Proposal for a High School String Nonet Honors Program (part 1)

Dear string and orchestra teachers (and parents of string/orchestra students),

I’d love your feedback on a proposal I’m putting together for an honors string ensemble that I’m considering starting for my high school orchestra program for the 2024-2025 school year. The proposal is below. Please leave your comments at the bottom of this post. Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate any suggestions you might have!

Description:

• In an effort to put together an elite performing high school chamber ensemble, the orchestra will be forming an honors nonet. A string nonet is an ensemble with 4 violins (2 first violins and 2 second violins), 2 violas, 2 cellos, and 1 double bass player.
• The high school honors nonet will perform music at a very high level. It is an expectation that musicians are well prepared for each rehearsal and that each rehearsal is efficient.  There will be a large number of performances and the ensembles will perform with great expression and mature musicality. 
• All performance repertoire will be played from memory.  Sheet music is not allowed during performances. There will be many rehearsals to prepare the musicians for this.

Eligibility:

• All string players in the school are eligible and encouraged to audition, even if they only played in middle school or even if they played outside of school for fun.

Audition & Preparation Information:

• Parents must attend the informational meeting in early September of 2024 to learn about the program, auditions, fundraising, and group expectations.
• In mid-September, interested students should attend the informational meeting to learn about the program, fundraising, building community, and more.
• Throughout the fall, all interested students will be asked to help raise funds for the nonet honors nonet program through raffle sales, silent auction, and corporate sponsorships. Prizes will be available for those students raising the most funds. Students can earn credit toward their nonet dues if they fundraise in the fall.
• In the third week of October, every interested string player will be required to attend the Scale-a-thon and community festival. The event runs from 12:30-5:00 pm on the third Sunday in October. Each player will have the opportunity to play their scales as fast and accurately as they can in a friendly competition.  There will be prizes for the winners. The cost to register for this required event is $100 per student.
• Finally, auditions will take place in January.  The auditions will last 6 days (Monday thru Saturday) starting after school until about 7:00 pm during the week and 9AM-2 PM on Saturday.  Every interested player will get the opportunity to perform and be heard in consideration for the nonet.  Not all musicians will be considered and there will be several rounds of auditions within the 6 days.

Acceptance:

• One performing nonet will be formed. The instrumentation is two 1st violins, two 2nd violins, two violas, two cellos, and 1 double bass.
• The ensemble will have 15 additional players selected (2 basses, 3 cellos, 3 violas, and  7 violins) for a total of 24 players available to perform in the nonet for an ensemble total of 24 players.
• For concerts and additional performances, 9 players will perform at a time.  The additional players will be used to serve as substitute musicians when starting performers are fatigued, injured, or if a particular player is not performing their best. 
• Every musician selected is considered a part of the ensemble and must pay fees and participate in every rehearsal and be present for each performance. Everyone must learn the repertoire and be ready to perform at any time. Players may end up performing an entire performance, for a small portion of the performance, or sometimes not at all.

Schedule:

• Regular rehearsals will begin immediately after auditions conclude.  Before performances begin, rehearsals will be held 6 days per week, for approximately two hours. Rehearsals may consist of sectionals, individual coaching, and full ensemble rehearsals.
• Once the performance schedule begins, rehearsals will generally take place after school on Mondays from 5:00-7:00 PM, Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30 PM, and there may be occasional rehearsals on Saturday mornings from 10:00-11:30 AM.
• There will be approximately 30 performances for the nonet in the season, and additional performances may be added.
• Performances will be held both on campus in our performing arts center and at other locations across the region. The complete performance schedule is listed below.
• Note that there will be rehearsals during the winter break in February and there will be rehearsals and performances during Spring Break. Please do not plan travel or vacations during this time.
• Each performance will last approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Some performances will require the members of the ensemble to leave school early so that the away performances can begin on time.  There are several instances of two performances on a single day. Students will ride school busses to all away performances.

Fees: 

• Each musician must pay $1200-1500 fees for the season. The final cost is TBD and will be announced in January 2025.  This cost may be offset partially by participating in the fall fundraisers.
• The fees cover rehearsal attire and concert uniforms, facility use, transportation, some meals, and a few more necessary items.
• Players must provide their own instrument, bow, and accessories. Note: Your bow must be pernambuco wood. No carbon fiber or fiberglass bows are allowed.  Rosin and sheet music will be provided. 

Calendar of Events (2024-2025):

Sept 5: Parent meeting

Sept 7 – Oct 13: Program book ad sales 

Sept 12: Student meeting

Sept 12 – Oct 18: Raffle ticket sales 

Oct 8 – Oct 22: Silent Auction

Oct 20:  Scale-a-thon competition ($100 registration fee)

Dec 13: Audition registration due

Jan 12-17: Auditions

Jan 20: First Day of Rehearsal

Rehearsal Schedule (before performances begin):

Monday – Saturday, 5:00-7:00 PM, beginning January 20, 2025-February 10, 2025

Rehearsal Schedule (during performance calendar):

Mondays from 5:00-7:00 PM, Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30 PM, and  Saturday mornings (optional) from 10:00-11:30 AM.

Performance Schedule:

Tues, Feb 11: Performance Away, 6:00 PM

Fri, Feb 14: Performance Away, 4:00 PM

Sat, Feb 15: Performance Away, 10:00 AM

Sat, Feb 15: Performance Away (second), 12:30 PM

Fri, Feb 21: Performance Away, 4:00 PM

Sat, Feb 22: Performance Away, 12:30 PM (during winter break)

Sat, Feb 22: Performance Away, 5:30 PM (during winter break)

Tue, Feb 25: Performance Away, 6:0o PM (during winter break)

Sat, Mar 1: Performance Away, 5:00 PM

Tue, Mar 4: Performance Away, 6:00 PM

Wed, Mar 5: Performance Away, 6:00 PM

Fri, Mar 7: Performance Away, 6:00 PM

Sat, Mar 8: Performance Away, 5:00 PM

Tues, Mar 11: Performance Home, 6:00 PM

Thurs, Mar 13: Performance Away, 6:00 PM

Tues, March 18: Performance Home, 6:00 PM

Thurs, Mar 20: Performance Away, 6:00 PM 

Fri, Mar 21: Performance Home, 6:00 PM

Sat, Mar 22: Performance Home, 6:00 PM

Mon, Mar 23: Performance Home, 6:00 PM

Wed, Mar 28: Performance Away, 6:00 PM

Thur, April 3: Performance Away, 10:30 AM (during spring break)

Fri, April 4: Performance Home, 6:00 PM (during spring break)

Mon, April 7: Performance Home, 5:00 PM

Mon, April 7: Performance Home, 8:00 PM

Wed, April 19: Performance Home, 6:00 PM

Sat, April 12: Performance Away, 5:00 PM

Sat, April 12: Performance Away, 8:00 PM

Mon, April 14: Performance Home, 6:00 PM

Sat, April 19: Performance Away, 5:00 PM

Sat, April 19: Performance Away, 8:00 PM

Mon, April 21: Performance Home, 6:00 PM

Note: If the nonet performs well throughout their season, there may be additional rehearsals and command performances that extend the season beyond April 21: 

Fri, April 25: Performance Away, 4:00 PM

Fri, April 25: Performance Away, 7:00 PM

Thur, May 1: Performance Away, 4:30 PM

Thur, May 1: Performance Away, 7:00 PM

Have you seen anything like this before?