WMEA State Conference, Yakima February 17-20, 2012
Annual Membership Meeting At WMEA, Yakima, WA February, 2012
Orchestra Sessions
February 17 | 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
The Practice Puzzle | Elizabeth Petersen, Renton SD, Renton WA
Or "What are my students really doing in the practice room and how can I improve it?" Music teachers frequently remind their students to practice but don't always teach them how. Drawing on both her research and her experience with elementary and high school students, the presenter suggests traits of effective practice and ways to teach students to practice effectively.
February 18 | 9:00 am – 10:15 am
Back to Basics: Establishing Good Intonation | Terry Shade, Issaquah SD, Issaquah, WA
Superior orchestras have one thing in common - superior intonation! Mrs. Shade will share ideas that can be used throughout the first year of orchestra. She will demonstrate with rote exercises, technical drills, and literature. Mrs. Shade believes in fast-paced classes, and her session will show how pacing increases faster learning and retention.
February 18 | 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
Accompaniment Styles for Strings | Renata Bratt, Teacher/Clinician, Scotts Valley, CA Your students can expand their harmonic and chord knowledge by learning how to accompany fiddle tunes. String orchestra students can play chord changes on their instru-ments and accompany each other. Please bring your instruments!
February 18 | 2:45 pm – 4:00 pm
The Civics of Playing in the Orchestra | Jeffrey Bell-Hanson, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA
Orchestral (or ensemble) participation offers a laboratory experience in the civic virtues of cooperation, collaboration, mutual respect and support unlike any other activity that takes place in our schools. In this session, we will explore ways to consciously engage those values as students learn music in which they are enshrined and perfect the art of playing it together.
February 19 | 9:00 am – 10:15 am
Building from the Bottom | Ruth Boden, Washington State University, Pullman, WA Establishing good playing and postural habits for low strings players must occur from the beginning. Common set-up problems will be addressed, particularly as they relate to differences in body sizes and body shapes. This presentation will look at topics that are generally too uncomfortable to discuss in class and solutions to common problems. Questions will be welcome at the end.
February 19 | 10:30 am – 11:45 am
Get to the Roots of It! | Karen Cramer, Kenmore Jr. High, Northshore School District, Kenmore, WA Incorporating fiddle/bluegrass tunes and instruments into the string program is perfect for teaching American music history, improvisation, ear training, chord structure and technique while building family and community relationships. Participate in a bluegrass jam and learn how to start a Roots program, involving students within and outside the school orchestra.
February 19 | 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
Using String-Instrument Physics to Enhance Practice Results | Meredith Arksey, Washington State University, Pullman, WA Teaching students to work with the physics of the violin/viola will make their home practicing more interesting and productive. Bring your violin/viola and explore the relation-ships between tone and string-vibration width; harmonics and the overtone series; intonation and the use of sympathetic vibrations and resultant (ghost) tones; the balance of the bow and how it affects ricochet, spiccato and sautillé.
February 19 | 2:45 pm – 4:00 pm
Wintergrass Music for String Orchestra Reading Session | Elizabeth Fortune-Gobo, Washington Middle School, Seattle, WA This reading session, directed by Renata Bratt, PhD, and Elizabeth Fortune will feature great new, and tried and true alt-styles pieces (with a special emphasis on fiddle styles) for string orchestra, as well as ideas for learning how to "get off the page" and jump into the mysterious world of jamming by ear. Bring your instrument, all levels welcome!
February 19 | 2:45 pm – 4:00 pm
Roundtable: Growing Our Community and Youth Orchestras | Toni Reineke, West Seattle Community Orchestra, Seattle, WA It’s an idea whose time has come: Numerous community orchestras (youth only, adult only, or mixed) recently have sprung up around our state. In seminar style, we’ll dis-cuss issues and opportunities, interfacing with schools, managing growth, auditioning or not, locating repertoire, concert frequency, moving to nonprofit status. The success of this session will depend on lively participation by the audience!