Quick Recap
Even thought last week was a short week (with no school on Friday), I believe it served as a perfect example of what can be achieved when we work together as students, teachers, families, and community members.

A quick review of last week shows: (1) the complete and entire funding of a DonorsChoose.org resource project, (2) Monday coachings with the best string players around, (3) Wednesday sessions with members of the San Diego Symphony (many of whom also happen to teach at San Diego State University), (4) continued sectional work on Monday afternoon, (5) pit orchestra rehearsals on both Wednesday and Friday, and (6) an incredible opportunity on Friday evening to not only attend the BBC Concert Orchestra performance at Copley Symphony Hall, but also meet the conductor and sit in on rehearsal. 

Really, there is no other program in San Diego that can offer the depth and breadth of opportunities like Mira Mesa. So, to everyone who helped make last week possible - Thank You!

A Note of Thanks
For those students and parents who would like to be able to extend a note of thanks themselves, please consider emailing Mr. Jacob Lapré, Educational Coordinator at the La Jolla Music Society. The La Jolla Music Society has been, without question, our most involved and influential partner in music education.

Also, I am sure they would love you to "Like" their Facebook page and even leave a note of thanks on their timeline!

Our Schedule This Week

• Monday - No School. I hope you practiced this weekend!
• Tuesday - Jazz Band; SDUSD Honor Band & Orchestra rehearsal at Mira Mesa High School from 6:00 - 9:00 (early is on time)
• Wednesday - Pit Orchestra rehearsal after school
• Thursday - Jazz Band after school

Have a great week!

String Snapshot: San Diego Symphony musicians sharing their time and talents with our Symphony students.

This school year, we have been working hard to make sure our students have the materials they need to succeed. So, I've created a classroom project request on a 501(c)3 charity website called DonorsChoose.org. 

As you may remember, we took the first step in funding student opportunity this fall. At the time I noted that any one project would not furnish the needs of a rapidly expanding orchestra program (we now have over 130 students enrolled in orchestra). With a one week matching offer now available, it is time for us to take our next step.
  
I'm writing to ask you to join me in supporting our students. This week only, any donation you make to our project will be doubled! If you know anyone who is passionate about music education, please pass this along. Your tax-deductible donation will have a positive impact on our program, and you can feel good knowing you are taking an active role in ensuring music opportunities for all student-musicians at Mira Mesa High School.

I've already helped get us started by making a donation in the amount of $25.00 (which was then doubled by DonorsChoose). If we can find 20 individuals to match my donation this week using the matching code "INSPIRE" we can fully fund this project!

To join me in supporting our students:

1. Visit our project page
2. Enter the amount of your donation and click "Give"
3. During check-out, enter the word INSPIRE where it says "Match or Gift Code", and your donation will be matched dollar for dollar (up to $100 in matching funds)

The INSPIRE match code will double your donation for the next 7 days (through February 18th).

Please feel free to send me any questions you may have, and know that our students (and I, of course) appreciate your continued support.

Again, here is a direct link to our project. As always, thank you.

But First...
Congratulations to the record 14 Mira Mesa string players who earned acceptance into the 2013 San Diego Unified School District Honor Orchestra!

Our students represented both themselves and our program very well in their auditions, and I for one could not be happier for them. Plan on cheering them on at Copley Symphony Hall on Saturday, March 9th!

BBC Concert Orchestra | Keith Lockhart, Conductor
We still need a few drivers/chaperones. Please email Mr. Mulvaney if you would like to attend. My Honda Civic will not fit everyone!

The BBC Concert Orchestra (concert info is here) will be in beautiful San Diego for one night only - Friday, February 15th. Once again, our Mira Mesa Orchestra program has partnered up with the La Jolla Music Society to bring this opportunity to our students.

This time, there's a twist - our students, parents, and teachers will have the opportunity to meet conductor Keith Lockhart prior to the concert! Our students will have the opportunity to ask the conductor questions (about the concert, pieces to be performed that evening, conducting as a career, you name it). Many thanks to the La Jolla Music Society for helping arrange this not-to-be-missed opportunity.

NOTE: All attendees (students and chaperones) should plan on meeting in the orchestra room at Mira Mesa between 4:00 - 4:15 pm for a brief meeting. We should plan on carpooling from Mira Mesa to Copley Symphony Hall by 4:30 pm to allow ample time for rush hour traffic.

After meeting Mr. Lockhart at 5:30 pm, students will have time (in groups) to grab dinner at nearby restaurants. There are any number of places to grab a bite to eat near Symphony Hall (pho, sushi, pizza, tapas, etc).

We will meet back in the lobby of Symphony Hall at/by 7:30 pm, where we can distribute tickets for the concert. Following the concert, as is customary, we will meet in the lobby and head back to Mira Mesa.

This Week | February 4 - 8
There's plenty of opportunities for our Mira Mesa student-musicians this week, from honor auditions to master class opportunities with acclaimed bassist Dr. Kinghoffer, to continued preparations for Les Miserables... and yes, Monday sectional rehearsals for some.

With that in mind, let's take a look.

Honor Orchestra Auditions
Auditions for the 2013 San Diego Unified School District's Honor Orchestra will take place on Tuesday, from 5:00 - 9:00 PM at Serra High School. Serra High School is located at 5156 Santo Road. As goes without saying, students who are auditioning should show up early to Serra High School (dressed appropriately), find their assigned warm up room, tune carefully, and take a good warm-up. 

Prepare as diligently as you can. In fact, here's a nice write up by Boston Symphony Orchestra Bass Trombonist Douglas Yeo.

Here's your pertinent information:

• Audition Schedule
• Things You Must Have at Your Audition - Instrument (obviously - bow, rosin, extra strings if you have them), your orchestral excerpt, audition scales (if they are not memorized), and an application that is signed by the student, your parent, and Mr. Mulvaney. You will not be permitted to audition without a signed application.

Best of luck to everyone as you prepare. As always, I appreciate EVERYONE who has the courage to take an audition. Taking an audition says a lot about your individual desire to push yourself, so thank you for accepting that challenge.

Bass Clinic on Friday
The San Diego State University School of Music will be hosting an incredible musician this Friday. Dr. Klinghoffer, who serves as the Dean of Performing Arts and Lecturer of Double Bass at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance will be presenting a FREE master class on Friday, February 8th. In addition to his faculty positions, Dr. Klighoffer holds music degrees from both the Yale School of Music and the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford.

The masterclass runs from 3:00 - 5:00 PM, will feature SDSU bass students, and is absolutely free.

Here is the informational flyer.

Calendar Items

• Monday, February 4th - 4:00 PM rehearsal for Violin II musicians of our Symphony Orchestra.
• Tuesday, February 5th - Honor Orchestra auditions as detailed above; Jazz Band Rehearsal 2:30 - 4:30.
• Wednesday, February 6th - Les Mis pit rehearsal after school.
• Thursday, February 7th - Jazz Band, 2:30 - 4:30
• Friday, February 8th - Bass masterclass as detailed above.

Also on the horizon - the BBC Concert Orchestra at Copley Symphony Hall (February 15th). Chaperones/drives wanted. Email Mr. Mulvaney if you would like to volunteer (and join us, of course). We may even have a chance to meet the conductor beforehand!

This Week
Here you go:

• Monday - Council Meeting at lunch; Coaching in class (no viola or bass coaching as a few of our coaches have come down with a bug and/or are out of town); After school rehearsal from 4:00 - 6:00 will be VIOLAS only this week. All others may choose to have a sectional (recommended).
• Tuesday - Jazz band meets after school. A jazz roster will be posted tomorrow.
• Wednesday - Pit orchestra rehearsal at 2:45; HONOR ORCHESTRA AUDITION REQUESTS ARE DUE.
• Thursday - Jazz Band at 2:45.

Resources
Please use your ensemble web pages as you begin preparing our new music. Here is the Symphony Orchestra page, and here is the Concert Orchestra page. During this early phase of preparation, you should not only start digging out notes and rhythms, but also, listen to the pieces, figure out bowings, and check for position work. Your coaches can assist in this - ask questions!

Have a great week.

First Semester Marks
Semester one marks are complete and are currently available online on both Parent Connect and Student Connect.  In addition to marks being available online, students will also be given a printed progress report in class this week. 

As for your recently completed final exam playing assessments - results have been posted by Student ID outside the orchestra room (no names or instruments). Your overall score is available, as are your marks in each individual section of the exam. Use the information to help make you a better player!

San Diego Unified School District Honor Orchestra
Here's another reminder to register for your Honor Orchestra audition. Auditions must be requested by January 30th, and the audition request form is available here. Last year was a record year for Mira Mesa High School in regards to honor orchestra participation (acceptances), and I for one would love to see us represented by even more individuals this year.

With that in mind, here are links to all the required documents:

• Audition Request Form
• Informational Letter & Rehearsal Schedule
• Audition Application & Form
• Scales - Violin, Viola, Cello, & Bass
• Excerpts - Violin, Viola, Cello/Bass

The Mira Mesa Difference
One of the things that we strive to provide is access to the best instructors and opportunities possible. Our Concert and Symphony Orchestra musicians have the opportunity to work alongside the best string players and educators in San Diego. Only your support makes this possible.

With that in mind, bass players should certainly use the resources compiled by Mr. Herman in preparation for their honor auditions (and, generally as they work to improve). Current postings on Mr. Herman's website include fingered scales, excerpts, and packets for both Concert and Symphony Orchestra bassists.

In fact, Mr. Herman even scouted out a good reference video for all students who plan on auditioning!

A Quick Look Back
Before looking ahead, I just want to thank everyone again for coming our and supporting our students at our Winter Concert. While there are always areas to improve, I am thrilled to see so many students finding a role within our orchestra program. Our concert featured 130 musicians and over 100 string players. The program (for those who like to save them) has been linked below.

Congratulations to our Anthology Quartet, who found themselves quite busy leading into, and over, the winter break. Alice, Betsy, Allison, and Henry performed live on UT-TV (here is a link to the UT-TV feature), and followed that performance up with a gig at Anthology on December 26th. 

They performed superbly, and everyone involved have them rave reviews. Andy Neagle, of the La Jolla Booking Agency, had these quick comments following the show.

Still don't believe me? Read for yourself, in this review of the Beatles vs. Stones show from Music Arts Monthly. Take a peek at a short video clip (and a few pictures) below.

Moving On
Alright... Moving on. Final exams for our Mira Mesa string students will take place next week, January 15th through the 18th. Here is a link to all final exam materials. The information has been available since December 19th (in this website entry). We are holding music finals a week prior to traditional finals so that students will have ample time to focus on their other academic pursuits the following week.

Next... High School Honor Orchestra. All of the information regarding the San Diego Unified School District High School Honor Orchestra is available in two locations: (1) on this website, and (2) on the district's website. Regardless of where you get the material from, all students who want to audition must submit an audition request, which takes two seconds to fill out and is available here. All auditions will be held on Tuesday, February 5th at Serra High School.

Lastly, Les Miserables... For those students interested in playing for this year's musical production, Les Miserables, look for a rehearsal schedule to be posted very shortly (including a probable reading session this Saturday).