Mira Mesa High School Orchestras - Mira Mesa Orchestras

Student & Parent Input Requested

8/25/2020

The 2020-21 academic year will require a great deal of flexibility and adaptability -- from students, parents, and teachers alike.

Simply stated, there are a few options for us to choose from with respect to the structure of the orchestra program for Quarters 1 & 2 (Fall 2020) and we want to be sure that we make the best choice for our students, program, and community. Scheduling in Quarters 3 & 4 (Spring 2021) currently look more familiar.

With that in mind, a digital meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow evening, August 26th, at 6PM. If you have been a part of our program previously (or have had the opportunity to share time with us), you know that input solicited heavily influences the decisions we make as a group.

A direct link for the meeting tomorrow evening has been placed in Google Classroom and will be forwarded separately to parents of incoming ninth grade students.

Please do attend tomorrow evening if you are able and share your thoughts as they will very much impact decisions made at Mira Mesa High School.

Thank you!

Student Celebration

6/3/2020

Student Recognition
Tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 PM we will be hosting our annual Student Recognition and Awards celebration. Certainly, we hope that out students will attend as we close out the year.

Parents and loved ones are welcome to join us and may access the invitation by asking your orchestra student for meeting information. Access to this event, and previously, our online class sessions, have only been distributed via school-affiliated Google Classroom pages.

A Message to the Class of 2020
Mr. P.J. Cinque, bassist in the San Diego Symphony and bass coach for our Mira Mesa High School Orchestras, was kind enough to record the following message to the graduating Class of 2020.

Student Voices
As part of tomorrow's celebration of students our musicians were asked to submit thoughts and observations on individuals they feel merit recognition. The following are a few examples -- enjoy!

Wherever You Go
As a student at Mira Mesa High School, we want to support, encourage, and celebrate your accomplishments. As you move on, it is wonderful to hear about your successes and future plans.

Here, Mira Mesa High School graduate Ms. Yeeun Kim performs Pomp and Circumstance at the recent convocation for the Teacher's College at Columbia University.

Congratulations to Yeeun, her graduate school peers at Columbia University, and all the entire Class of 2020!

Additional Information
Information on final grades for 2019-20, instrument return for current seniors, and music return for our Symphony Orchestra students (as the music for that class must be returned to the publishers) has all been posted on Google Classroom.

Please work with your student and refer to this online resource to access information on these school business items.

Again, thank you to our students for all of your efforts this year. We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Beyond Brilliance

4/18/2020

Beyond Brilliance -- VAPA Foundation (2020)

Musicians from our Mira Mesa High School Orchestras and Mira Mesa High School Band & Color Guard were featured as part of this evening's Beyond Brilliance--Spotlight on Dynamic Young Artists, hosted by the VAPA Foundation.
Here is the main clip featuring our Mira Mesa Senior High School students -- all of whom are members of the graduating Class of 2020.
Given the challenges we all are facing in this moment, it is wonderful to see how our students are still making connections with the arts and positively influencing our community.

Thank you!

Stay Well & Digital Resources

4/6/2020

Stay Well
Moving forward, our students will continue to have opportunities to advance their music education through a variety of self-guided, asynchronous, and real-time opportunities.

Google Classroom will be used to pass along these opportunities and resources.

While the education of our musicians is a primary consideration, please know that the well-being of our students and their families comes first. Please do reach out if there is any way we can help support and/or celebrate your student or family at this time.

Note: The illustration above comes courtesy of Charlie Mackesy, author of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse.

Google Classroom
As information, updates, and resources become available selected items will continue to be shared with our students via Google Classroom. Thankfully, all of our orchestra students were already enrolled in Google Classroom prior to this transition to digital learning.

However, students are encouraged to download the Google Classroom app on their mobile device in order to receive updates (for iOS, Android).

SmartMusic
The best way to stay engaged with your music education is to continue to play regularly!

SmartMusic is one of the best digital resources available. During this period of distance learning, SmartMusic is available at no charge to our musicians. Our Mira Mesa High School Orchestras have been registered as a 'class' and a unique access code for our students has been posted on our Google Classroom pages.

Here are directions on how to create an account and join a class on SmartMusic.

Digital Resources
In addition to SmartMusic, the Google Doc linked below details a few of the resources that are currently available to our students. There are absolutely more resources than those listed, but these are a few that have been identified specifically for our musicians. Enjoy!

Digital Resources

Stay Connected
Even at a distance, stay connected with our program by following our Instagram account, liking our Facebook page, and bookmarking our website.

Digital Resources

3/17/2020

Digital Resources
Use the link below to access a Google Doc with Digital Resources for our Mira Mesa musicians. Please do feel free to share. Items may continue to be updated.

Digital Resources

SnapRaise! (2020)

2/5/2020

SnapRaise! (2020)
Our largest fundraiser of the year kicks off today! We are very thankful for any support you can provide and would love your help in sharing the campaign so we can continue to serve all of our students. Thank you!

SnapRaise! (2020)

Area Orchestra Concert (2020)

2/5/2020

String Snapshots -- Azusa Pacific University

1/28/2020

Guest Performance
Thank you to @russellconductor and the @azusapacific Orchestra for sharing a performance of Beethoven and Dvorák with us this morning. Enjoy the rest of your day in San Diego!

More Finals -- More Photos

1/23/2020

BBQ Saturday -- Photos During Finals

1/22/2020

Making the Cut | BBQ Competition
Picture Day for one of our orchestra classes. Come support these students, and all of our Mira Mesa musicians, at Saturday's 'Making the Cut' BBQ Competition from 4:00 - 7:00.
Given that it is Finals Week we are not holding any after school rehearsals -- so study well! Best of luck to our students as they close out the first semester.

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