The Greenfield Junior High Orchestras have a history of success and excellence, not only at our evening concerts, but also at state orchestra festivals, scoring Superior, and Superior with Distinction ratings year after year. There are THREE orchestras at Greenfield Junior High! 7th Grade Orchestra, 8th Grade Orchestra, and a Advanced Ensemble/Chamber Orchestra class.
7th Grade Orchestra is a fun and exciting class filled with new musical skills, challenging music and awesome, new friendships. You will increase your musical skills, including learning how to tune your own instrument, vibrato, and shifting. The 7th graders rehearse during the day as two different orchestra classes, but perform together for evening concerts. The 7th grade orchestra will give four amazing concerts on the beautiful, Gilbert High School stage as well as go on a field trip in the Spring. We’re going to have a great time, make new friends, and create great music!
> 7th Grade Beginners: If you are a beginner (you’ve never played a string instrument before) and would like to join orchestra, you still can! However, you will need to take a few private lessons in order to learn how to hold the instrument, learn basic position and posture, and begin note-reading. Please contact Ms. Duce (sara.duce@gilbertschools.net) for more information if you are a beginning musician.
8th Grade Orchestra builds upon the skills taught in the 7th grade year. Students will continue to increase their musical skills, give multiple performances, go on field trips, and build friendships while working together to create wonderful music. Students give 5 concerts a year, as well as perform at the ABODA orchestra festival. Get ready to have a great time, make new friends, and play exciting and challenging music!
> All 8th Grade Beginners will need to join the 7th grade orchestra and take private lessons during the summer and/or first quarter.
Chamber Orchestra is better known as Advanced Ensemble. It is an elite group of musicians who perform at various school and community events, such as The Festival of Trees, Gilbert Global Village, local elementary school concerts, NJHS inductions, and more! If you want to learn music in many styles, be musically challenged, be introduced to fiddle styles, learn pop tunes by ear, and learn to arrange tunes by yourself, this is the class for you! Students enrolled in Chamber Orchestra/Advanced Ensemble must also be enrolled in 8th grade orchestra. [Acceptance into the group is by audition or teacher invitation only. Auditions take place in the Spring of 2019.]