Coming Back

 It’s been a VERY long time.

Right now there is an exhibit at the Crete Library which includes a free-to-take-home key chain with graphics that direct you to this blog. Obviously the people who put those key chains out want something up to date to appear when you visit. It’s summer. I’m obliging, just late.

The most important thing you might see here is the image below. It’s a jpeg so the links will need to be entered manually, but the enrollment information is all there.

This year, this blog will be more active than in the past. Last year I sent home flash drives full of materials that were somewhere between useful and vital to us. Those flash drives went largely untouched. Not made of money, I’m not doing that again. Materials will be available here. If we’re doing it in class, you’ll find a copy here. So maybe bookmark this page.

This year I will be following our oldest Enduring Strings students, the infamous “elders,” to the after school middle school program. More business, but good, because Enduring Strings can start leaning into integrating what we do with what they’ll be doing in middle and (eventually) high school.

Right now I’m under the impression that we will be back in action the second week of September, but that’s not in any way official. I’m just taking my vitamins, sleeping enough, doing the work and praying the prayers necessary for me to meet this season’s demands. When the school district is ready, I will be ready.

I leave you with the video of our annual spring performance. There’s a tea – we had a chocolate fountain this year thanks to the clever negotiating of one Finn – that goes along with it, but, thank goodness, there’s no video of that. If you’re considering signing up, this video will best help you know if you want your child to participate.

Peace.

Always Playing Catch Up

Dear Parents,

    Nearly three weeks ago the very next thing on my to do list was writing this. Then things happened. Then I had to get on with getting Suburban Youth Symphony Orchestra going. That's happening now, so finally I can start work on getting us going. I'm sure that we all have pandemic problems, so I'll skip any excuse making and move right on to I'm sorry I've taken so long.
    Thank you to the students that contributed to our August recital/video. There is a fairly decent version of it on SYSO's Facebook or YouTube pages now if you'd care to check it out. While that was a rather harrowing day for us, it was invaluable going forward, because it's going to be a while yet before we're doing plain old concerts again, so we are going to be using the internet more. We learned a great deal, and the next such production will be 100% better.
    The last time this was next on my list I wanted us all to get together and work out a way for us to work. A parent was willing to host us in his nice patio space and I would still like to do that if it is all still OK. But I know time is wasting, and if a cursed Zoom meeting can get us going more quickly, then I want to set one up for us. I can make myself available any time but Wednesdays and Sundays, so if you all can agree on any time during the five remainders I will get it going. We need to do a little efficient communicating now, please.
    Where things stood when last we were planning is that I was going to start by proposing a 30 minute weekly Zoom private lesson with me for each student and one hour on Monday in person at CUMC in the music room upstairs. Give this some consideration, please.
    Now I am just a poor musician that had to repeat math classes in school, so I will be bringing Cindy from SYSO into our meeting to work out costs and all that. I will also invite Miss Kathy because she knows what's what around CUMC and our district and there wouldn't be an Enduring Strings program without her.
    So please take time to look at your schedules and let me know that you want to meet, and when and how. I do still hope.
    Thanks,
    Mr. David

Join Our SYSO Benefit

Greetings. This pandemic has made things hard to plan. It's made following through with plans pretty hard, too. (I'd have to give it one half star. I have had to learn a lot, just so I don't get any further behind, so that's where the half star comes from.) It also makes a lot of nice people say no to the most reasonable plans one can concoct.

So

On August 9th, everything else as yet TBD, the Forsman-Sondag Duo, yours truly and Melinda Sondag, will be giving a recital. It will be a benefit for the Suburban Youth Symphony, the parent/partner organization behind Enduring Strings. We are asking you to prepare something for that recital. We will see how the summer goes. Some time in early/mid July we will have to be making a lot of serious decisions to make this all happen. But the whole thing will be live streamed and recorded for posting anywhere it may be shared. I have learned that I can't say for sure anything definite beyond this, for now.

Not important. I am all about you covering yourselves in glory on August 9th.

To that end, I want to arrange regular lesson times every Friday. Let's start by saying, say from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. So I ask you to check, see if you can work with this time window, and then tell me what half hour you would like to have. I will set up recurring Zoom sessions at those times. If not, let me know. Wednesday before 2:00 is going to be the only reliable fallback, though.

We also need to work on getting the proper size instruments, because some of us may have been growing a bit, and we should make a swap before the benefit. But that is secondary to our lessons.

Get back with me, and we'll start regular Fridays this week.

Yours,

Mr. David

All Right, Let's Catch Up

Greetings. I have neglected us and this blog for a very long time, while other "should be done already" things overwhelmed me. The school year is coming to an end and we should be basking in the glow of our well done Tea performance. Instead, we have what we have.

These little videos are the beginning of what will become a steady stream. I am not letting any of you go without a fight.

The last one is where I want to do some playing with you guys when we finally get some kind of go-ahead. It sounds great because of all the glass and brick, yet there is room enough that we might be safe. If you have any pull in town, please use it to help me get permission to use this space.

So now, get ready, because invitations to do some Zooming will be hitting your mailboxes very shortly. I miss you guys and look forward to catching up with you and making violin part of your novel virus survival routine.

Love and Peace from your teacher (and friend - I know what Miss Kathy says, but she's my friend and teacher, so she'll understand just this once)

Mr. David

Join the SYSO Concert!

Please note the date, and check it. We would like the Enduring Strings kids to perform on this concert. I will be sending a letter about this home with all our musicians this week. Watch for it.
Here is a download link for a PDF of this flyer. Please print a couple and help us wallpaper the community with them. 
DEF

We're Under Way

Happy 2019-2020 school year. Enduring Strings is underway, bigger and better than ever. The kids you see above are the veterans. They are a group we're calling Euphony - look it up. Yes, an expression of hope on my part. As you can see, they are a calm, quiet, and low-keyed kind of bunch. And shy, too.
When I get around to it, we'll get Miss Jen to write something about her beginning group.
I'm writing today mostly to remind parents of our Monday nights. At 5:00 on Mondays I am at CUMC to give our kids a chance to work with their instruments on things they need to practice. I have already invited Miss Jen to send her beginners to take advantage of Monday nights. One of the reasons I started doing this is that every kid needs to make, let's call them getting acquainted with the instrument noises. Just not when their instructor is trying to do something else. Monday nights are for that, plus maybe a little extra help.
If you are a beginner, I promise I will never step on Miss Jen's toes. Before I offer any genuine instruction, which may somehow inadvertently conflict with Miss Jen's instruction, I will always begin by asking, "Show me how Miss Jen wants you to do it." I try to be more supervisor and caretaker on Monday nights.
Check back here soon. I am learning how to make some of our music and work available for download, and will post some other things that are designed for parents and kids at home.
Peace,
Mr. David

Going Forward

It's my shoe on a dirty floor. You try and come up with an appropriate picture that isn't the same old back to school cliche. 
Anyway, I can't believe we're so close to beginning another school year. June, the washout that it was, has made it seem that we're in the middle of summer instead of the beginning of school season. I have tried to make use of the summer the best I can - with some success, yet - and I hope your summer has been what you needed.
There are big changes coming to our program this year. The biggest change is that we will be adding a teacher. Her name is Jennifer Venutolo, another local many of you might know already. I asked her for a bio/blurb, and here it is.

JenniferVenutolo has been teaching string instruments for 16 years.  Her primary instrument is violin and she plays professionally at various engagements throughout the year.  She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from DePauw University in Music and Business, and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and puppy dog. 

Jennifer will be taking on the new beginners, while I will be carrying on with the veterans. (Hah! "Veterans." Yet some have been playing for a long time, now.) We will have Euphony Ensemble - that's their official moniker now - Monday through Thursday from 7:30 to 8:15. Friday is their day to please themselves. I will also be doing some lessons on Mondays at 4:00, and we will continue to make time for instruments to be in use with less insisting from me, at 5:00 - 6:00. I think of that time as time our kids can come learn to practice, do some practicing, or just make instrument sounds.

Beginners will meet with Jennifer on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 - 8:15.

A bigger program means more space. The beginners will continue to meet in the music room we have been using. Euphony will be in the space between the cafeteria upstairs and the old sanctuary. It's a good space, and it will feel normal in no time.

Watch this space.

Really.

More info shortly.

DEF