Hello, intrepid musicians!
Thank you for joining the Riverside Rondos for winter 2020!
We’ll kick off our season this Wednesday evening – January 15 – from 6:30 PM to 8:45 PM … AT WOODROFFE UNITED CHURCH, in Scout Hall! As you may have heard, OCDSB schools won’t be open on Wednesday, so we’ve had to re-locate for this week. Please bring a music stand and some indoor shoes to change into before entering Scout Hall.
Next week, and in following weeks, we’ll be in the music room (145) at Brookfield High School. You’re welcome to arrive as early at 6 PM to settle in and warm up (but no earlier).
Music distribution:
This session, I’m going to try distributing parts electronically for musicians to print at home and bring along. For now, I will email each section with your parts attached; a little later in the session (once we’ve worked out some technical details), I will try sending a link through which you can download your parts. I will send the music by early afternoon on Tuesday. If you’re unable to print your own parts, please reply to that email and let me know, so that I can arrange to bring parts for you to Wednesday’s rehearsal.
What we’ll do this week:
For our first rehearsal, I will give you an overview of the session and distribute a selection of music at grade levels 1-2 for us to sight-read together, so that I can get an idea of what repertoire suits our instrumentation and interests. (Rondos who were in the fall session might recognize a few of these charts.)
We will begin clinics next week, on January 22. I will send more information and details about clinics later this week.
What to bring:
First and foremost, bring yourself, your instrument, and a pencil! If you have a copy of Essential Elements Book 2, please bring it with you; if you don’t have a copy, please buy or borrow one, and bring it with you once it’s arrived. (And if buying this book will cause undue financial hardship, please let me know, so that we can make alternate arrangements.)
Have slippers or shoes ready to bring in case of inclement weather, as we will leave our wet footwear in the hall or the staff room closet across the hall.
You will need to bring a music stand each week that we hold clinics, because the clinics will take place in classrooms.
The last word:
Whether you’ve been practicing diligently or taking a break, remember that your contribution to the band is both welcome and appreciated, and your best is good enough. I look forward to meeting you and making music together!
All the best,
Laurel
