Feb. 25, 2016 Orchestra
Notes
Mrs. Reitsma’s website: http://www.lz95.org/classes/elementaryorchestra_mreitsma/
Our Orchestra Concert is Tuesday, March 1 at the Spencer Loomis/Middle School North
Cafetorium. This concert involves May Whitney/Spencer Loomis/Seth Paine Grade 4 and
Grade 5 Orchestras, as well as Middle School North Grade 6-8 Orchestras. You can compare
the concert to going to a restaurant and ordering a sampler platter, as you will hear a small
sample of each orchestra level gr.4-8. We will combine 225 students for a “grand finale!”
CONCERT NIGHT details for Tuesday, March 1:
1. Parents, by 6:00 pm DROP OFF your student at Spencer Loomis Door 7 (from the
main parking lot, door 7 is at the end of the long sidewalk which runs along the
outside of the SL Gym).
2. Grade 5 students go directly to the Loomis MUSIC room for tuning with
Mrs. Schmidt (IF/SA Orch. teacher). Grade 4 students go directly to the SL
Multipurpose Room for tuning with Mrs. Reitsma/Mrs. Owens.
4th grade students: bring your wire music stand (set up your music stand first
before unpacking and tuning in the MPR).
3. By 6:30 all orchestra students will be in the Cafetorium to rehearse the final concert
song with grades 4-8.
4. Parents: return at 6:45 pm to attend the concert from 7-8 p.m.
5. All Orchestra students should wear the Orchestra uniform (black skirt/pants,
black socks/tights, black/dark shoes, Orchestra polo shirt). Play your best 
Congratulations to Grace Ha, Louisa Hagen, Ryan Kim, Amelia Kuehl, Nathan Pham,
Roxanne Liang, Lumi Shinzato, Lynette Suk, Allison Wu, and Jane Yu, who each earned a
Superior rating on Feb. 20 at the Northern Illinois Music Conference solo contest. These
students practiced and prepared for 2-3 months for their solo performance. Well done!
Parents, please sign each weekly practice record, as we are now about a third of the way into
Practice Challenge 2016!
Grade 4 students are working hard to learn to read, finger, and bow new notes on their lower
string(s). This is still a “work in progress” for many students!
Grade 5 Prelude Orchestra members are exploring different genres of music from folk music
to classical. They are expanding their rhythmic vocabulary to include songs with syncopation,
dotted rhythms, and 8th/16th note combinations. We regularly play on all four strings, requiring
them to comfortably and confidently read and play a wide range of musical notes.
Mary Reitsma
MW/SL/SP Elementary Orchestras
Mary.Reitsma@LZ95.org VM 847-719-3502
http://www.lz95.org/classes/elementaryorchestra_mreitsma/