WPS Elementary Orchestra Newsletter
March 2024
WPS Elementary Orchestra March Newsletter
As Fine, Applied and Performing Arts Educators, it is our mission to inspire and guide every student to be active participants in the Arts through the use of a sequential, academic, and creative curriculum that nurtures the human spirit and promotes cultural relevance.
This website has everything you might need for help with tuning, finding a private lesson teacher or youth orchestra program, and more! There are some demonstration videos linked there, as well as YouTube playlists with fun play along songs for our elementary students.
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It's Music In Our Schools Month!
For nearly 40 years, March has been designated as Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM®). Music has a lasting positive impact in our lives. The positive impact on music in the lives of our students lasts a lifetime. Therefore, the education and cultivation of music in our youngest members of society, our students, is paramount.
Every day, in classrooms and rehearsal rooms across our school district, music educators dedicate themselves to reaching all students with life-changing musical experiences. Parents, administrators, and the wider community often only see the wonderful results of music performances; however, we miss the months of practice and rehearsals and more importantly the learning process that takes place to make it all happen.
I encourage members in our community to acknowledge and celebrate music education as an essential part of every student’s educational journey. Join us for all of our musical ventures over the course of the month:
- WHS Musical "Working"
- March 1 - 3 @ Mosesian in Watertown
- Friday & Saturday at 7:00pm
- Sunday at 2pm
- Click for Tickets
- Band-a-Rama
- Tuesday, March 12th
- 7:00 PM at Watertown MIddle School (Gym)
- Featuring the nearly 300 members of our 4 - 12 band program!
- Friends of Watertown Music will be present to collect donations raising funds for our Jack Hahn Scholarship, Instrument purchase, and field trips!
- Music Fest!
- Friday, March 15th
- More information below!
- String Spectacular!
- Wednesday, March 27th
- 7:00 PM @ Watertown Middle School (Gym)
- Featuring the nearly 250 members of our 4 - 12 string orchestra program!
- Friends of Watertown Music will be present to collect donations raising funds for our Jack Hahn Scholarship, Instrument purchase, and field trips!
- Annie, Jr.
- April 5 - 7th (not quite March, but close!)
- Friday and Saturday @ 7PM
- Sunday @ 2PM
- Watertown Middle School Auditorium
Upcoming Dates & Performances!
- District Wide Orchestra Concert, "String Spectacular": Wednesday, March 27th
- More details below
- Evening concert: 7 - 8 PM @ WMS
- Dress rehearsal from 4:00 - 5:00 @ WMS
- All students play together in this concert featuring all 230 of our Watertown string students! Each grade level performs a couple of pieces, and then we have a few selections that feature all of our students playing together. This concert will take place in the WMS Gymnasium.
- Link to the flyer being sent home with kids this week (English, Spanish, Portuguese)
- We will be looking for adult/parent volunteers for the following roles (and then some!):
- Photographer
- Video monitor
- Sitting with students when they're not performing
- Helping with check in/check out, organization at dress rehearsal
- Tuning (if you're someone who can help with this)
- 11th Annual MusicFest, hosted by the Friends of Watertown Music!
- Sign up by March 5th (next Tuesday)
- Friday, March 15th from 5:30 - 8:30 at Watertown Middle School
- Fundraiser for the Friends of Watertown Music, who are integral in the advocacy and support of our music programs
- Suggested donation of $8/person or $25/family
- Community members and students are welcome to sign up to perform!
- Sign up to perform here
- Sign up to volunteer here
- 43rd Annual March String Fest!
- Saturday, March 23rd from 12:30 - 5:00 PM
- Marshall Middle School, Billerica, MA
- Four levels of orchestras to participate in from very beginning (like our fourth graders) to advanced (students who have been playing for 3+ years)
- $30 registration fee + $5 tshirt
- Click here for the flyer and more information
- Click here to register
Schedule Changes Coming Up
There are a few schedule changes with MCAS testing starting up over the next few months. Please note the changes below.
Hosmer
- Week of April 8: Tuesday instruments will join Wednesday's classes on Wednesday, April 10th
- Week of May 6th: Instrument lessons will be on Thursday, May 9th (same time)
- Week of May 13th: 5th Grade Tuesday instruments will join Wednesday's classes on Wednesday, May 15th (4th grade will meet normally)
Cunniff
- Week of April 1: No Lessons that week
- Week of May 6th: Potentially moving this lesson day to Tuesday, May 7th (pending, will confirm!)
- Week of May 13th: 5th Grade will not have lessons this week (4th grade will)
Lowell: not impacted
4th Grade Objectives and Lessons
4th Grade
Fourth grade has been making great strides in playing their instruments! We've been focusing more on bow hold and bow stroke with the goal of making a beautiful sound. We've talked about how in order to make the bow sound smooth, we need to pull it a little faster across the string, and open our arms up instead of moving our elbow back and forth. We've also been doing pinky exercises to strengthen the muscles that help support our bow.
Fourth grade has also been learning improvisation through our song "Open String Stomp" and has learned "Twinkle," focusing on learning how to read the notes on the staff.
Next, we'll be learning "Boil 'em Cabbage" and the bass line to "Seven Nation Army" in preparation for our March concert!
Things to look out for with bow hold:
- Curved pinky (on top of the bow for violin/viola, dropped over for cello)
- Bent thumb pushing against the "bump" on the back of the frog
- Space in the palm (should be able to see through the palm like a telescope)
- Violin/Viola: index, middle, and ring finger are all dropped over the stick/frog to at least the first, if not second, knuckle on those fingers. For cello, all of the fingers are dropped over the bow to the first or second knuckle.
- Violin/Viola: Fingers are leaning toward the tip of the bow (Pronating toward the tip)
- Bow hold in steps violin/viola
- Bow hold video cello
Though bow hold has been our big focus, fourth grade is also working on learning how to read the notes on the staff. The drills on pages 12 and 17 of the book can be very helpful with this. Students are also learning Twinkle on page 22, Open String Stomp, and Boil 'em Cabbage. This week in lessons we also started learning the bass line to Seven Nation Army!
5th Grade Objectives & Lessons
5th Grade
Our fifth-grade string players have continued to reinforce what they learned about slurs and the G Major scale last month, and continues to focus on making a beautiful bow stroke by doing bow warm ups each class. Some violas and cellos have learned how to shift to play the second octave of the G scale with the violins.
In learning scales, the fifth-grade classes have also been talking about key signatures and how they change with each scale we play.
In addition to scales, 5th grade is learning the bass line to Seven Nation Army, Open String Stomp, and reviewing Twinkle & Boil 'em Cabbage.
Coming Up!
Coming Up...
Right now we are in crunch time for our concert coming up on March 27th! New concepts coming within the next few weeks including shifting (5th grade) and playing low-2 (or just second finger for cello) finger patterns (4th grade).
MusicFest 2024: Friday, March 15th
MusicFest is a lively and eclectic evening of music with performances on multiple stages, hosted by our very own Friends of Watertown Music! This year's MusicFest will take place on:
Friday, March 15, 2024 from 5:30 - 8:30 at WMS
What makes MusicFest so great is the participation of a variety of performers. We often have professional ensembles and students from local conservatories along with
high school bands, student ensembles and individual performers.
Saturday, March 23rd from 12:30 - 5:00 at Marshall Middle School, Billerica. $30 Registration ($35 at the door).
The workshop is for string players who want to get together and make friends and enjoy music. This is an outside activity for students and not sponsored by Watertown (payment, questions, etc should be directed to the folks listed below).
There are four Orchestra Levels:
Orchestra I
For advanced players who read well
and have lots of ensemble experience
Orchestra II
For intermediate players who have experience
but are not fast readers
Orchestra III
For second year players who
have some reading skills and experience
Orchestra IV
For students who are
just starting to play and have
minimal reading skills and ensemble experience
LUNCH PREPAY OPTION - $5.00
Lunch includes 2 slices of pizza, bottled water and a healthy dessert.
There will be no charge for parents and teachers who would like to spend the afternoon watching and enjoying the activities. Come and have a good time!
Questions?
Robin Mallory
Carolyn Cardella
Anna Anderson
Concert Times & Info
Our next performance will be our String Spectacular, a district-wide orchestra concert, on Wednesday, March 27th, from 7 - 8 PM at Watertown Middle School, in the gym. A special informational S'more will go out the week of March 18th.
Students should wear their Watertown Performing Arts t-shirt (the black one). Students can wear whatever they prefer on bottom (jeans, slacks, skirts, etc).
We will have a dress rehearsal for elementary students at WMS on that day from 4:00 - 5:00. This is a practice to show students where to go, where to put their instruments, and help them get used to the space before the big show. They will leave their instruments at the school for fine tuning between the rehearsal and the concert.
We are always looking for some adults to help with crowd control and student needs both at the dress rehearsal for this event, featuring all 220 of our Watertown string players.
Music will be added to this folder over the course of the next week for digital reference.
Watertown Strings Book 1
All students (including our fifth graders) will be receiving a copy of Watertown Strings Book 1. This book has been compiled specifically for our students with what we anticipate they will learn and be able to do by the end of their first year in string lessons.
Fifth grade students have done much of what is in this book, but there are some helpful materials that it may be helpful for them to have. Book 2 will be coming for them soon!
All City Orchestra
The All-City Orchestra has started and is open to all string (violin, viola, cello, or bass) students in 4th - 12th grade, with older students (6 - 12th grade) acting more as mentors to the younger players.
The ACO is free to be a part of and meets on Tuesday afternoons from 3:10 to 4:00 in the Watertown Middle School Auditorium. Students should arrive any time between 3:00 and 3:10 so that they can get tuned, warmed up, etc.
The purpose of this group is to create a cross-district ensemble in which students can get more instruction time during the week, meet their peers across the district, and play in a larger ensemble in addition to their smaller group lesson. This will not take the place of the lesson, as lessons focus primarily on technique, while orchestra will teach students ensemble skills. Music selections will be pieces are best suited for our beginners. More experienced players would play more advanced parts while acting as mentors for our beginner musicians.
We will have a performance with the All City Band and All City Chorus the evening of Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 at Watertown Middle School. Students are able to participate in multiple All City ensembles.
I will always add links to specific events and lessons to the newsletters; however, in order to add these to your personal calendar, you must subscribe to the FAPA calendar (linked above). You can hide the FAPA calendar so your personal cal is not clogged by superfluous events, while only adding the orchestra events to your cal when the links are shared in the newsletters. Let me know if you have any questions about this!
Lesson Days (Click to add to calendar)
- Lowell, Monday: Corcoran, Spatz, Burton
- Hosmer, Tuesday: Mattson, Doherty, Bellis, Twomey
- Hosmer, Wednesday: Spillane, Stone, Psychoghios, Gill, Cassaza
- Cunniff, Thursday: all Cunniff classrooms
- Lowell, Friday: Antonellis, Sudbay, Brodeur
String Spectacular (all strings grades 4 - 12 in Watertown)
- Wednesday, March 27, 2024
- Dress rehearsal 4 - 5
- Concert 7 - 8
- Click for calendar link
Spring Concerts
- Hosmer Spring: Wednesday, June 5th (9:00 - 10:00 AM)
Cunniff Spring: Thursday, June 6th (9 - 10AM)
Lowell Spring: Friday, June 7th (8:30 - 9:30AM)
Music & Arts Rentals: Size Up/Swap
If you rent your instrument from the company Music & Arts, fill out this form to size your instrument up or swap it!
Play Along Videos
Do You Still Need An Instrument?
If you have not had a chance to rent an instrument, please check click HERE for local vendors and directions on how to rent. There are a number of vendors in our area from whom you can rent to own your child's instrument!
If you need assistance with rental, please let me know by emailing me: macullen.byham@watertown.k12.ma.us
Lesson Content and Practice Ideas
Materials, Resources, and Local Performances
Materials for String Classes
Most music shops will carry these items, or you can order online.
Here's an Amazon list with the items listed
You can also check out Shar Music for these items
- Instrument
- Cellos: Button stop or strap (button/rock stop is more versatile)
- Violin/Viola: Shoulder rest (3/4 - 4/4 violin or 15 - 16" viola only)
- Music stand (for home practice)
- Extra rosin
- Extra strings (Prelude is a great quality brand at a reasonable cost)
- Pencil
- Binder (1/2" - 1" is great!)
Shoulder Rests
As our upper string (viola/violin) players start to move up into the full-size instruments, they should be looking into getting a shoulder rest. These are items that hook onto the lower bout of the instrument to help players support the instrument in their shoulder vs. with their arm and hand, allowing for more flexible motion in the wrist and fingers. You can get them for any size instrument, but they typically make adjustable sizes for 3/4 - 4/4 violins and 15 - 16" violas. All upper-string players should be using a shoulder rest by the time they get to the full-size violin (4/4) or 15" viola to help with posture and avoid back/neck pain.
I recommend Everest (pictured) or Kun (both under or very close to $30), but there are many options. Let me know if you have any questions!
Local Symphony Performances
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.
- Firebird Pops (all pops, all the time!): Keep an eye out for upcoming events
- Boston Civic Symphony: Sun, Mar 3, 2024 @ 3PM/Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
- Kendall Square Orchestra: Fri. March 8 @ 7:30 PM/Sanders Theatre, Cambridge, MA
- Brookline Symphony: March 9 & 10 w/ Metropolitan Chorale/All Saints Parish, Brookline, MA
- Longwood Symphony: Sat, Mar 9 @ 8PM/Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
- Rivers Symphony Orchestra: Sat. March 9 @ 7PM/Regis College Arts Center, Weston
- Lexington Symphony: Sat. March 16 @ 7:30PM/Cary Hall, Lexington, MA
- Waltham Philharmonic: Sun, Mar 17 @ 3PM/Waltham Gov't Center, Waltham, MA
Private Lessons/Outside Opportunities
If your child is really enjoying playing their instrument and wants some additional play and instruction time outside of the school day, we recommend looking to private or small group lessons.
Here is a link to private teachers in the area
You can also check out Attacca School of Music in Belmont (at the Trapelo/Bartlett intersection near CVS) or Powers Music School in Belmont (on Concord Street near Belmont Center).
Other Stuff
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. FoWM is beginning to plan for our first MusicFest since 2019 and invites all parents who would like to help in any way. Email HelloWatertownMusic@gmail.com or call Chris Lowry at 617-923-0502 to learn more.
Practicing
We recommend students play their instrument 3+ times a week for at least 10 - 15 minutes each time to build muscle memory and reinforce habits taught in lessons. You can see what we worked on in lessons and what students should be practicing by clicking the button below.
Note Reading Game
- Staff Wars is an interactive app-based game to help students learn how to read the notes on their staff. It is $0.99. Absolutely not required, but a fun learning tool if interested.
- Apple devices
- Android devices
Helpful Links and Resources
- Tuning your instrument at home: follow this YouTube tutorial
- Here is a tutorial on how to hold the bow
- Here is a list of private teachers in the area
- Rhythm Packet #1
- Rhythm Packet #2
- Sight Singing Packet #1
- Sight Singing Packet #2
- Ms. Byham's favorite metronome app for iPhone
- Ms. Byham's favorite metronome app for Android
Class Schedule
Our lessons are grouped by classroom teacher:
- Mondays (Lowell W): Corcoran, Spatz, Burton
- Tuesdays (Hosmer): Spillane, Doherty, Bellis, Twomey
- Wednesdays (Hosmer): Mattson, Stone, Psychoghios, Gill, Cassaza
- Thursdays (Cunniff) all Cunniff classrooms
- Fridays (Lowell W): Antonellis, Sudbay, Brodeur
Our lessons take place in the first part of the school day, between 8:30 and 10 AM.
Meet the Teacher!
Ms. Culley Byham
Culley Byham (rhymes with Sulley) is our string and orchestra teacher from grades 4 - 12 in Watertown. She grew up in Pennsylvania and began playing the viola in the third grade. She played in school and youth orchestras through elementary, middle, and high school before attending Penn State to study Music Education. Ms. Byham taught middle school music and orchestra in South Carolina for five years before moving to Watertown, where she is now in her eleventh year of teaching music.
In addition to teaching, Ms. Byham has continued playing viola in community orchestras. She is currently a member of the Brookline Symphony here in the Boston area. She also enjoys taking long bike rides, walking her dog, hiking, and practicing photography.
Her absolute favorite thing about teaching string and orchestra classes is watching her students go from having no idea about the instrument, to being able to play with ease and confidence. She loves that she gets to work with the students for so long, seeing them grow and learn over the course of many years, making friends, and building community along the way.
Mr. Louis Stringer
We are being joined by our new strings teacher, Mr. Louis Stringer! Mr. Stringer is a bass player who will be an immense help to our lower string students. He will be starting with us on Monday, October 30th.
Louis is an internationally touring bassist and composer. Although based in the United States, Louis has crafted an internationally diverse portfolio with artists from Africa, the USA, Europe, South America and Japan. Performance highlights include: Panama Jazz Festival (2023), The Berklee Global Jazz Summit (2022) and EFG London Jazz Festival (2021).
As an educator Louis has led music masterclasses at Oxford University (UK) and the Fundación Danilo Pérez (Panama). He has spent the last 5 years teaching upright bass and bass guitar lessons as well as composition, music theory and harmony. He has also spent time as part of music focused community outreach programs such as the LEAP ensemble and On the Edge Fusion Orchestra, both based in Birmingham, UK.
About the Watertown Strings and Orchestra Program
Our string program in Watertown is open to all students in grades 4 - 12. Though we begin our program in the fourth grade, students can join in at any level - it's never too late! It is not necessary for students to know anything about music or playing an instrument in order to sign up, we'll teach them everything they need to know.
Check us out on Instagram: @watertownorchestras