Questions about school lessons or practicing at home?
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about in-school lessons and practicing at home. More detailed information was included in the lesson information letter that went home with your child at the beginning of the school year. (If you need another copy of this letter, you can find it on the "Documents & Downloads" page of this website!)
When does my child have his/her lesson?4th grade lessons are held on Days 2 and 4 of the cycle. Your child's lesson day was sent home at the beginning of the school year and will always be on the same day of the cycle. If you are unsure of your child's lesson day, please contact Mr. O'Neill!
What does my child need to bring to lessons?Students need to bring the following items to every lesson:
How much should my child practice?The quality of practicing that a student does at home is ultimately more important than the actual amount of time, but the times below are goals that will help your child establish regular practice habits and give them enough time to work on the skills they are practicing:
|
How does the rotating schedule work?Each lesson day follows an six-cycle rotation so that the students miss a different class/period each time they are pulled for their lessons. We began with Cycle 1 for the first cycle of lessons and move to the next cycle each Day 1. At the end of the sixth cycle, we go back to Cycle 1. The dates of the lessons will also be on your child's schedule.
How will my child get to lessons?4th grade students come to their lessons without being picked up by Mr. O'Neill. We practice this during the first few weeks of lessons, and then they are responsible for checking their lesson times on their lesson days. Each student has a copy of the lesson schedule in his/her folder and their Homeroom teachers have copies of the schedule in their classrooms.
How do we fill out the practice journals?The students will write down their practice assignments at the end of every lesson, as well as any specific reminders or skills they need to work on during the week before their next lesson. They should write down the number of minutes they practice each day (and write the total number of minutes in the "Total" box) and ask a parent/guardian for a signature.
How long do we need to rent the instrument?In-school lessons begin the second full cycle of the school year and continue until the Friday before the last week of school. Students need to have their own (rental) instrument for the duration of the lesson program during the school year and should also keep them for the summer if they are planning to continue in the string program the next school year.
|