Letter from Ms. Mary (9/22)

Hey Philharmonia West,

Super job at our last rehearsal.  I was quite impressed with the work that was done at the retreat. Go Philharmonia!

We covered a lot of ground on Jubilee Fanfare on Monday evening.  We will continue to work on scales this semester.  In almost all of our pieces this semester, you can find large portions of scales in many passages.  The scales we will focus on in the next few weeks are G Major and E minor.  What are the pitches in an e Natural Minor scale? How many rhythm variations of this scale can you play this week?

Divisi, dotted half notes and ti-ti-ta-ti-ti-ta.  These were our word, symbol and rhythm of the week.  In which of our pieces can you find these? Please see me before rehearsal next week if you can tell me where they are.

Next Monday will be our first sectional of the year. We will divide into upper and lower strings (violin/viola and cello).  We will spend time diving a little deeper and working on passages/techniques that affect our instruments and sections.  We will focus on Tyro Tango and Ukrainian Folk Songs. Before our rehearsal next Monday, please review Tyro Tango.  As you are playing through this, focus on the rhythm.  There are many syncopated passages, as well as dotted rhythm patterns. Be ready to clap these out next week.

Have a great week. Work hard, play hard.

Mary Sorlie