The String Program runs year round and
includes summer lessons through the District Summer School Program. In past
years, Mrs. Nielsen offered Suzuki strings for beginning students as young as
Kindergarten age, as part of her summer lesson curriculum.
Now she offers summer school Orchestra for Middle and High School
Students.
The current full-time Orchestra program starts with the Elementary Orchestra in
fifth grade and continues through twelfth grade in the High School Orchestra,
and The
Fort Atkinson High School Chamber Ensemble. Orchestra = (classical
pieces + contemporary works + jazz + fiddle)
Mrs. Nielsen has taken the High School Orchestra from being strictly strings
to incorporating woodwinds, percussion, and now brass. Beginning with the Clinic Concert in
May 2003, the 8th Grade and High
School Orchestras played selections from "Lord of the Rings". The arrangement
was written for and performed by a full orchestra - selected band members
joined the orchestras for the performance. For the 2004 Clinic Concert, the
"Full Orchestra" played selections from "Pirates of the Caribbean".
What was a new addition to the program, has become the expected standard.
Through Mrs. Nielsen's
guidance, the orchestra students, at all levels, play country (fiddling), jazz,
learn to improvise, play music of many cultures (American Indian and
Japanese at recent concerts), and newly written music as well as performing
standard works from all periods of string repertoire. This broadens students'
musical skills and knowledge.
Working with the band and choral directors at the high school, and especially
the middle school, Mrs. Nielsen helps to coordinate integrated events. The
Holiday Concerts at both the High School and Middle School levels include at
least one piece where all three music disciplines play together. Since the Spring
2003 Middle School Choir Concert, the 8th grade Orchestra accompanied the 8th
Grade Choir. The joint musical venture has continued at the Middle School with a combined musical number at each concert.
Mrs. Nielsen continues to strive to give her students a variety of musical
experiences. In the Fall of 2001, she began a new group at the high school, The
Fort Atkinson High School Chamber Ensemble. The group is open to any student willing to commit to
the rehearsal and performance time required of a more advanced group.
Mrs. Nielsen developed the FAMS Jazz Strings
during the 2003-04 school year, teaching the fundamentals of jazz to the
primarily 8th grade group.
As the Orchestra program has grown, due to Mrs. Nielsen's dedication, so have
it's plans to further serve the students of the community. With a second teacher
hired to work with the elementary orchestra, a future goal would be to seriously consider increasing the high school
level to two orchestras - a string orchestra, and a full orchestra complete
with woodwinds, brass, and percussion as well as adding High School
Jazz Strings.
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