WolfeMusicEd Blog

The end of the year approaches and the deadlines for some final projects are nearing!

• Nine concerts remain on the pre-approved list of concerts on the Concert Review Agreement here .
• One other concert remains on the pre-approved list hanging in the music room 302 and on the Fine Arts bulletin board outside Zelman.  Its date is May 20, after the deadline for submitting reviews.  If you want to review this concert, please request an extension for the review by emailing me.  The review will be due the next day, May 21.
• My student, Garrett Peelen, will perform his senior piano recital on Monday, May 14, 7:00 p.m. on the Zelman Center’s Petrof piano.  This recital includes works of J. S. Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Brahms, and Bartók; it qualifies for review.
• We will use the two Listening CDs from next week until the close of the semester.  They are due back on the day of the final examination.  The final examination and several quizzes preceding it will include pieces from the listening CDs and the listening packet.
• I will call for the return of the tenor and alto recorders (for those students who borrowed them) sometime prior to final examination week.  We still use the instruments (including the soprano recorders) in class nearly every day while we are studying music theory.

Note: While students are not charged for the loan of CDs and recorders, the school assesses a fee if they are not returned on time.

Note: the recorder concert and each of the written tests count the same in the grade.  Students who did well in the concert (nearly everyone) also need to study to do well with the remaining written tests, too!

As always, if you have questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.  Email is preferable to phone.

Thank you!  Let’s finish the semester strong!

Adrienne Goglia of Solis Camerata of ASU contacted me about their upcoming concert.  Here’s what she wrote:

Do you love early music? Palestrina? Gabrielli? How about Monteverdi?

Well, then I have a concert for you! I hope you can join me and my ASU choir, Solis Camerata, this Sunday for our presentation of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. When was the last time you heard a large Pre-Bach work performed in the Phoenix area? Don’t miss this rare concert combined with a Lecture Recital by Kira Zeeman Rugen. The concert features ASU Vocal soloists and instrumentalists.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Remember, 7th and 8th grade students: both concert reviews are due any time before 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 18. 

Recorder Concert Photo

Our school newspaper, De Equitibus, is planning an article about the recorder concert and would like to include at least one photo.  If you have pictures in electronic form of the concert, would you be good enough to send them to me?  I’ll forward them on to the advisor, Mr. Bob Schuster.

As is always true in the newspaper biz, they’re working against a deadline, so please reply quickly if you are able.

AIMS Testing this Week

On another note, our college adviser Mrs. Karin  Moffitt, informs us that our 7th and 8th grade students will be taking the AIMS test Monday through Thursday mornings this week.  Here are some of her instructions:

All students in Grades 6-8 will be taking the AIMS tests this week.  Please arrive ON TIME each day.  Please get a good night’s sleep each day and eat a nutritious breakfast.  Please also do NOT schedule any appointments for students on these days.

Testing begins at 8am sharp each day.  However, to avoid missing morning classes for 4 days, morning and afternoon class schedules will be swapped on Wednesday and Thursday.  On those days, testing will be held in the morning but students will then attend their morning classes in the afternoon.  Schedules will be posted on all classroom doors.

Here is the testing schedule this week:

• Monday, April 16:  Grade 6 & 7 – Writing; Grade 8 – Science
• Tuesday, April 17: Grades 6, 7 & 8 – Reading and Math
• Wednesday, April 18: Grades 6, 7 & 8 – Reading and Math
• Thursday, April 19: Grades 6, 7 & 8 – Reading and Math

To prepare for the AIMS tests, students should review the sample tests at:
https://www.ideal.azed.gov/p/aims

… and the sample tests with think-throughs at:
http://www.azed.gov/standards-development-assessment/aims/sample-for-students/

Free Breakfast at McDonald’s!

Prior to the testing dates on April 16 and April 17, McDonald’s will offer free breakfasts to children in grades 3 through 8.  The promotion runs between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on both days. Students will receive an Egg McMuffin, apple slices and their choice of milk, chocolate milk or orange juice.

An audio file of “Terzetto” is now available for download.  Go to the Music Class Downloads page.

Download the bus transportation and concert information sheet here.

The one public concert for 7th and 8th grade music class is scheduled for Friday, March 30, 7:00 p.m. at EdOptions High School.  This should be a lovely event and the students have been working hard to present some beautiful music (yes, the recorder is capable of creating beautiful music!).  All 7th and 8th grade students are required to perform in this concert. 

Concert attire is required for the evening performance as specified on the course description signed by parents at the beginning of the semester and as described online on the TPA calendar.

The school will provide bus transportation from TPA to EdOptions and back for the Tech Rehearsal Friday around noon during school.  Attire for the tech rehearsal is normal TPA uniform.  Download the permission form here.  Every student must return a signed form in order to be able to ride the bus.

We need parent monitors to take roll, to help students go where they are supposed to be, and to pay attention at cast call and at the performance.  Parent monitors do not have to do much of anything except be present, take roll (we have an easy system for doing this), and record any infractions they see.  They do not need to speak with the students about infractions.

If any parents would like to film the event, we appreciate being able to see and hear the concert the following week.

Download the bus transportation and concert information sheet here.

Parents of 8th grade students: third quarter grade reports are forthcoming next week.  Meanwhile, if you’d like to see some detail about what your student has been studying this quarter and what the class will be doing for the fourth quarter, please look at the entry on Music Class Downloads called Summary of Third Quarter.