Letter from Ms. Mary (9/15)

Dear Philharmonia West,
Thank you for your hard work on Monday evening. How fun to have a snack night!

At our rehearsal on Monday, we read through Jubilee Fanfare. Do you remember what the articulation was that we talked about for all of the quarter notes? Hint: it is a marked sound… We also spent more time on Ukrainian Folk Songs and Tyro Tango. We will continue to focus on these three songs for the next few weeks.

Our Word of the Week: marcato
Our Symbol of the Week: lift bow or phrase marking
Our rhythm of the Week: ti-ta-ti-ta-rest

Our retreat is this Saturday! Our time will be filled with lots of playing, socializing, body percussion and getting to meet more students in Philharmonia. Come ready for an action packed retreat!

Before the retreat, play through as much of Ukrainian Folk Songs as possible. How many lift bows are there? Are you doing all of them?

Our focus on Monday was listening. The most important musical skill you can have is listening. Not only do we need to listen to ourselves, but also our section and the other sections of the orchestra. That is A LOT of listening. As you play your instrument at home this week, truly listen to the sounds you are making. Are they beautiful? Are they in tune? Are they rhythmically correct?

Have a great week. Work hard, play hard.

Mary Sorlie