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?3rd Grade Lessons will always be on Day 1 and 3 (some on Day 2 and 4). 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?At the beginning of their string studies, students should try to practice for 15 minutes at a time. It is normal for them to feel some soreness when they are first learning the instruments and they can take short breaks as needed as they build up their strength and endurance. Each week, students should try to practice at least five days at home.
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How does the rotating schedule work?Each lesson day follows a six-cycle rotation so that the students miss a different class or portion of class 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?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. I will always pick the students up for their lessons, but they should look at their schedules the morning of their lesson day so that they are ready to go when I pick them up for their lessons.
How do we fill out the practice sheets?Students should put a check mark (or similar mark) in the boxes for each day that they practice at home. (Please encourage your children to mark the days as they practice instead of waiting to the end of the week to do this!) Your child then needs to sign his/her name on the practice sheet and ask you for your signature. Practice sheets are checked at every lesson!
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How long do we need to rent the instrument? |
Is it supposed to sound like that?? |
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.
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String instruments can be a bit *unforgiving* and don't always make the nicest sounds when people first learn how to play them. As your child progresses through his/her lessons, you should hear increasingly pleasant sounds and more recognizable tunes during their practice sessions at home. If at any time you are worried that it's "just not getting better", please feel free to contact Miss Baisch to discuss specific ways to help your child make the sweetest sounds possible at home!
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