Marie Murphy
Middle School
Concert Strings, Senior Strings, and Strolling Strings
Orchestra is a graded class that meets before school. Sectionals meet as a pull-out program with a rotating schedule: students miss the same class every 6 weeks.
Students receive a semester grade in orchestra based on their progress, home practice, attendance, attitude and concert performance.
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There are three Marie Murphy string orchestras which are grouped by ability. Students are placed in Concert Strings or Senior Strings at the beginning of the year but can change orchestras at any time during the school year. Students need to be placed in the group that best suits their level.
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Concert Strings works on basic skills including:
music reading
sight reading
key signatures
hand positions
bow hand
left-hand position
posture
sound production
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Concert Strings meets on Tuesdays and Fridays 7am - 7:40 am
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Senior Strings continues to work on the above skills plus advanced skills including:
vibrato
shifting
chromatic scales
advanced bow strokes
dynamics
Senior Strings meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 7am - 7:40 am
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Strolling Strings works on performance skills including:
memorization
rote learning
adjusting to performance conditions
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Strolling Strings rehearses during Senior Strings morning rehearsals and also during sectionals.