Welcome
to the home of the Berkeley County Orchestra Program. Entering its 15th year of existence, the program has seen tremendous growth and has had a wonderful impact on the children that have been involved. The Berkeley County Strings Program is open to all 4th to 12th graders as well as private school and home schooled students.
Letter to Advanced and Beginner Orchestra Members
Welcome to another year of high quality string education and beautiful orchestra music!
NEW this year: Policies on attendance, grading, concerts, classes, orchestra will be in a HANDBOOK which your student will receive in string class. Please READ IT and sign and return the signed page.
The String Program has shown tremendous growth again this past year with 140 First Year Strings, 60 Beginner and 70 Advanced Orchestra members and 50 High School band/string/percussion musicians. If you received this letter we assume that your child is participating this year. If this is not the case we need to know NOW because you don’t want your child to have a wrong schedule at Orientation and we must have accurate student records.
Sports students go to daily training to be successful – string students MUST practice. A Practice Log is required this year. Please remind your student to practice, ask your student for the log, sign it once a week! Practice logs are part of their grade! (see Handbook)
Please put the rehearsal and concert dates in your calendar NOW!
Holiday Concert:
- Sunday, December 5th, 2 pm, First Year Strings + Beginner Orchestra
- Sunday, December 5th, 7 pm, Advanced and High School Orchestra
- Dress Rehearsal: Sat . Dec. 4, 2 to 5 pm, all at Martinsburg HS Auditorium
Spring Concerts: TBA
All string students in 2nd year and up participate in ORCHESTRA! Although we are willing to work with you if you have conflicts with ballet, sports, etc. coming to orchestra rehearsals is a CENTRAL part of string education. Get together with your child’s friends/parents and carpool. We will be happy to provide phone numbers for that purpose. Orchestra is part of the grade.
ALL students who want to play in ADVANCED ORCHESTRA or HS Orchestra must audition. HS Auditions: Tues, Aug. 24 and 31, 7 to 8:30 pm, bandroom South Middle School.
Auditions Advanced Orch: Sat., Aug.21 from 10am to 1 pm at Eagle School, use back entrance!
Schedules: Middle School string schedules will be passed out to your students the first week of school or will be already printed when you come to Orientation. Intermediate string classes remain the same as last year and can be viewed on the website. Students will receive their schedules in school or for Intermediates at the Rental Meeting.
Please check the website regularly www.bc-strings.org for new announcements. The weekly schedule will be posted as soon as it is finished.
Rental Meeting with the music store: Aug. 23th (first day of school) , 6 to 8 pm at Eagle School if you need something! Open to ALL string students! (rosin, stands, rent/buy instruments….).
The school system will supply the method books for Strings! However, if you already have a blue/green/yellow method book you are expected to bring it to class.
We will host WV String Day on Nov. 6th which is a day of rehearsals and a concert for 7th to 10th grade Strings from the entire state! Coaching from awesome professors! Plan on participating!
Happy fiddling! See you soon!
Letter to First Year String Students and their Parents
Welcome to the Berkeley County String Program, an ambitious and highly successful program which lets children explore what it is like to learn to play an instrument. Our goal is to raise musicians who can read and understand music and will eventually enjoy playing in an orchestra.
Please attend the Rental and Informational Meeting on Monday, August 23, (first day of school), 6-8 pm at Eagle School Interm. regardless of which school your child attends. Students will be measured for a correct size instrument and you can rent and purchase supplies from the music store representative. School-owned instruments are available for disadvantaged students ( must proof lunch assist.) Please make sure to come to this meeting even if you already have an instrument.
Costs:
- Classes are free. Instrument and equipment is the responsibility of the parent/guardian.
- Violin rental: from $20 a month and higher depending on instrument quality
- Also available: music stand, shoulder rest, rock stops for cellos, method books
Please review the flyers of the two music stores to decide who you want to rent from. Both provide excellent service to our students:
- Ellsworth Music, Shepherdstown, WV
- Music and Arts, Hagerstown
What String Instrument should I play? Children who are big and strong for their age may choose viola, cello or bass. Students of average size or with small hands should prefer the violin. To have a balanced and well sounding orchestra we need to have all four instrument groups :
- VIOLIN
- VIOLA
- CELLO
- BASS
Attention: Some school bus drivers may not transport cellos. Parents may have to transport cellos.
The String Program has a “No Quitting” Policy. Development of a difficult skill takes time and patience. Students must remain in the class for at least ONE semester. (ONE school year in Middle School) String teachers are regular classroom teachers and are responsible and liable for all children assigned to their class. Parents MUST notify the string teacher if a child does not come to string class. It is unacceptable to pull a child out of the program without notifying and discussing this with the string staff.
You may contact the string staff with any questions and concerns. Communication is vital and encouraged. Call, e-mail or leave a message at the school office.
Eva Price 263-2916, 268-2195, evaprice@frontier.com
Chris Cushwa 671-9333, jcushwa@access.k12.wv.us
David Funderburk 734-634-7346 dfunderburk@access.k12.wv.us
All enrolled students in 4th to 12th grade are considered members of the String Program and will participate in all their assigned classes, rehearsals and concerts.
Holiday Concert: December 5, 2 pm, Martinsburg High School Auditorium
For First Year Strings and Beginner Orchestra
7 pm for Advanced and High School Orchestra
Spring Concert: Thursday, May 19, 7 pm, Martinsburg High School Auditorium
For First Year Strings and Beginner Orchestra
Winter concert dress: black bottoms, white top
Summer concert dress: white bottoms, green orchestra t-shirt ($11 to be paid in March)
String class is a GRADED subject. Students earn points for good posture, playing on pitch, tone quality, rhythm, contribution to class/rehearsal/concert and for remembering instrument and materials. They receive report cards for strings at report card time for their other classes.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT! Although the program is taught by highly qualified and experienced teachers it is obvious every year that students who are not practicing their songs daily 15 to 20 minutes will not be successful. Parent reminders to practice and praise and encouragement are important. Have your child perform for you, Grandma, a pet or a friend.
Children must be reminded to bring their instrument and materials to class when it is their “string class day”. Students who forget their instrument must still participate in string class or they will miss out on new songs and notes and will get behind. Students have two weekly string classes.
Bring to class: instrument with name tag, rosin, method book, 3-ring binder (1 “) with plastic sheet protectors, pencil, shoulder sponge for violins, rock stop for cellos, music stands stays at home.
Before-school (7:30 / 7:45 am to 8:30 am) and after-school (3:15 to 4 pm) string classes are taught at the Intermediate schools. Please make sure that your child arrives in time for class.
Please do not be late to pick up your child in the afternoon, teachers cannot be made to babysit after 4 pm.
Middle School students will have their string class printed out on their daily schedule.
Schedule of string classes: We understand that you are eager to find out your child’s string schedule. However, scheduling involves all Berkeley Co. schools and cannot be completed until close to the start of school. You will receive a schedule at the Rental Meeting. Classes will start immediately.
Buying versus renting an instrument: We strongly advise against buying a violin/cello the first year. At this age most children need small violins which they soon outgrow. Often inexpensive violins are hard to play, break easily and sound bad. It is almost impossible for non-experts to judge correctly the quality of an instrument bought on e-bay, a pawn shop or music store. We recommend renting from the music store until your child has made a commitment to string playing.
Goals for First Year String Students:
- hold instrument correctly, good body posture, know how to get instrument ready to play
- have a place at home for practicing with music stand, safe storage without pets, small children
- know how to place fingers 1-2-3-4 on the fingerboard
- produce a full, resonant sound with the bow
- play simple songs on pitch, in correct rhythm and without stopping
- remember to bring instrument and materials to class on “string class day”
We are looking forward to meeting you and your child at the rental meeting. We will do everything to make this an exciting and successful introduction to music for your child!
Fingernail Policy
This is the first year we string teachers have to enforce a "fingernail policy". While in the past only occasionally seniors would have their nails done before prom or other special events , we now see 4th graders come to string class regularly with designer nails. As any string specialist can tell you- it is impossible to properly position fingers on the fingerboard to produce correct pitch if the nails are overly long. We have heard excuses and explanations that this doesn't matter and that they can play anyway. We are string professionals and will not except this reasoning. Long fingernails are hindering correct playing, are unacceptable for more than one reason and will not be allowed in Berkeley County String classes. Our goal is to raise musicians who are playing according to our high standards and those of other student orchestras. Refusal to abide by the rule is reason to remove the student from string class.
No gym teacher would allow a student to participate in gym class while wearing high heels.
Acrylic/designer nails which are longer than the end of the fingertip are unwelcome in class and in string concert performances.
Rental Instruments
The String Program has partnered with the following rental businesses:
- Shar Music, Ann Arbor , MI, 800-248-7427
- Ellsworth Music, Shepherdstown, 304-876-1936
- K and B Music, Martinsburg, 304-264-4463
- Music and Arts , Hagerstown
The basic monthly rent for a violin with tax and security deposit is $20. There is usually a three month initiation period which has to be paid in a lump sum.
As rates are subject to change, we recommend that you call and get a quote on a three month rental for the string instrument of your choice (violin, viola, cello, bass).
Need Your Instrument Repaired?
If your musical instrument is in need of repair, we recommend the following:
- Ellsworth Music (Shepherdstown) - 876-1936
- KB Music Center (Martinsburg)- 264-4463
- Music and Arts Center (Hagerstown)
- Mr. Orland (Martinsburg) - 725-9475
- Ken Duborg (Harpers Ferry) - 304-725-7113
- Steve Digman (Hagerstown, MD) - 301-790-3099
What to do When a String Breaks
Strings do break, however, in 95% of the cases they have been overpulled, meaning someone has tried to tune the string and unintentionally tuned the string higher than what it has been intended for. Strings that are overpulled WILL snap.
Therefore:
Unless you know how to tune a string instrument and know how to use a tuner DO NOT attempt to tune a string with the peg. Small corrections can be made using the fine tuner.
If you have a broken string you have three choices:
- Go to a music store, buy a string or a set of four strings and they will most likely put the string on for you if you ask.
- Go to a music store and buy a string (make sure you know which one you need!) , bring it to class and your string teacher will put it on for you.
- Ask your string teacher to put a new string on for you. Cost for us is $4 per string so please bring in the money.
Students in 6th grade and younger should never try to tune with the pegs. Older students may learn how to tune with pegs, but they must have a tuner so they will know when to stop pulling up the string. Tune with the peg by going up very small steps towards the actual pitch of the string.
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