February 2009 Newsletter

And another one bites the dust! Year, that is. And eventful year it has been. My first grandson (second grandchild) was born in February, and my husband, Brian, completed his doctoral program. I don’t know which was bigger. The baby only took nine months to “finish,” while the doctoral thing has been in the works for about three or more years.

ACME had changes as well. We now have pre-k classes and orchestra. We’ve grown in the number of students, also. As far as a school year goes, this one is practically half over. I’ve seen some kids really grow. Not just musically, but in maturity and personality and, of course, height. I pray for all of you that 2009 will be the most blessed year you have ever had - in health, wealth, and spirit.

Shirley Faulkner

Director/Instructor

TUITION DUE

February tuition is now due. Invoices were already issued last week. However, some of you may be receiving your invoice along with this newsletter.

If you are in need of applying for a scholarship for the spring semester and have not already completed the forms, you can obtain them at the information table on Tuesdays, download them from the web page, or contact Ms. Shirley to get one sent to you. Please try to get this done by the end of February.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Shanika Johnson – Russellville High School

“I love singing and playing the instruments.”

Richie Loveland – Percussion – Advanced Band; Voice Class

“I enjoy playing drums, especially my set. Playing with the rest

of the band is an interesting challenge.”

Henry Pegg – Cello – Beginning Orchestra

“I like learning to play the cello and playing with the orchestra.”

Harmony Albrecht – K-2^nd Grade Elementary Music

“I like singing and singing solos.”

T- SHIRTS!!

There are still a few band and orchestra people who have not ordered their T-shirts. Remember, it is required for ALL students in performing groups.

T-shirts can also be purchased by any ACME student, their family, or simply a supporter. Cost is $10 per shirt. To order your shirts, complete the enclosed order form and return it along with a check (payable to ACME) to Ms. Shirley. Order forms can also be found on the website under the “Registration Information & Forms” link.

The deadline for orders for the fall is Friday, November 7. All orders placed after the deadline will be filled with the spring orders. We do this because the price for smaller orders goes up considerably. So get your order placed this week!!!!!

ARE YOU NEW TO ACME?

Some of our classes are open most of the year to new students. Those classes include the Pre-K and Elementary Home School music classes. New students will only be accepted in band and orchestra if they have previous experience on an instrument and complete an audition.

If you are new, please stop by the information table and complete the registration form and the permission to publish form. If no one is attending the table, you can leave it there or give it to the instructor for your child’s class. If you know someone who might be interested in our classes, please feel free to take them the necessary forms.

We welcome visitors in our classes who just want to see what we do and see if we have anything to offer their student. If you have any questions, please email or call Shirley Faulkner at the contact information on the last page of this newsletter.

2009-10 BAND & ORCHESTRA

Coming this April and May, we will begin holding tryouts for beginning band and meetings for beginning orchestra for the 2009-10 school year. Band instruments are flue, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and/or baritone, tuba, and percussion (drums and such). Orchestra includes violin, viola, cello, and upright (double) bass.

Band is open to home school and private school students with no previous experience on a band instrument and to the general public as an extra opportunity to play and learn new music. Orchestra is open to the general public.

Students must be at least 10 years old by September 30 to be eligible for beginning band. Students must be at least 8 years old by September 30 to be eligible for beginning orchestra. Adults are very welcome and encouraged for both groups.

Anyone with previous instrument experience who is interested in participating in the band or orchestra programs are required to schedule an audition for placement in the appropriate level of ability. ACME currently has three levels of band – beginning, intermediate, and advanced – and will have two levels of orchestra – beginning and intermediate – for the next school year.

Attendance at a band tryout or orchestra meeting is required for participation in either of these groups. You must also pre-register for the tryout or meeting you wish to attend.

If you would like more information about these groups, please contact Shirley Faulkner.

SPECIAL EVENT IN THE WORKS

Last year, ACME hosted a special presentation by Mr. Bob Boyd on and as Stephen Foster. We believe this was a very successful and educational event. Therefore, we are going to try to do this every year. Plans are currently underway to bring in another guest this year. We have tentatively set a date of Tuesday, April 14, at 10:00 a.m. The program will only last about an hour and will replace music classes that day, with the exception of band.

More information will be reported in the March newsletter.

PRE-K MUSIC

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY if you have a student in the Pre-K music classes.

Last Tuesday, we told some of you that we would be moving to one class that would meet at 1:45 to 2:15. We have had a couple of new students, so we are going to retain the original schedule. We would still like to have more students, so if you have a friend with preschoolers – home school or not – invite them to the class.

ELEMENTARY MUSIC

We are nearing the end of our lessons on the instruments. Since there have been several students ask to bring their instruments to class, both elementary classes will be having “instrument show & tell” the weeks of February 10 & 17. Each student will be given a brief opportunity to show their instrument and tell an interesting fact, such as who they know plays the instrument, in which instrument family it belongs, and so forth.

Some students may desire to make an instrument. There are links on the ACME website to two other websites with instructions for building unique instruments from everyday items. At the ACME home page, click on “Internet Resources & Links.” The two links are the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids and the New York Philharmonic Kidzone. Mr. Brian even made his own “French Hose!”

We are then going to spend some time learning about and using some composing software. We are hoping to possibly even write some songs. This should be a very exciting lesson and will help the students develop their creativity in music.

BAND NOTES

Quite a bit of information here, so please read and note.

First, we are still planning to have a mid-semester concert for the bands only. It is currently scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, at 7:00 p.m. All bands will be playing.

A venue for this concert has not been secured at this point, but should be within the next week.

Thursday setup. Just so everyone knows, the students of the advanced band have been given setup/packup assignments each Thursday to help Ms. Shirley get everything back in order. This has run fairly smooth for the most part, and the tasks are usually completed in less than 15 minutes. There have been a few the last couple weeks who have been less helpful. If your student needs to be out the door as soon as class is dismissed, please let Ms. Shirley know so she can adjust the assignments accordingly. Besides being a great help to Ms. Shirley, it shows our good stewardship in the use of the facility.

On a final note. There has been an increasing amount of incidents of students arriving late to band. Late is defined as not being ready to start playing at official class time – 2:30 for beginning band; 3:30 for intermediate band; and 4:15 for advanced. All students should consider the time involved in assembly of instrument and stand, getting music ready, and a brief period of warming up instruments and embouchures. Continued violation may result in private lessons at your expense - $20 per half hour – or dismissal of the band program.

ORCHESTRA NOTES

Orchestra is going well. The pace is slowing a bit as we progress into more challenging material. Be expected to revisit exercises that are a little less challenging in an attempt to secure comfort on various techniques. There will most likely be some classes where we will divide into two groups – those that are keeping up fairly well and those that are struggling to keep up or falling behind.

All instrumental students must remember that when you find an exercise you think is hard, it is preparing you for the next level of achievement. Don’t give up, and certainly don’t quit. Improvement and proficiency will come to those who work through it. Some will find an exercise more challenging to them than a fellow student. In time, that situation may be reversed. Achieving that improvement benefits the group as a whole, as well as yourself.

ASO opportunities. The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra is presenting a concert of romantic music from Henry Mancini on February 13 and 14. This would be a great Valentine gift if just for yourself. A brochure will be available at class for more information.

And closer to home – The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be in concert at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville Saturday, April 25, at 8:00 p.m. If you have never been to see the ASO live, this would be a good opportunity. We would like to encourage as many of you who can to attend this concert. Tickets are $10.

As a bonus, if you truly would like to go but are unable to afford the ticket, ACME is offering financial assistance of various levels to help you do this. You will need to inform Ms. Shirley of your need as soon as possible so the funds can be reserved for this.

On a final note. This is a reminder that students need to arrive for class in enough time to assemble their instrument and get tuned. There are 20 in the class and only three or four people to help tune all the rest. The later students arrive, the later class actually starts.

“But it’s just a violin,” you say. Shoulder rests have to be attached, bows tightened, bows rosined, stands put together, and some weeks, strings replaced and bridges reset or replaced. This can’t happen in two or three minutes, especially for the younger students.

If you have a prior commitment that causes you to be late arriving and have not already done so, please inform Ms. Shirley as soon as possible. We understand an occasional instance of losing track of time or getting stuck in traffic, but lately most of the group is arriving almost right at 3:45, which is the official start time for class.

NEW LIFE ACADEMY NOTES

Journal Writings. As most of you with students in the 4^th grade and up know, we have had weekly journal writing assignments since early in the school year. The longer they write, the more creative and thought-provoking the students have been.

Part of their assignment is to keep each writing in a folder, which was provided to them at the beginning of the year. Not only do they receive a grade for each article, but they will receive an overall grade for the completeness and accuracy of the journal folder. The students have been repeatedly reminded of this. There have been a couple of instances of lost or tossed papers. In such a case, they must be rewritten and graded again.

Upcoming lessons. We are finishing our lessons on instruments in the next couple weeks. We are then going to work with some composing software. All the students will have an opportunity to create their own work. We hope to be able to put them all on a CD. It should be a very fun process.

Upcoming opportunities. This is to remind you that all New Life students are welcome and encouraged to tryout and participate in the ACME band and/or orchestra program. There is no extra tuition involved.

As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, band tryouts and orchestra meetings will be held starting in April. See the calendar below for scheduled dates.

If you would like more information about the either program, please visit the web site at www.ac-me.org or contact Shirley Faulkner at 264-9107 or shirley.faulkner@ac-me.org.

UPCOMING ACME EVENTS AND DATES

March 3 7:00 p.m. ACME Band Concert (all bands only)

Location to be announced

March 23 – 27 SPRING BREAK

April 16 6:30 p.m. Band Tryouts for 2009-10

April 23 6:30 p.m. Orchestra Meeting for 2009-10

May 12 3:45 p.m. Orchestra concert rehearsal - Witherspoon

May 13 1:00 p.m. Spring concert rehearsal – Witherspoon

May 14 7:00 p.m. ACME Spring Concert

May 19 2:00 p.m. Band Tryout

4:00 p.m. Orchestra Meeting

May 31 2:00 p.m. New Life Academy Year-End Program

(Location of all band tryouts and orchestra meetings will be announced in the March newsletter. Additional tryouts and meetings will be scheduled in July and early August. Beginning Band will start August 18. Beginning Orchestra will start August 19.)

COMMUNITY CALENDAR DATES OF INTEREST

February 6, 7, 13, 14 8:00 p.m. “Pirates of Penzance” – Witherspoon

& February 8 & 15 2:00 p.m.

February 13 / 14 8:00 p.m. Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presents

“Mancini and Moonlight” – Robinson Center

in Little Rock. www.arkansassymphony.org

March 2 7:30 p.m. ATU Bands Concert – Witherspoon

April 14 7:00 p.m. Shape Note Singing Presentation – hosted

by Russellville Music Club - Witherspoon

April 16 7:30 p.m. ATU Choir & Band Concert – Witherspoon

April 25 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. pARTy in the Park hosted by Arkansas

River Valley Arts Center – Russellville City Park

April 25 8:00 p.m. Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in concert

at Witherspoon Auditorium – tickets $10

see Ms. Shirley if interested

May 3 2:30 ATU Band Concert – Witherspoon

May 8 & 9 YellFest in Dardanelle

May 12 7:00 Russellville School Bands Concert

At Tucker Coliseum

May 15 7:00 The Community Festival Chorale Spring

Concert – Witherspoon

May 18 6:30 p.m. Recital for Faulkner private Voice & Piano