Letter from Ms. Mary (9/8)

September 9, 2025

Great start, Philharmonia West!

What a great start at our first rehearsal!  Thank you for bringing so much excitement, energy and focus to the start of our 2025-26 season.  I commend you for trying new music, and for many of you, being in an orchestra for the first time. My hope for this year is that we can make new friends, learn new music and create some amazing memories.

A few reminders about our rehearsals:

• Please arrive by 6:15 so that we can get tuned and set up by our 6:30 start time.
• Remember that each student needs to bring 5 things to every rehearsal: instrument, music, stand, pencil and any accessories (rosin, rock stop, etc.)
• Coats and cases should be left in the hallway.

Last night we played through much of our music, as well as learned the word, symbol and rhythm of the week. Do you remember what a mode is? How do you make the quarter and eighth note rest? In what piece that we played last night,  can you find the ti-ta-ti-ta-ta rhythm pattern?

Before next Monday, I would ask that every student play Tyro Tango three times. The scale we played before this piece was E minor. In the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on the minor mode.

Our fall retreat is on Saturday, September 20th.  We will be able to dig deeper into our pieces, as well as have time for some social activities.

Thanks again for a great start to our year!

Mary Sorlie