Tag Archives: group

Summer ’23 Registration Now Open!

Hello WCS Students & Families! 

It hardly seems possible that we’ve already come this far through the ’22-’23 school year and the time to start planning for Summer ’23 is upon us – until we think back to where you all were at the start of this school year and how much you all have learned, grown, and accomplished as musicians!  So, while we prepare for spring Solo Recitals and the Spring Festival, we’ll also begin registering for the upcoming Summer ’23 Semester. 

You can download a copy of our registration form for the Summer ’23 Semester at West County Strings here.  Registration will be open from Saturday, April 1 – Sunday, April 30, after which point we’ll use all the lesson time requests we’ve received to create our summer teaching schedule.  We will continue to accept registrations throughout the summer for any remaining times we have available. 

As always, summer at West County Strings is a time where we’re happy to be able to offer our students flexibility.  You can sign up for only the weeks you know you’ll be in town and available, or you can sign up for more than one lesson per week if you know you’ll have more free time and would like to make the most of it!  Either way, we look forward to using the summer months to further the development of each of our students!  

Spring Break ’23 Update

Hello WCS Students & Families! 

This school year has been flying by, and it seems like in the blink of an eye each and every one of our students has transformed into a more mature, more capable, more talented player than they were during the fall semester.  As always, it’s a pleasure to participate in that process of growth and learning with you all, and we look forward to this last quarter of the school year with you.  Here’s a look at what’s coming up… 

Spring Break

West County Strings will be off for Spring Break from March 19-26.  We hope you enjoy a week of rest and relaxation with no private lessons or group classes, and that you all come back rested, refreshed, and ready for the final stretch of the school year.  As always, break is a great time for some extra listening to your Suzuki CDs / other supplemental recordings, and for some extra practice during all those hours off of school! 

Summer ’23 Registration

We always look forward to the summer with our students.  That time to continue building with consistency on all we’ve done during the past school year – or to get ready for a brand new school year – is so valuable.  

Registration for the Summer ’23 Semester will go out on April 1 and be due May 1.  
Remember, summer is a great time for flexibility.  If you know you’re going to be out of town a few weeks, we can accommodate that.  If you know you’re going to be in town and would like to take more than one lesson a week, we can do that, too.  More details will come when the forms are sent out on April 1. 

Solo Recitals

Solo recitals are always a highlight of every semester.  This spring’s solo recitals will be held on the afternoon of Sunday, April 30.  Recital time assignments, location, and other details will be forthcoming after Spring Break.  

Piano rehearsals with Mrs. Parkin will be held at the studio on the afternoon of Sunday, April 23.  Students playing Book 4+ repertoire should plan to have a rehearsal.  Students playing in Books 2-3 should consider it optional, though possibly beneficial.  When in doubt, whether as to how much rehearsal time you need or whether you need a rehearsal at all, just ask your teacher!  Rehearsal sign-up sheets will be posted after Spring Break.  

Spring Festival

One of our other most-anticipated events of the school year is our Spring Festival Group Performance.  It’s always special to have everyone together on one stage, highlighting the Suzuki repertoire and other ensemble pieces we’ve studied in group class during the school year.  This year’s Spring Festival will be held on the afternoon of Sunday, May 21.  Please invite your friends, family, neighbors, etc. to join us! 

Repertoire lists and schedules for the dress rehearsal held immediately prior to the performance will be released as the Spring Festival draws nearer, and we’ve had a chance to really dive deep in group classes.  As an aside, it’s been so wonderful to have so many of you returning to regularly participate in group classes this spring.  Group classes really are a “glue” that holds the whole learning process together and makes it deeper, stronger, more impactful, and more lasting.  So, thank you so much for joining us! 

With that, we’ll see you for lessons through March 19th, and then we hope you all enjoy a wonderful break! 

Spring Festival ’22 Recap

Hello Everyone!

Many thanks to all the students who participated in this year’s Spring Festival group performance this past Sunday, May 15. You all played so beautifully, and displayed such growth and maturity in both ability and confidence. which was a testament to the value of group class alongside private lessons in developing well-rounded musicianship. A heartfelt hank you to all the families who made the trips to group class on Tuesday evenings throughout the school year, making this learning experience for students – and this wonderful concert – possible! To those who weren’t able to join us for group classes this school year, we certainly hope you’ll join us in ’22-’23!

Spring ’21: Upcoming Concerts

Hello WCS Students & Families!

We’re headed into perhaps the most fun part of the school year – that time when we get to share our music with one another and see how all of our hard work has paid off in musical growth, development, and maturity. As always, the primary ways we do this are with our Spring Solo Recitals and our Spring Festival Group Performance. Here’s some preliminary details about both!

Spring Solo Recitals

Our Spring Solo Recitals are for all of our students and will be held this year on Sunday, May 16 from 1-5pm at the Parks, Recreation, and Arts building at Schroeder Park in Manchester. St. Louis County regulations change from week to week, but we expect to be allowed to have 35-55 people in the performing hall at a time, which means we’ll be dividing students up into 3-4 recitals throughout the afternoon.

Kirby and I are working now to put together balanced programs that highlight a little bit of everything from the first steps of learning to some of the more advanced. If you need to be placed earlier or later in the afternoon for scheduling reasons, please let us know so we can accommodate to the best of our ability.

Piano rehearsals for students playing concerto repertoire or other Book 4+ repertoire will be held with Vera Parkin on Saturday, May 15 at Lacefield Music in Chesterfield. (We will add Monday, May 10 if everyone cannot fit into the schedule on the 15th). A sign up sheet will be sent by email to those who need rehearsals.

Spring Festival Group Performance

Our Spring Festival Group Performance is for anyone who’s been regularly participating in weekly in Tuesday evening group classes. Our Spring Festival this year will be held on Tuesday, May 25 in the Amphitheater at Schroeder Park in Manchester. The concert will be at 6:30pm, with dress rehearsals from 5:00-6:15.

Here is the repertoire list for this year’s Spring Festival, so that you know what to focus on in your at-home practicing, and what we’ll be focusing on in group classes between now and the performance:

Chicken on a Fencepost Variations on E & A
Vivaldi Concerto No. 11 for 2 Violins, RV 56: 1. Allegro – Adagio e spiccato – Allegro
Bach “Little” Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578
Rameau Gavotte
Veracini Gigue
Seitz Concerto No. 5 In D Major, Op. 2: 1. Allegro moderato
Gavotte in G Minor
Minuet 3 / Bach Minuet (Bk. 3)
Two Grenadiers
Hunters’ Chorus
Chorus from Judas Maccabaeus
Cannon in 4 Voices
Etude
Allegro
Brother John
Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Twinkle Theme & Variations

Violas, you should have duets to all of the Suzuki repertoire except for Seitz Concerto No. 2 in D Major, Gavotte in G Minor (which you’ll be playing melody on), and Hunters’ Chorus (which you’ll also be playing melody on).

That should cover it for now, and more specific information for each of these events will follow as the particular event draws nearer. Until then, happy practicing!