Frederick Douglass High School Orchestras

Good Morning,

I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break. There is a lot of info in this e-mail, so please make sure to read this carefully! I tried to keep everything short and to the point. 

Symphonic and Chamber Orchestra Remaining Rehearsals

• Monday, January 10th 3:30-5:30pm
• Monday, January 24th 3:30-5:30pm
• Monday, January 31st 3:30-5:30pm (DRESS REHEARSAL, No uniform)

Symphonic and Chamber Orchestra KMEA Performance

• Thursday, February 3rd
• Bring uniform and instrument to school; no personal belongings other than a small bag
• Go to advisory; report to orchestra room 1st block (B-Day)
• We will not return until close to 7:30pm; make sure to contact your teachers ahead of time for missed assignments
• Performance is FREE and Open to the public – Kentucky International Convention Center, 4:30pm

Solo & Ensemble

• Saturday, January 29th at BSHS
  • If you have any specific time requests, I MUST know by THIS FRIDAY MORNING!
  • Do not forget your instrument, music and to dress nicely!
• Parent preview performance
  • Thursday, January 27th 6:30pm in the Auditorium
  • You may stay after-school or arrive by 5:30pm
  • Students may wear any dress attire

NTI/SNOW DAYS

• When there are NTI/Snow Days, there will be ZOOM classes (unless FCPS/FDHS says otherwise).
• Links for the Zoom classes will be on Canvas.
• In order to receive credit, you must have your camera on and instrument in your hand (participating).
• If you cannot play at home for any reason, please contact me ASAP for an alternative assignment.

EKU High School String Festival

• Optional activity for any students interested
• https://ekubands.eku.edu/honors-bands-string-orchestra 
• We are limited to only 25 students – priority will be given based on grade level/ensemble placement
• Contact Mrs. Payne ASAP if you plan on participating

More information for specific events/activities will be sent as we get closer to the dates. Please make sure to let me know if you have any questions. 

Thank you!!

Mrs. Payne

Hello FDHS Orchestra Families!

I hope you enjoyed our concert last week – we have received nothing but positive feedback from everyone present! The students did a fantastic job, especially as it was our first time ever performing together in the gym. 

As it is finals week, just a few reminders:

A3 – will have their final on  Friday; they should take their instruments home tomorrow.

A4 – will have their final  Tomorrow; they do not need their instruments the rest of the week, and should take them home today.

B3 – will have their final  Thursday;  they should take their instruments home today.

When we return in January, the  Symphonic and Chamber orchestra have just 3 rehearsals left until our KMEA performance! Since we will be adding our guest artist, and we have so many students that need to “split time” with other activities, these final 3 rehearsal will end at  5:30pm.

Monday, January 10th 3:30-5:30pm

Monday, January 24th 3:30-5:30pm

Monday, January 31st 3:30-5:30pm

If you need to split time with another FDHS activity, please let me know ASAP so we can work it out with the coaches/sponsors. We ask that all students  try as best as possible to be in attendance for the full time at our FINAL rehearsal on January 31st. Please make sure to talk to your coaches/sponsors in advance so there are no surprises. 

Our Fiddle Club has created a Holiday Album for you to enjoy this winter season! The students prepared 30 minutes of music in just 8 rehearsals and 1 recording session. We hope you enjoy using the link below!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IHpdahM88JtnmOztLFOte4ZPUsNTKgGs?usp=sharing

Violin 1: Alexis Lewis, Logan Smith, Liza Duarte

Violin 2: Chloe Hartlep, Emily Yoder, Carson Morris, Ian Anjos

Viola: Mrs. Payne, Eden Anderson, Tripp Walker

Cello: Kayleigh Schenk

Bass: Emma Anderson

I hope everyone enjoys a much needed break and stays healthy and safe. Happy Holidays and don’t forget to practice!

Hello Orchestra families!

We are down to our final 14 days of the Fall Semester, and only a few days away from our Winter Concert! Here are some updates and reminders for the final few weeks before winter break.

1. Symphonic and Chamber Orchestra  Dress Rehearsal  will be Monday, December 6th from 3:30-5:30pm. Students need to bring their uniforms to school, as we will be having photographers taking pictures during and after rehearsal for our KMEA Conference Program and the KMEA Bluegrass Music News. 
2. Winter Concert  for all Orchestra students is  Thursday, December 9th.  Students need to be in the orchestra room dressed, ready to play at  5:30pm.  The concert will be in the  Gymnasium starting at 6:30pm.  The performance is free and open to the public; masks required. The concert will feature all of the FDHS Bands, Orchestras and the CGWA World Percussion Ensemble. Students are required to stay for the duration of the concert (approximately 90 minutes or less). Students may stay after school if transportation is a concern. All students need to remember to wear their concert uniforms. 
3. Instruments  MUST be taken home over winter break; do not leave them at school!

Also, congrats to our 5 students who were accepted into the KY All-State Orchestras! This is a huge achievement; the KY All-State Audition is harder than some college auditions! This is the most students FDHS has ever had in the All-State ensembles.

Navin Tantasook, Symphony Viola

Logan Smith, Commonwealth Viola

Riley Hooks, Commonwealth Viola

Ethan Tantasook, Commonwealth Cello

Emma Anderson, Commonweath Bass

If you have any questions/concerns, please let me know. I look forward to seeing everyone at our Winter Concert!

Mrs. Payne

Good Afternoon,

Please update your calendars, as we will be extending our rehearsal on Monday, December 6th to have professional photos taken of our dress rehearsal. Students are to bring their concert uniforms to school that day for the photos. If you have another sport/activity that day, we please request that you try to attend rehearsal for the entire time, so you are not left out of the photos. These will be the photos that will be posted to the KMEA Website for our Conference performance, and will be in our concert program. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you!

Mrs. Payne

Good Evening,

We had a GREAT first full-orchestra rehearsal with the Symphonic, Chamber and band members for our KMEA performance! The students worked very hard, and the students should be very proud of what they’ve accomplished today! Shout out to A4 Symphonic Orchestra who played all of A4 and then again right after-school (almost 3 hours of playing)! I know they were tired, and we appreciate their hard work.

Just a few reminders:

1. Students who need to miss all or part of rehearsals for other FDHS sports/activities need to make sure to let me know ahead of time (not the day of the rehearsal). Usually we can work it out with the coaches to split the time, which is why it’s helpful to know ahead of time. 
2. Students have a break from 3:15-3:30pm to use the restroom, get a snack, etc. Snacks are not provided by the school; if students need a snack before rehearsal, they should plan accordingly, and bring one to eat during the 3:15-3:30pm break. The students should not go to the front office and ask for snacks. I’ll keep a few in my office for emergencies, but I cannot afford to feed all 150 students every week!
3. Our next rehearsal is MONDAY, November 15th, 3:30-5pm. 

Thank you again for all of your hard work! 

Mrs. Payne

Good Morning!

Last nights concert was amazing! The students did a fabulous job and really show cased the efforts of their hard work the past 9-weeks. Thank you to all the parents who donated food, drinks and money to feed our students and the middle school students last night. We had 126 performers in our large ensemble – which sounded amazing! 

The concert program that was unable to be printed is attached. If you have any videos or photos please send them to me – the year book is always asking for photos!

Here are some reminders for upcoming deadlines and events:

• November 1st: Solo & Ensemble Permission Slips are due
• November 1st: KMEA Conference Permission Slips are due
• November 6th: All-State Recording at FDHS
• November 8th: Symphonic and Chamber Orchestra Rehearsal 3:30-5pm
• November 15th: Symphonic and Chamber Orchestra Rehearsal 3:30-5pm
• November 29th: Symphonic and Chamber Orchestra Rehearsal 3:30-5pm
• December 6th: Symphonic and Chamber Orchestra Dress Rehearsal 3:30-5pm
• December 9th: Winter Concert for all students; 6:30pm Gymnasium

Please make sure all of the above dates are marked in your calendar.

Thank you again for your continued dedication and support to our ensemble! If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Thank you!

Mrs. Payne