Materials for Orchestra Classes 2024-2025

  • Books:

          Sixth Grade – Measures of Success for String Orchestra Book 1

          Seventh Grade –Measures of Success for String Orchestra Book 2

          Eighth Grade – Measures of Success for String Orchestra Book 2 (continuing from seventh grade)

     

    Electronic CLIP-ON tuner: The tuner must clip on the instrument. Buying a tuner that doesn't clip on is the most common mistake that families make when buying items for orchestra! There are many brands. In the past students have had great success with Snark, Korg, and Crafter tuners. While at home, a tuning app such as Tonal Energy Tuner (TE Tuner), insTuner, or GuitarTuna is a great option.

     

    Instrument Items

    • Violin and viola - make sure the instrument has fine tuners or “perfection pegs”
      • Instrument and bow, cleaning cloth, rosin, shoulder rest, pencil, and name tag. There will be more than one hundred instruments in the storage room. A name tag is essential!
    • Cello - make sure the instrument has fine tuners or "perfection pegs"
      • Instrument and bow, cleaning cloth, rosin, endpin anchor ("rock stop"), pencil, and name tag. There will be more than one hundred instruments in the storage room. A name tag is essential!
    • Bass
      • Instrument and bow (if your family can rent one), cleaning cloth, rosin (“Pops” preferred), endpin anchor ("rock stop"), pencil, and name tag There will be more than one hundred instruments in the storage room. A name tag is essential!

     

    “Major” Brands: There are many brands of instruments to choose. Yamaha, Scherl & Roth, Glaesel, William Lewis & Son, and Sam Shen are very good "known brands" that have worked well for NWMS students in the past. Make sure your instrument is of a quality that can be repaired when something breaks. Students will have to tune their own instruments during remote learning, so it is imperative that instruments are in good working order.  In general, painted instruments (pink, blue, black, flames, etc.) are NOT good choices for beginners. They are most likely novelty instruments that are for show instead of for serious playing.

     

    Concert Uniform

    Black music shirt. Ordering details will be sent home later. If your shirt from last year still fits, you do not need to purchase a new one.

     

    Optional Materials (Good ideas, but not necessities)

    • Music stand for home practice
    • Tuner App – (examples) Tonal Energy, insTuner, GuitarTuna
    • Metronome App – (examples) Tonal Energy, Temp