About
NAStrings.org is the online home for the Nazareth Area School District String and Orchestra program. The purpose of the website is to provide a single location where interested members of the school community can learn about the program in greater detail and parents, guardians and students can find up-to-date news as well as information on assignments, events, activities and fundraisers. The website is run by Mrs. Laura Sabol, Orchestra / String Director at the Nazareth Area School District. Any questions can be directed to her by way of the contact form on the website.
The Nazareth Area String Program is comprised of students in grades 4-12. Students at the elementary level come to lessons Monday through Friday. At the middle level students have group lessons one day during the A-F cycle. At the elementary level, the students have group lesson anywhere from 2-5 students in a group, in grades 4 and 5. Besides the group lessons throughout the year, the students perform a combined concert in late May playing elementary orchestral music.
The middle school level, students have group lessons as the elementary school, but lessons are on a rotating schedule between periods 2-4. This way the students are not missing the same class everyweek. Since the students do miss a class to come to lessons, they are required to make up all of their work.
Besides the lessons, the orchestra students at the middle level have orchestra class 3 days out of the A-F cycle schedule. There are scheduled after school rehearsals for these groups either in sectionals by instrumentation or as full string orchestra. There are two required concerts a year, a winter and a spring, and an optional trip in May to Music in the Parks.
The high school level, students have an 80 minute class on three days out of the cycle. During this class, the students work on orchestral music for a winter and spring concert, assemblies, other playing opportunities, orchestral techniques, ensemble sound, bowing techiniques, shifting, vibrato, etc. Extra curricular groups at the high school are string quartets that have been formed through audition. These groups perform within the community for different functions upon request. There is a Spring trip every year to a different venue to perform and compete. To help with this trip, the students do various fundraising activities throughout the year.
Besides Orchestra at the high school level, there is also a string technique class that students can sign up for. They can either take this course as a half year (.5 credit) or a full year (1 credit). In this class, the students work on individual goals on their isntruments, whether it is posture, shifting to higher positions, vibrato, bowing techniques, etc. The students also work in the music computer lab when available to compose music for a small string ensemble or string orchestra.