble contest, entry fees for Spring music festivals, guest clinicians and other expenses for the Orchestra. Other activities later in the year may require an additional fee.

Please read this section carefully as the Orchestra activity fee is different for each student depending on which class they are in.

Payments are accepted using the following methods:

1. Zelle payment using email "orchestradwp@gmail.com" - Be sure to include student name/ID in the memo line
2. Credit/debit card online (preferred method)
3. Check payable to "DWP Orchestra Booster Club"
4. Cash (not preferred but accepted if needed) - cash should be sent in a marked envelope with the student name and ID clearly marked.

Breakdown of Orchestra activity fee per group:
Beginner Orchestra - $50
Philharmonic Orchestra - $60
Symphonic Orchestra - $60

An additional $60 is required for students using a school instrument.

Thank you to those that have already taken care of paying their Orchestra fee!

Payment plans are available and invoices will be sent monthly.

All fees are due December 18th, 2026

Private lessons are offered during the school day, before, or after school. Parents interested in enrolling your student in private lessons should complete the interest form on the Orchestra website.

The district regulates the cost of one-on-one private lessons at $25.00 per ½ class period.
Private teachers are paid directly by students and may discontinue lessons at their discretion if unpaid. All private teachers have been screened by the district personnel office and backgrounds have been thoroughly checked for your child’s safety. The private lesson staff is comprised of well-qualified professionals and college students throughout the DFW area.
Students who take private lessons tend to gain a greater mastery of the music and material. One-on-one instruction is very beneficial and can help students achieve greater goals in orchestra.

If you are interested in starting private lessons, please complete the form linked below and reach out to one of our private lesson teachers.

DWPO Private Lesson Staff (26-27)

Maria Demus (Violin/Viola)

mariademus@gmail.com

214-998-2621

Please make sure you have reviewed the DWPO Handbook and completed the DWPO Information sheet. This will give us the most up to date information for your family, serve as a handbook acknowledgement, and grant or not grant a photo release for our social media platforms.

The Orchestra handbook and acknowledgement form are linked below. Thank you for your prompt attention to this!

Field Trip permission forms were discussed at our beginning of year parent meetings.

The electronic form has been sent via ParentSquare. This is the preferred method. For those that have turned in a paper form, we will manually input the information. If you haven't had a chance to complete the field trip permission form, please do so online or email the Orchestra directors to receive a paper copy. This form will be valid for the duration of the school year and only needs to be completed once.

The DWP Orchestra is using a new platform called Presto Assistant. This platform allows us to easily track information and have a one stop shop for many of our Orchestra related things. By the end of this week, all parents and students will receive an email from Presto Assistant. Please complete the steps to creating your profile/account. Once you've completed this, you will be able to see information for your student: fees owed, school instrument information, calendar, and much more.

Students will complete their accounts during class.

Attached is a link below that has instructions on how to set up your profile/account.

If you have issues, please email the Orchestra directors. This software is new to us too, but we'll figure it out together.

2026-2027 Booster Club Officers
President: Sara Chen
Vice President: Niki Jayswal
Treasurer: Phalguni Mundlur / Umangi Pandit
Secretary: Nutan Mada

Representative: Daysie Villalobos / Cassandra Alvarado / John McNamara

Email: chuie@cfbisd.edu ; mcintosht@cfbisd.edu

Website: https://perry.cfbisd.edu/student-life/fine-arts/orchestra
Location: 1709 East Belt Line Road, Carrollton, TX, USA
Phone: 972-968-4534 ; 972-968-4496

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwporchestra
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwp_orchestra/