September,
2018
Dear Families of 4th and 5th
graders at Cascadia,
It is time to kick off instrumental music for a
new school year! Mrs. Knighton is still
at Cascadia, and we welcome Ms Anna Baughman as our other instrumental music
teacher this year. Instrumental music is
a wonderful opportunity (and great fun!) but also a significant
commitment. So, please pay careful
attention to the details below.
Structure
of the Program: The Instrumental Music Program provides group instruction
in violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone once a week
during the regular school day, for both beginners and more advanced
students. Students leave their regular
classroom for instrumental music in groups based on their instruments,
following a schedule developed after
registration is complete. While students do need to make up class work
missed during instrumental music, the teachers are fully involved with the
situation and are supportive of instrumental music. We have never had
students develop academic problems as a result of participation.
Expectations
of Students in the Program: Students participating in instrumental music
are expected to bring their instrument and supplies to school each week on
class day, and to practice five (or more) times per week at home. Students are expected to participate in the mandatory
evening concert on April 29 (flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone) or May 1
(violin, viola, cello). Instrumental
music is assessed on the students’ progress reports. Please note that students
who are regularly unprepared for class may be removed from the program, since
progress cannot take place without instrument in hand.
Who Can
Participate? Instrumental music participation
is open to 4th and 5th-grade students of all levels of musical ability. Advanced groups are added to the schedule
based on demand and instructional time available after ensuring that first- and
second-year classes can be served. Students with prior instrument experience
should sign up during the registration period; they will be contacted for
audition!
Instrument
Choice: Students may choose to play flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone,
violin, viola, or cello.
How to Sign
Up: Online registration is now active at the link below! Please read the information carefully as you
go through the sign-up process, and consider watching the instrument demo
videos that are linked from the registration website. Instrument demonstrations will also take
place in school on Monday September 10.
Online registration will remain open until Sunday September 16 at 10:00
pm. If your family does not have
internet access, please call Mrs. Knighton at 206-252-0444 x90056 for assistance.
Please note: because of high numbers of participants in instrumental music, and the
fact that each year’s schedule is tailored specifically to the students who
register, instrument choices may not
be changed after the close of the registration period, and late registrations will not be accepted. Let Mrs. Knighton know, right away, if your
child has questions or concerns about this choice.
Online registration is now open!
Online Registration closes: Sunday September
16 at 10:00 pm
Don’t forget to register before the deadline!!
http://tinyurl.com/CascadiaInstrumentalMusic2018
More
information on the Reverse Side of the Page!
Instruments
and Supplies: It is the policy of Seattle Public Schools to lend
instruments to students enrolled in the free and reduced-price lunch
program. All other families are
responsible for providing an instrument for their child. Information about rental/purchase of an
instrument will be sent home when your child’s instrument assignment is
confirmed in a packet of information after the registration period is complete. Please
do not rent or purchase an instrument until you have received this confirmation
packet in kid-mail.
Funding:
The district only funds about 15% of what is needed to offer instrumental
music; the remaining 85% is covered by the Cascadia PTA! Please see the attached letter from the PTA
about a requested donation per child to offset this cost. Interested students may participate in
instrumental music regardless of ability to contribute.
More
Questions?
- For more information on the program, you can reference Mrs. Knighton’s explanatory video at http://tinyurl.com/InstrumentalMusicProgramInfo
(note
that an outdated registration link is mentioned at the end of the video. For this year’s registration you must use the
Cascadia link listed above.)
- For more
information on instrument choices, you can reference Mrs. Knighton’s video
at http://tinyurl.com/InstrumentDemonstration
- For issues not addressed in the videos, you can reach Mrs. Knighton at ejknighton@seattleschools.org with additional questions. You can generally expect a response to email within two school days.
We look forward to working with your student in
instrumental music this year. Learning
an instrument is an incredible journey, and with your support, we have a great
year ahead of us!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth J. Knighton and Anna Baughman
Instrumental Music Teachers
Cascadia Elementary School
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