First week of school 2013

Whew – I made it through my first week of school.  Last Monday seems like AGES ago.  My 7^th grade orchestra at Lange has 18 students (3 violins, 2 basses, 4 cellos, and NINE violas!).  Rock Bridge High School orchestra jumped from 21 students last year to 54 this year!  OH MY – that is a LOT of kids to keep track of.  I saw them twice this past week and we have yet to play a note because there is so much administrative business to take care of:  get-to-know you, check out lockers for instruments, collect sizes for concert clothing, going over the handbook.  I made that activity fun this year by creating an open-book quiz covering various sections of the handbook.  Questions like:

COURSE OBJECTIVES

RBHS Orchestra students will (circle all that apply)

            a)         read and play notes     

            b)         run laps around the PAC

            c)         work on rhythm

            d)         develop better articulation and tone

            e)         sleep in rehearsals

            f)         play really out of tune all the time

            g)         clean their ears

            h)         practice ear training

            i)          have an awesome time

 PERFORMANCE ATTIRE

For a concert, you will wear  (circle all that apply)

            a)         flip flops and jeans

            b)         p.j.s

            c)         black concert attire checked out to you

            d)         anything black

            e)         girls in gold, boys in green

Most of the orchestra is comprised of lower classmen.  And I have only 6 seniors. But, they are all terrific students and I plan to put them to work helping me with the continuing administrative duties of such a large group – taking roll, distributing music, etc.  I have a fantastic set of parents who are the executives of our brand new music booster organization that we are calling Friends of the RBO (Rock Bridge Orchestra).  They are a blessing from heaven!  And, Steven was getting rid of this old poster and I have it in my office for inspiration. It is going to be a great year!

 

 

I think everyone who reads this blog knows about Ruth Marshall and that she had a stroke in June and passed away after lingering in the hospital for over a week.  In fact, she did not die until after her son and daughter-in-law, who had been at her bedside the whole time, had to fly back to New York.  She never wanted her sons to bother themselves when she was at the end of her life and I guess she was aware enough of Rich’s presence that she hung on until he left because she died that very night.  Anyway, Rich and Rosanne always came to visit on her birthday in August and they already had plane tickets for last week and it was decided back in June that a memorial would be held for Ruth on her birthday – August 22^nd.  She would have been 92.  The service was very small – I played Amazing Grace on the cello and the Monsignor from Our Lady of Lourdes spoke.  She was cremated and her ashes were placed in Memorial cemetery.

Below is Rosanne and Richard Marshall and Rosie, Ruth's younger sister