Florence Orchestra

All-State

2010-11-14T14:30:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to the following students on being accepted to participate in the 2011 Alabama All State Orchestra Festival in February at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa!

Samantha Burk
Jordan Calvo
Caleb Cummings
Sara Jane Kachelman
Hannah Marsh
David Marsh
Miranda McAfee
Shelby Niedergeses
Gaven O'Connell
Blair Reinlie
Trey Richardson
Caroline Rylant
Adam Schoenbachler
Leah Smith (Alternate)
Lia Smith
Christian White
Rebekah Whitehurst
Hannah Wright

For more info, visit www.alabamaorchestraassociation.org

Upcoming Events

2010-10-16T23:53:00.001-05:00

Monday, October 18: Extra Rehearsal for 1st period students

All 1st period students meet at FFC at 2:00pm for an extra rehearsal. We should be done at 3:30pm

Wednesday, October 20: Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night

Purchase any meal at the Regency Square Location (not drive-thru) to benefit the Orchestra Department by 20%.

4:00pm-8:00pm

Sunday, October 24: Shoals Symphony @UNA Concert

Muscle Shoals High School Auditorium

2:00pm

Schumann Symph. No. 4, Haydn Cello Concerto, A Grand Grand Overture for 3 Vacuum Cleaners

(Several FHS students, as well as I, play with the SSO. There will be complimentary students tickets available.)

Tuesday, October 26: "Music in Our Pocket"

Outdoor Dinner Concert with the FHS Orchesra at Pocket Park located in the 7-points area of N. Florence

Dinner catered by the Sweet Magnolia Cafe

$20 (advance tickets) for food and music

$8 (suggested donation) for music only

Attn High School Orchestra folks

2010-10-12T00:16:00.001-05:00

The Florence Falcon Orchestra will be giving an outdoor concert on Tuesday, October 26, 2010. The concert will begin at 5:30pm at Pocket Park located in the 7-points area of North Florence. Gourmet box dinners will be catered by Sweet Magnolia Café. Tickets for the concert (including the meal) are $20.00.

Student will need to arrive at 4:45 in order to get a sound check and arrange their chairs/music for the concert. Concert attire will be the official orchestra t-shirt and your best pair of blue jeans. Shirts MUST be tucked in.

I am requesting that each student sell a minimum of two tickets to this concert. You may certainly sell more than that. This is a very good FUND-RAISING OPPORTUNITY.

I will need some parental help in moving equipment, serving meals (not messy, I promise), handling tickets/money, etc. If you would like to help, please let me know.

Any questions???

Contact me ASAP!

Frostbite

2010-07-24T20:44:00.003-05:00

Frostbite will donate 10% of all sales on Friday, August 6 from 11:00am-10:00pm. If you're not familiar with Frostbite, they are a new frozen yogurt store on the corner of Pine Street and Chisholm Road in Florence. They offer six different flavors of frozen yogurt/sorbet and a huge variety of toppings. It is only $0.44 per ounce. Soon to open next door is Montague's sandwich shop. You can find Frostbite on Facebook. Tell everybody to enjoy them on Friday, August 6!

Link to the event page here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144633838896277&ref=mf

All-Orchestra Results

2010-02-15T15:04:00.002-06:00

From February 11th through the 14th, I had the privilege take 19 students from grades 7th-12th to Tuscaloosa, AL for the 2010 All-State Orchestra Festival. Despite a freak winter storm (quite majestic), we had rehearsals all day on Friday and Saturday, which culminated in a fantastic concert on Sunday (Valentine's Day) in the beautiful Moody Concert Hall on the campus of UA. Three of our students managed to earn a second-chair placement in their orchestras. The middle segment of the concert featured two of our violist as soloists. Way to go, Miranda McAfee and Taylor Tucker! I am so privileged and blessed to work with such amazing kids on a daily basis. Thanks to all (including students back home) who helped these students achieve this honor.

2009-11-15T23:21:00.009-06:00

Congratulations to the following floorchdorks for earning seats in the 2010 Alabama All-State Orchestra Festival. There were over 440 auditions this year, which mean competition was extremely tough. We had over 50 auditions in Florence, alone. How exciting is this?!?!

www.alabamaorchestraassociation.org
FO Registration Form
SSO Registration Form
CSO Registration Form

Festival Orchestra
Bass
David Marsh

String Sinfonietta Orchestra
Violin II
Hannah Wright
Viola
Sara Kachelman
Hannah Marsh
Miranda McAfee
Chase Smith
Taylor Tucker
Viola (alternate)
Andrea Belk
'Cello
Brittany Burk
Adam Schoenbachler
Christian White
Double Bass
David Marsh
Trey Richardson

Consort String Orchestra
Violin I
Maddie Webb
Violin II
Collin James
Viola
Sara Kachelman
Hannah Marsh
Gaven O'Connell
Viola (Alternate)
Karley Cornelius
Jessi Lenz
'Cello
Shelby Niedergeses
Caroline Rylant
Adam Schoenbachler
Double Bass
Samantha Burk
Caleb Cummings
David Marsh
Trey Richardson

Parade stuff

2009-10-13T08:40:00.004-05:00

Well, homecoming has sort of snuck up on me. My sincerest apologies for being delinquent in getting this info to you.
We will work on the float at the home of Grace Ann Griffin tomorrow afternoon, and Thursday afternoon. Here's the location:
3519 Locker Ln

View Larger Map
Let's be there from 4:00-5:00. It shouldn't take too long to get it put together.

Needs:
Hay Bails
Black paint
White paint
Silver paint
2 sheets of 1/4" plywood
2 heavy-duty hinges with screws
Heavy-duty black and blue markers
Butcher paper
Duct Tape
Black fabric
other

Please download the following documents:
Permission form
Float instructions

OPO Meeting No. 1

2009-09-12T13:35:00.001-05:00

Hey E'erbody,
Reminder, our first OPO meeting will be held tomorrow, Sept. 13th at 2:00pm in room 308 of the FFC/FMS Auditorium. Please make plans to attend.
Thanks!

Advanced/HS Orchestra Chair Placement Results

2009-09-08T21:55:00.001-05:00

Advanced/High School Orchestra
Chair Placement Results

1st Violin
Hannah Wright, Concertmaster
Katherine Rylant
Morgan Olive
Jordan Calvo
Lia Smith
Jesse Gifford

2nd Violin
Maddie Webb, Principal
Maisey Hunter
Collin James
Liz Chesley
Candace Williamson
Miles Erbe

Viola
Miranda McAfee, Principal
Taylor Tucker
Hannah Marsh
Sara Jane Kachelman
Chase Smith
LaTrayvia Garner
Andrea Belk
Tessa Catalan
Harley Rickard

‘Cello
Christian White, Principal
Brittany Burk
Adam Schoenbachler
Taylor Duncan
Kealy Russell
Noah Warren

Double Bass
David Marsh, Principal
C.J. Anderson
Samantha Burk
Alexander Bowling
Trey Richardson
Caleb Cummings

Intermediate Orchestra Chair Placement Results

2009-09-08T21:53:00.002-05:00

Intermediate/Middle School Orchestra
Chair Placement Results

1st Violin
Michael Nash, Concertmaster
Rebekah Whitehurst
Micaela Tucker
Tryniti Cardin
Candice Gonzalez
Kristin Alley
Anna Bevis

2nd Violin
Grace Ann Griffin, Principal
Raymond Lee
Delano Maddox
Kelsey King
Ashley Springer
Max Erbe
Hannah Smith

Viola
Karley Cornelius, Principal
Noah O’Connor
Gaven O’Connell
Jessie Lenz
Silas Spearman
Austin Vickers
Blake Martin

‘Cello
Braxton Linder, Principal
Catherine Twesme/Shelby Niedergeses
Caroline Rylant
Chloe Roberts
Peter Chobot
Kaleb Killian

Double Bass
Ben Schoenbachler, Principal
Sam Nuckels
Manley Russell

All-State/Chair Placement Audition Materials

2009-08-17T14:01:00.002-05:00

The audition excerpts for the 2010 Alabama All-State Orchestra Festival are officially online and available for download. We will be utilizing this music for seating auditions in our own orchestras. Students in the High School orchestra will need to download and print the music for the String Sinfonietta Orchestra. Students in the intermediate orchestra will need to download and print music for the Consort String Orchestra.
All music can be downloaded from the AOA Website.

All-State Orchestra Auditions will be held on October 12th at the FFC/FMS Auditorium.

Summer Camps and St. Patrick's Chicken

2009-03-13T11:37:00.002-05:00

Please join us on St. Patrick's Day (Tuesday, the 17th of March) from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at Zaxby's Restaurant for dinner. 10% of all sales will be donated to the orchestra that evening.

On another note, it's time to begin thinking about what to do to keep from being bored over the summer break. A great way to do that is attending a summer music camp. There are many camps all over the country. Here's some info on just a few...

University of North Alabama Strings & Piano Camp (all ages)

June 1-5
UNA music dept.
$200 for day campers
Deadline: May 20
Contact Mr. Viljar Weimann at (256) 768-4708 or vpweimann@una.edu
visit www.una.edu/music/opportunities.html for more info and to download a registration form

Stringfellows Summer Music Seminar (completed grades 7-9)

June 14-20? (the dates on the website are still last years', but it is still the 3rd week in June)
sponsored by the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL
$295 includes meals and lodging
Deadline: May 17
Contact MSO at (334) 240-4004 or msymphony@bellsouth.net
visit http://www.montgomerysymphony.org/youthPrograms_stringfellowsCamp.htm for more info.

String Crossing Camp (alternative styles: rock, jazz, fiddle, etc.) (grades 8-12)

June 14-19
Belmont University
$600 includes meals and lodging
Deadline: ???
Contact (615) 460-6408
visit http://stringcrossings.belmont.edu/ for more info.

Florida State University Summer Music Camp (grades 7-12)

June 28-July 11 (14 days)
Florida State University
$752.00 includes meals and lodging
Deadline: ???
Contact (850) 644-9934 or musccamps@fsu.edu
visit www.fsu.edu/pr/summer-camps.htm for more info.

Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp (must have played for a few years, all ages)

June 21-27
Montgomery Bell State Park (Tennessee, near Nashville)
$850/student, additional $400/guardian if under 18 (includes meals and rustic camping)
Deadline: ???
Contact (615) 941-7426 or fiddlecamp@markoconnor.com
visit http://www.markoconnor.com/index.php?page=about&family=fiddle for more info.

Pancakes are tasty!

2009-02-07T16:13:00.000-06:00

Greetings,
Thanks to all who helped today with our Applebee's Flapjack Fund Raiser event. The preliminary count is in and we earned $1069.00!!! There is still some money to be turned in on Monday, so we shall see. I'm very proud of our students and the hard work they displayed this morning. I am also especially proud of the parents who volunteered their time and gave up their sleep on a Saturday to make this successful.
More to come...

Concert Instructions

2008-12-02T15:45:00.002-06:00

Hey Everybody,
Click here to download a .pdf file of the info I sent home with your child regarding our upcoming concert. This is in case it didn't find its way to your hands. :)

Win us an "electric quartet"

2008-11-19T15:31:00.003-06:00

The FCS Orchestra department has a chance to receive an "electric quartet" of instruments from the Shar Music company. Shar Music is giving away this quartet of electric violins/viola/cello to the school with the most entries. Anyone associated with the school (teachers, students, parents, etc.) may submit an entry. I takes just a moment of your time. This quartet has a retail value of over $2300. We could certainly put them to use in our GROWING orchestra program. The deadline is December 31, 2008
Would you take a moment to visit The Shar Music Entry Form and register our school?
Florence Middle School
348 N. Cherry Street
Florence, AL 35630

Congratulations

2008-11-15T16:30:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to the following students for being accepted to participate in the 2009 Alabama All-State Orchestra Festival. The festival will take place at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa February 12-15, 2009.

C.J. Anderson
David Marsh
Hannah Marsh
Miranda McAfee
Maranda Rickard
Taylor Tucker
Maddie Webb
Christian White
Nathaniel White
Hannah Wright

2008-11-02T21:34:00.000-06:00

Hey Everybody,
Here's a recap of today's meeting for those of you who missed it...

Fundraisers:
Rosie's Night: Tuesday, November 4th 5:00pm-9:00pm and Thursday, November 13th 5:00pm-9:00pm Volunteers are needed to be at the door to promote this one. Any takers???
Wendy's Night: Tuesday, November 18th 5:00pm-8:00pm
Pizza/Wreath Fundraiser: ends on November 12th, not November 10th as noted on many of the forms. This is a pre-paid sale, meaning we collect the money up front. Please make sure checks are made out to "FMS". The wreaths will be delivered direct to the customer. The Gianni's products will be delivered to FMS around Dec. 1st. It is important that all the Gianni's products are picked up the day they are delivered, as it needs to stay cold.
Christmas Concert:
Our concert is planned for December 15 at 6:00pm. It will be at the Woodmont Academy of Fine Arts auditorium. It's a smaller auditorium than the FMS or FHS auditorium, which will make for a more "cozy" environment. (Plus it will make our crowd look bigger. ;) ) If you know of any conflicts with not having our concert on campus, let me know ASAP.
Also, remember students need to have the proper attire for the concert. High school orch gentlemen need tuxedos, and the ladies need some type of black concert dress. All other orchestra members need black on bottom and white on top. Visit www.concertattire.com for examples.
Officers
The following officers for the OPO were put into place. President: Marianne Marsh Secretary: Sally Burk Treasurer: The nominated person was not at the meeting and will be announced after the nomination has been accepted.

picnicpics

2008-10-28T22:34:00.005-05:00

Pics from our family picnic. Thanks, Hannah. Check post below this one for info about fundraisers, etc.

Fundraiser and OPO Meeting

2008-10-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

Greetings,
As you have hopefully already discovered, we kicked off our Gianni's pizza kit fundraiser yesterday. Along side of the pizza products, we are selling fresh-cut wreaths. There are no minimum quantity goals, but it would be nice if every student could sell 12 units of Gianni's product. As far as wreaths, any sales will be helpful, but there no specifics. The deadline for sales is November 12th.

Gianni's details: Take some time to look through the brochure for the Gianni's products. I can personally guarantee that you will not be disappointed if you purchase this stuff. It if very tasty. There is a variety of products, many of which are helpful as we enter the Holiday season and basketball season (wings, pretzels, etc.) My personal favs are the whole-wheat pizza and the mesquite chicken pizza. This is a pre-paid sale, meaning we collect the money at the time of the order. Please make sure checks are made out to FMS. The Gianni's products will be delivered around the 1st of December. We will have a few days notice before delivery. It is IMPORTANT that the product be picked up the day it is delivered to the school, as it is frozen/refridgerated product. We will earn 40% on all products sold. Visit www.giannis.com.

Wreath details: These are fresh-cut Balsam Fir wreaths. We will earn $10.00 for every wreath sold. The beauty of this sale is that we will handle absolutely no products. All we have to do is take the orders and money. After that the wreaths will be shipped directly to the customer via UPS around the 1st of December. I know our economy is hard, therefore I don't know how well the wreaths will sell. Nonetheless, I know people will go out to Lowe's and Home Depot and spend similar amounts for fresh-cut wreaths as we get closer to Christmas, so we'll see what happens. Visit www.schoolwreaths.com.

PLEASE REMEMBER OUR NEXT OPO MEETING IS THIS SUNDAY AT 2:00PM. (REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR ON SATURDAY NIGHT.)

"a Pickanick basket"

2008-10-13T22:52:00.002-05:00

So, we need to get to know each other a little better. Let's all get together this Sunday at Deibert Park around 1:00pm. Everybody bring something good to eat. Bring the whole fam. You should be getting a phone call, if you haven't already, asking you to bring specifics, so we don't all show up with fried chicken and banana pudding...

OPO "Ociffers"

2008-10-13T22:37:00.002-05:00

We decided at the last monthly meeting that it would be super helpful to have some officers in place to help keep things running smoothly at different activities throughout the year. We also decided to make the nominations for those officers on the blog. Please do so by leaving comments on this post. I will then keep a log of all names given and we will vote on the November 3rd OPO meeting.
We need a President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

fotoes

2008-10-03T22:08:00.001-05:00

morefotoes

2008-10-03T22:01:00.001-05:00

morefotoes II

2008-10-03T21:51:00.002-05:00

BARRAGE INFO

2008-09-29T18:33:00.005-05:00

This Thursday! October 2, 2008
FHS Auditorium 7:00pm
Adults $15 Students $10 (Normally Barrage tickets run $30-$40)
Tickets available at the door and at the Kennedy-Douglass Center in historic downtown Florence.
Call 256.768.2437 for more info.
Email us.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE BLOG ARCHIVES FOR MORE INFO ON BARRAGE (VIDS, ETC.)

Press Release

2008-09-28T16:13:00.001-05:00

Check out this article that appeared in last week's Courier Journal.
Courier Journal News 09-24-08

Wow. I think we needed a bigger trailer

2008-09-27T15:58:00.002-05:00

I think we had about 40 kids participate with us in the parade. I had at least 35 permission forms turned in, and I think there were some kids that "forgot" to turn one in. Since this was our first time in the parade, there were some small trifles that we can do better next time. Thank you for letting me make mistakes and learn from them.

Too bad it's not a root beer float...

2008-09-24T15:22:00.002-05:00

The float is pretty much finished. I think everyone had a good time "working" at the Hunter's house. Many thanks to the parents who worked hard on making "simple" look great.
Students who wish to participate with us in the parade need to be at FFC/FMS between 2:00 and 3:15. A permission form from parents will also need to be given to Mr. J. Click here to download the permission form. Students need to wear their newly-printed orchestra t-shirts. They MUST be tucked in per the FCS dress code.
Line-up for the parade will begin at 2:00pm in front of FFC/FMS. The parade will step off at 3:15pm. We will go up Hermitage Drive, turn left on Court Street, left on Tennessee Street, and left on Court Street. The parade will end at First Baptist Church.

View Larger Map

Float schedule

2008-09-22T07:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we got a good deal of organizing done. We met at the home of Maisey Hunter (see below). We are planning on meeting today and tomorrow starting at 4:00pm to finish the float. Please contact me or Mrs. Burk for more specifics. Otherwise, meet at 4:00 at the Hunters.

Float...why do they call it that?

2008-09-17T17:42:00.003-05:00

Sally Burk is organizing our float building venture this Sunday, September 21st at 2:00pm in room 308 of the FFC/FMS (Old Coffee) Auditorium. We will bounce around ideas and discuss resources and needs. If time permits, we will then move to the float building site at the home of Donald and Laura Hunter (Maisey Hunter) at
441 Nottingham Road
Florence, AL 35630

View Larger Map

Homecoming Parade Stuff

2008-09-15T18:42:00.002-05:00

Hello Everybody,
The time is drawing very nigh for us to begin work on our entry into the homecoming parade. We have had offers for a truck w/driver and a trailer, as well as sound system/generator. Now we need a place to work on it. I have space at my house, but as a teacher, I'm not sure I want ALL of my students to know where live...wink-wink. As our supplies will be limited to what we can scrounge and donate to the cause, I don't think we should go tooo fancy. The theme for the parade is the "blues". I suggest we do some sturdy cardboard cutouts of falcons with string instruments, similar to our t-shirts. We will have large posters advertising our Barrage concert with Barrage recordings being played. We also discussed attaching small Barrage adverts to the candy we toss. I took a poll, today, of students interested in working. I had a large response. (see attached) We need to get moving pretty quickly, as the parade is NEXT Friday, Sept 26. I know after-school schedules are crazy, as are weekends.
Here's a list of needs, will you help out?
Host home:
Candy donations:
Markers/Paint?:
Heavy Cardboard:
Cutting utilities:
Chaperones:
Other thoughts? Contact me and/or Sally Burk
Thanks.

Parent Stuff

2008-09-09T22:42:00.002-05:00

So, I feel like we had a good first orchestra parent meeting last Sunday. Highlights of the decisions we made:

We will participate in the Homecoming Parade on September 26th.
Barrage: Barrage will arrive at 2:00pm. A crew of 4-6 students/parents need to help with load-in of equipment. We will have an after-school workshop with Barrage on October 2nd at 4:00pm in the FHS Auditorium. At 5:00pm we will serve Barrage a "pot-luck" dinner. The concert will start at 7:00pm. During intermission, students will get tuned-up and ready to perform with Barrage on the start of the second half of the concert. The concert should be over by 9:00pm with load-out of equipment to follow. Several parents have volunteered time and efforts to make this work. More volunteers are welcome.
All-State orchestra auditions will take place on Monday, October 6th starting at 3:00pm at the Florence Freshman Center/Florence Middle School room 308. Visit the AOA Website for complete audition info.
Our annual pizza-product fund-raiser will take place in November. Other fund-raisers were discussed and are being investigated, including: Rosie's Cantina, car-wash tokens, Wendy's, Applebee's, Krispe Kreme, etc.
The high school orchestra will begin preparations for participating in the Smokey Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, TN. Tentative dates are: April 23-25, 2009, or May 7-9, 2009.

Our next scheduled meeting is October 5, 2008 at 2:00pm in room 308 of FFC/FMS. Please make plans to attend.

2008-09-06T10:09:00.002-05:00

Check out these videos of some Barrage performances.

Here's a video of another "Evening with Barrage" at another high school. Look around on YouTube and visit Barrage's myspace for lot's of vids and sound samples.

An Evening with Barrage

2008-09-06T00:43:00.004-05:00

"An Evening with Barrage"
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:00pm. FHS Auditorium. Call (256) 768-2437 for more info and questions.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and senior adults. Tickets are available at the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts in Historic Downtown Florence. They are open Monday-Friday from 9:00am-4:00pm. Their phone number is: (256) 760-6379.

Check out the Barrage website for more info about Barrage.

Audition Results

2008-08-30T17:02:00.003-05:00

Ok folks, here's the results of your performance evaluations.

Anderson, C.J. 99/110
Belk, Margaret 105/110
Bowling, Alexander 84/110
Burk, Brittany 97/110
Calvo, Jordan 92/110
Catalan, Tessa 84/110
Duncan, Taylor 93/110
Hunter, Maisey 101/110
Marsh, Hannah 87/110
McAfee, Miranda 99/110
Muffoletto, Jaqulyn 88/110
Olive, Morgan 93/110
Richardson, Trey 75/110
Rickard, Maranda 104/110
Robertson, MJ N/A
Russell, Kealy 75/110
Smith, Chase 98/110
Smith, Lia 90/110
Tucker, Taylor 99/110
Weaver, Ben 80/110
Webb, Maddie 103/110
White, Christian 97/110
Wright, Hannah 103/110

I used the data to help decide where people should sit. Please understand that the seating is not like in band, where 1st chair is best and last chair is worst.

1st Violin
Maranda Rickard, concertmaster
Hannah Wright
Morgan Olive
Lia Smith

2nd Violin
Maddie Webb, principal
Maisey Hunter
Jordan Calvo
Ben Weaver
MJ Robertson

Viola
Miranda McAfee, principal
Tessa Catalan
Chase Smith
Hannah Marsh
Taylor Tucker

'Cello
Margaret Belk, principal
Kealy Russell
Christian White
Jaqulyn Muffoletto
Brittany Burk
Taylor Duncan

Double Bass
CJ Anderson, principal
Trey Richardson
Alexander Bowling

T-shirts

2008-08-27T21:34:00.006-05:00

Guitar and orchestra shirts are now available for purchase.
Guitar Shirts will be $9.00 (smaller quantity ordered=higher price) and orchestra shirts will be $7.00.
The orchestra shirt design will go on a charcoal-gray shirt with two-tone (gray-blue) printing.

The guitar shirt design will go on a black shirt with white printing.

Both shirts will have the "classic" falcon on the chest with either "Florence Orchestra" or "Florence Guitar", appropriately. Please contact Mr. J ASAP if you are interested.

Audition time

2008-08-23T11:25:00.002-05:00

Audition excerpts for the HS orchestra seating.

All excerpts are from "Hoedown" by Aaron Copland, arr. Bulla

Vln: m36-m52

Vla: p/u m123-m135

Vc: p/u m103-m107, m123-m135

DB: m107-m115, m123-m135

Seating auditions will begin Wednesday, August 27

A new year, a new year...

2008-08-12T15:22:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted on the blog. Please look around our website and check our calendar. All-State Orchestra auditions will take place October 6-10. Students should begin working on the music now. Check out the AOA Website for more info. Look for the link on the left that says "Auditions".
Also, check out the Barrage website for a sample of who is coming to work with our students in October. You can also visit Barrage's Myspace.
The first Orchestra Parent Organization meeting is scheduled for Sunday, September 7th at 2:00pm in room 308 of FFC/FMS. Please make plans to attend. You might even get a treat.

Friday, February 29th, 7:00pm, FHS Auditorium

2008-02-21T21:25:00.002-06:00

Gringo Flamenco (duo)

About the tune: Gringo Flamenco came from jamming and having fun playing with some flamenco/gypsy music ideas . We were traveling in the Southwest and some folks wanted to hear hear more of our "flamenco" music; We started exploring this style of music and discovered that even two gringos like us have a bit of flamenco in our souls.

Tickets: $10.00 advance/ $12.00 at door/$5.00 students

Tickets available at the Kennedy-Douglas Center and through orchestra/guitar students.
Call 256.710.0877 for more info
Proceeds benefit the FCS Orchestra Department

Checking if this works

2008-02-06T20:40:00.000-06:00

Click Here to download a Word document with basic info for those going to All-State

NEWS!!!!

2008-02-06T16:23:00.000-06:00

Last July, I was finishing a class in educational research. One of the class requirements was a write a grant proposal. I decided to write one that was actually functional to the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. On Monday of this week, I received a photo mailer from the MHOF with a congratulatory letter stating they are to award us a grant for two double basses, two celli, and $400 towards repairs of instruments we currently own! WhoooHooo for grant writing!

Also, here's some driving directions to the Moody Music Building in Tuscaloosa. Remember, the All-State Orchestra Festival concert is this Sunday at 1:00pm. We would really like to have as many people from Florence come down to support our students.
Driving Directions from Florence, AL to 810 2nd Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL

Parent Meeting Feb 3rd

2008-02-03T16:20:00.000-06:00

I'm so glad we have access to the automated phone system! We had much improved attendance. Here's the highlights of today's meeting:

All-State Orchestra Festival, February 7-10, 2008
-Students will go to 1st period on Thursday. After 1st period, they will come to the music hall and we will load our luggage, instruments, and get ready to leave. The goal is to leave between 9:30 and 10:00.
-Plan on 7 meals for students, plus any other spending money necessary. There is usually a vendor there for t-shirts, plaques, group photos, recordings, etc.
-We are staying at the Ramada Inn, Tuscaloosa (631 Skyland Blvd (205) 759-4431)
-Chaperones: Daniel Jamieson, Sally Burk, Kristie Olive
-Everyone is invited and encouraged to come to the Sunday concert! It's at 1:00pm at the Moody Music Building on University Blvd in Tuscaloosa

Montana Skies, artist-in-residence, February 27-29, 2008
-Parents and students are asked to help with publicity and tickets sales for this event. (Students are asked to sell 10 advance tickets.)
-Tickets will be $10.00 in advance, $12.00 at the door. Student tickets will be $5.00.
-There will be a school-wide mini-concert at both FMS and HMS while they are here. We will have 4 other master class sessions where Jonathan and Jennifer will be working with students directly.
-Rehearsals with the high-school orchestra will be February 13 (Wednesday) and Feburary 21 (Thursday), both 3:30-4:30.
-Parents and students will be needed to assist in making the concert run smoothly as well (ticket sales, traffic flow, etc.)
-This is a fund-raising event. We will get to keep 60% of the ticket sales for this concert.
-Concert is February 29th, 2008 at 7:00pm, FHS Auditorium

Exchange concert with the Lee High School Orchestra (Huntsville)
-Dr. Dan Hornstein, director of the orchestra program in Huntsville and former director in Florence, has recently receieved his National Board Certification. Along with the certification, he has received grant money for his classroom. One way he and his students have proposed to spend that money is a joint concert with the Florence orchestra department. We are to prepare 30 minutes of music, they will do the same, and we will prepare one piece to play together. Then we will perform together on a concert, once in Huntsville, then in Florence.
-The tentative concert dates are April 28th and 29th.
-There will probably be some Saturday rehearsals (no more than two).

As always, please contact me with any questions or comments

These folks are coming in February

2008-01-08T21:47:00.000-06:00

Another Brick in the Wall - Cello and Guitar (short version)

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"Another Brick in the Wall"

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Check this out...

2008-01-08T21:42:00.000-06:00

Here's an really cool article that appeared in the Times Daily on December 26, 2007. I should have posted this earlier, but I guess I'm just a slacker...

Teen Finds Happiness in Playing Music

The response has been amazing. We've had people willing to give in various ways. Thanks to those who have helped.

Oops, we missed some

2007-12-17T21:42:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to these students for being invited to participate in the Alabama Orchestra Association All-State Orchestra Festival in February 2008.

C.J. Anderson
Margaret Belk
Brittany Burk
Kate Hunt
Maisey Hunter
Miranda McAfee
Morgan Olive
Maranda Rickard
Leah Smith
Taylor Tucker
Maddie Webb
Christian White
Nathaniel White
Hannah Wright

Note the names in bold/italic are names originally left off the list in the last post. They were oversights on the part of AOA.

Congrats to these...

2007-12-07T23:25:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to these students for earning a spot in the 2008 Alabama All-State Orchestra Festival to take place in February of 2008.

C.J. Anderson
Margaret Belk
Brittany Burk
Kate Hunt
Maisey Hunter
Miranda McAfee
Morgan Olive
Maranda Rickard
Taylor Tucker
Christian White
Nathaniel White
Hannah Wright

Pizza stuffs will be here Tuesday

2007-12-02T22:02:00.000-06:00

Roland Mouchette will be here on Tuesday, December 4, to deliver our food products from our fundraiser last month. PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO PICK IT UP THAT DAY! He will deliver to the FMS/FFC auditorium, room 308 ("band room").

note: date change for all-state auditions

2007-12-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

I just looked at the AOA website, they have changed the date for announcing All-State Audition results.
"Due to technical difficulties with some audition DVDs, the results of the auditions for the Alabama All-State Orchestra Festival will now be announced on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7."

So, check back here or at the AOA website on Friday to see who did what.

Sorry.

A much-needed update

2007-11-28T22:59:00.000-06:00

Here's hoping the tryptophan in the turkey didn't do you in too badly. Now that we've been back in session almost a full school-week, it's time to update the list of events.
I spoke with North Alabama Screen Prints today, after a much-delayed shipment of shirts, the element in their dryer has gone out. Mrs. Grubbs said that the ink would not stay on the shirts if they do not run them through their dryer. The parts are supposed to arrive on Friday, so our t-shirts/hoodies should be ready the first of next week. Mr. Mouchette, our pizza sales rep, said he would give me a call about a week in advance of delivery, in order for me to let you know in a timely manner. I had to call him today. He said he was going to deliver this coming Friday (the same day as the middle school chorus concert/drama and our high school orchestra performance at First (Last) Friday. I told him that would be a bad idea to deliver then. Sooooo, our pizza product should be delivered some time next week. Please be on the lookout for info on the delivery date.
First Friday: We will be playing at Shaolin Computers, again. We are to start at 5:00pm and be done around 6:30 (with breaks included).
OPO Meeting this Sunday, December 2nd, FMS/FFC, Room 308
Christmas concert: Monday, December 10th, 6:30pm, FMS/FFC Auditorium
Orchestra community tour: Wednesday, December 12th.

Mmmm, Pizza! or Ummm, Pizza?

2007-11-07T13:07:00.000-06:00

How are we doing on pizza sales? You have two days left. Please do your best to have the pizza sales completed and money collected by this Friday, November 9th. If everyone sells 12 units, we have the possibility to generate over $5000.00!
Keep selling.

I know we like French Fries, but...

2007-10-23T22:36:00.000-05:00

do we like French music? Come to the first Shoals Symphony Orchestra concert to discover your opinion. This coming Sunday, October 28, 2007. Muscle Shoals High School. 2:00pm. Students have access to a complementary ticket.

Cesar Franck's Symphonie No. 1 in D minor
Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (I know he's not French)

"Note-worthy" Items

2007-10-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

1. Pizza fund-raiser begins this Friday (Oct 26)

2. Registration forms can be found here for All-State auditions. Please return ASAP.

3. Orchestra Parent Organization meeting Sunday, November 4. 2:00pm FFC/FMS 308

4. All-State Auditions: November 4th, FFC/FMS Auditorium, 3:30-5:30

5. Shirt orders are due NLT November 2nd

6. Please encourage at least 100 minutes of practice time each week, 150 is prefferred. 20 min X 5 days = 100 min...

The shirt off our back...

2007-10-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

Students were given order forms on Friday (the 19th) for Orchestra-ware wearables. The design is the same as last year, until someone comes up with something better. Maybe there'll be a orchestra shirt "Spring Edition". If you missed the shirts last year, they are all black with a "pocket-logo" of the Florence Falcon in blue with "Florence Orchestra" written in gray. On the back there is a violin with the same script. The polos are black with the same "pocket logo" embroidered, instead of screen printed.

T-shirts $8.00

w/ringers $12.00

Long-sleeve $12.00
Hoodies $20.00
Polo shirts* $12.00

*=required for high school orchestra members.

Please return your orders no later than November 2nd. Make checks payable to Florence Middle School. As always feel free to contact me with any questions.
Upcoming important dates:
October 26 Pizza Fundraiser
November 4 OPO meeting
November 5 All-State Orchestra Auditions
November 30 "First Friday" Downtown Florence
December 10 Christmas concert

You were missed...

2007-10-14T23:13:00.000-05:00

at the first meeting of the Orchestra Parent Organization. I enjoyed meeting those who were there. We discussed many things, including: practice habits, fund raisers, Christmas and Spring concerts, artist-in-residency (Montana Skies), and physical needs of the orchestra. Here are some upcoming events important for you to know:

Pizza fundraiser, October 26-November 9
All-State Orchestra Auditions, November 5
Christmas Concert, December 10

We will hold another OPO meeting on November 4th to discuss our Christmas concert in depth. Please make plans to attend. 2:00pm FMS/FFC Room 308
More to come.

Hello There! Slow Going?

2007-09-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen the Princess Bride, then this post title won't be as amusing. However, I feel like our Internet presence this school year has been slow-going. Please visit often and add Florence Orchestra to your friends on myspace. Also do check out the Florence Orchestra main webpage for basic information and important dates on our calendar.
Most important at the moment...
FHS Orchestra performs this Thursday at the Coffee Alumni Scholarship Banquet.

dcj

Welcome Back!

2007-08-07T00:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome Back! It's going to be a great year. There will be many new and returning faces to the string instrument department. Please make a point to check this blog often, or our myspace page for the most current information as to what is going on. If you are not myspace friends with florence orchestra, then send a friend request. I will post on this blog, bulletins on myspace, and on the myspace blog. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
-dcj