October Letter From Ms. Burger

Dear Symphony and Chamber Orchestra Parents,

Thank you for your support at our recent Open House performance and parent booster meeting. The orchestra is now preparing for our second performance. Included in this letter is information you will need for this performance as well as some of the items discussed at the parent booster meeting.

Pasta Supper

Our annual Performing Arts Department Pasta Supper will take place on Wednesday, October 8.  The band will be hosting a silent auction starting at 5:30 with dinner being served starting at 6:00 p.m. Both the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras will be performing beginning at approximately 5:30 p.m. Call time for both orchestras will be 4:00 p.m. The orchestra concerts will be followed by a performance by the GVHS Marching Band and the GVHS Choirs Fall Concert. The dinner of salad, rolls, pasta marinara, chicken parmigiana, and cake is being catered by Ventano’s Italian Restaurant. Tickets for the Pasta Supper may be purchased for $10.00 pre-sale and $12.00 at the door. In addition, students will receive $3.00 in their fund raising account for every pre-sale ticket sold. All students will need to be in uniform for this performance and all other formal concerts during the year. A reminder of concert uniform is below:
Girls                                                          
Floor length GVHS black dress                     
Black stockings or tights                                
Black dress shoes                                            
                                               
Boys
Black long sleeve dress shirt
Black dress or tux pants
Black long tie
Black dress shoes and socks 
Black jacket

Chicago, Illinois Trip

As I am sure you have heard both the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras will have an opportunity to travel along with the GV Symphonic Band to Chicago Illinois to perform in Symphony Hall, home of the Chicago Symphony. The orchestra and band were invited to perform in this World Strides Heritage Festival of Gold as a result of their superior performances last year in Vancouver, British Columbia. I realize that this is an expensive undertaking for some of our families but want to give our students a chance to perform in a famous concert hall as well as experience a beautiful city. The trip is not mandatory but I am hoping that a majority of our students will find a way to be able to join us for this amazing opportunity. I have attached a proposal for the trip and the payment schedule. If you would like your child to participate, please return the letter of intent by Tuesday, October 7 and a $75.00 deposit by Wednesday, October 15. 

Please open GVHS Orchestra Links for FORM

Monday Rehearsals

We will begin Monday full Symphony rehearsals on either October 20 or October 27.  I will confirm the start day in early October. Rehearsal time is from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Students will be given a full schedule at the first rehearsal but we rehearse pretty much every Monday afternoon and Tuesdays during Early Bird class (if the student does not have another Early Bird class). As this is our only time to play with the wind players it is extremely important that we have all students in attendance on a regular basis. Please do everything in your power to not schedule appointments or events for your students on Monday afternoons.

Winter Concert Raffle

The parent booster club will be holding a raffle at our Winter Concert on Wednesday, December 10. We are currently looking for prizes for this raffle. If you have connections with local businesses (restaurants, coffee houses, show tickets, etc) we would appreciate you seeking donations from them. We will also be providing a donation letter in a few weeks to use when soliciting donations.

Home Practice

The importance of home practice cannot be stressed enough.  Please encourage your student to set a regular practice time and to share with you what they are working on in their orchestra class. Our full Symphony music will be quite a challenge for most of our students so regular practice is a must!

Class Fees/ Handbook Paperwork

Please try to take care of any paperwork and/or class fees that have not been paid yet as soon as you can. All fees and paperwork were due in mid-September but we still have several students who have not taken care of these items. If you are having difficulties with the fee, please contact me to make arrangements.

Thank you for your continued support of the GVHS Orchestra program. I am extremely grateful to be teaching such outstanding students and I look forward to many wonderful performances with them.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.  My email is sab564@interact.ccsd.net and my school phone number is 799-0950 ext. 4063.

Sincerely,

Shelly Burger

Green Valley High School Orchestras