Ms. May is in her 2nd year teaching orchestra at Hawthorn Middle South and 6th year of teaching overall. She is also a violinist in the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. The goals for the year are to have fun, build community, and develop musical and technical skills. Students will study scales, music theory, bowing styles, rhythms, and Baroque music. There will be several required concerts throughout the year, as well as opportunities to participate in solo & ensemble and chamber orchestra. Grading will be based on rehearsal participation, lessons, tests, concerts, and instrument care.

1. Hawthorn Middle South
Orchestra
Ms. Samantha May, Director

2. About Ms. May
2nd year at Hawthorn Middle South
6th year of teaching
Violinist in the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra
I enjoy cooking and reading

3. Check out the
HMS Orchestra website!
Announcements
Performance calendar
Handbook
Small group lessonschedules
Contact Me form
Private lesson information
Forms
Music links
www.hawthornmsorchestra.weebly.co
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4. Goals
Have fun!
Build community
Build musical, technical, and expressive skills for next
year
Perform a variety of musical styles
Units: Scales, Music Theory, Bowing styles, Rhythms,
Baroque music

5. Materials
Instrument
Orchestra music
Method books (class set)
Pencil
Optional: Shoulder rest (violins/violas), binder

6. 6th Grade Concerts
One more concert than in fifth grade
January 26 - Winter Concert, 7 p.m.
March 15 - 6th and Chamber Concert, 7 p.m.
May 11 - Spring Concert & Open House, 7 p.m.

7. Chamber Orchestra
Extracurricular orchestra for 6-8th grade students
looking for the challenge of playing more difficult
music
Meets from 7:00-7:30 a.m. (6:55 individual warm-up)
Every Wednesday and Friday in the Music Suite
3 Concerts: Winter Concert, 6th/Chamber Concert,
Spring concert

8. Optional Events
Solo & Ensemble - February 20, 2016

9. Grading
Rehearsal Participation - 10 points per week (2 each day)
Weekly Small group lesson attendance/effort - 5 points each
Tests, playing or written - 10 points
Concerts - 40 points
Instruments must be taken home on weekends
Rubrics available in the handbook

10. Scales Unit
Goal: Students will be able to play
scales a variety of 1 octave scales
in multiple finger patterns.
Essential Understandings:
Scale and arpeggio patterns are
found throughout music.
Scales have a specific whole-and
half-step pattern.
Instrument position affects playing
whole and half-step patterns in
tune.
Essential Questions:
What do sharps, flats and
naturals do?
How do key signatures work?
How do I use my bow correctly
with different bowing patterns?
How does instrument position
affect playing in tune in
different keys?

11. Music Theory Unit
Goal: To understand that musicians read
numerical and language indicators to
determine how music should be expressed.
Essential Understandings:
Time signatures and key signatures indicate
how music feels and sounds.
Music has roadmap and descriptive
indications that should be followed.
Time signatures determine the basic
rhythmic feel of music.
Instrument part vocabulary should be used
properly.
Essential Questions:
What do the top and bottom
numbers of time signatures mean?
How are D.S. al Coda, D.C. al Fine,
and repeat signs followed?
How do I use my bow correctly with
different bowing patterns?
How does instrument position affect
playing in tune in different keys?
What is an anacrusis?

12. Bowing Styles Unit
Essential Questions:
How do professionals use the
bow?
How should the bow be
distributed in different rhythms?
What is proper pizzicato
technique?
What do Lower Half, Upper Half,
Middle, and Whole Bow mean?
How should we use these
different parts in performance?
Goal: Students will be able to
play a variety of bowings.
Essential Understandings:
Unique bowing styles are used in
different periods of music history.
Bowings are clearly marked in
music and should be marked in
pencil if they are unclear.
Short notes use less bow, long
notes use more bow.

13. Rhythm Unit
Essential Questions:
How to time signatures
work?
How do I count a dotted
quarter-eighth note
rhythm? How do I count
16th notes?
What is the difference
between 2/2, 3/2, 6/8, 9/8,
and 12/8 time signatures?
Goal: Students will be able to
understand and perform rhythms
and understand the importance of
rhythm in ensemble playing.
Essential Understandings:
Subdividing keeps the orchestra
together.
A dot after a note adds half the value
of the note.
Musicians have to to think the tempo
of the pulse before they begin.

14. Private Lessons
A great way for students to get one-on-one instruction
from an expert on their instrument. The importance of
private lessons cannot be overemphasized.
Students who take private lessons are more motivated
Check the orchestra website for more information

15. Looking forward to
a great year!
“Music expresses that which cannot be said an on
which it is impossible to be silent.” -Victor Hugo
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” -Plato
“Where words fail, music speaks.” - Hans Christian
Andersen