So much going on right now!  First of all, again, I'm so proud to be a part of this organization.  Thank you to ALL of our sponsors, supporters, friends and family who help us get this awesome ensemble up & running.

Black Violin is coming!  October 21 is the performance.  I sincerely hope that we (players, myself, Dr Waters) get a chance to meet and interact with the guys.

Masks & Covid related news!  It will be expected that everyone will wear a mask during rehearsal, unless you are actively playing a wind instrument.  Please understand that this whole Delta Variant is a big deal, and EVERYONE's safety & health is important.  Yes, it would not be a fun thing to get the COVID, and I totally understand the people out there saying "kids aren't as strongly effected by it".  Ok, but what about when that kid takes it home and passes it around to the family, unknowingly.  That would be awful.  Let's all do our part to protect & respect one another by keeping our masks on & up.  Thank you!

Cadet Orchestra.   MAYBE it's coming?  I am working on a program to get some younger string players into our ranks.  It would actually be a separate orchestra.  String orchestra only.  Best if someone would have between 1 and 3 years of playing.  Notice how there's no age bracket attached to that.  Every one of our students in LAYO is pretty awesome.  The string section, though, makes up a huge part of what we do.   It should be the responsibility of the director (or co-director... which is me) to encourage/foster/bolster our general sections.  Well, I know several younger students who play string instruments, but they don't feel like they're "good enough" to be a part of our larger ensemble.  How do we fix this?  Cadet orchestra.   Hopefully, fingers crossed, I get the go-ahead to start it in January.  

Christmas Music! Dr Waters and I have looked at Christmas music extensively.  [Do you know how hard it is to seriously look at Christmas music in August?!?] I should have that up in the members section by mid-September.  Please remember, I have to scan in and then post every one of the parts.  Sometimes, this can be difficult to do!  Also, if you're NOT OK with printing out your own part, or with using a digital format (tablet, etc...) you're going to have to let me know.  You can just click the "Contact" if that's quick.  Some of you know my email.  Some of you even know my cell phone!  Please, send a message if you need to!

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to starting this season with everyone!  Please stay safe & healthy.  Best of luck to ALL of our students for great school year!

It is with great pride that I point out that our membership roster for the 2021-2022 season is up!  I've been a part of LAYO now for a few years, and I've been able to "watch" LAYO as a supporting teacher for years before that, and I must say that NEVER have I seen this organization put up its list of members before the year starts: that is just awesome!  I am proud of the work that Dr Waters and myself have put in to this organization, this website, and the people that we have gotten to meet along the way.  Thank you to all of the students who had the courage to audition: I know that the process can be intimidating.  I personally hold the belief that excellence "travels in packs", so if one of our members has a friend who they think is also a good musician, I for sure would not turn down the conversation with him or her.

Also, in the Members Area, I have put up digital music for the Black Violin performance.  Some people do well with an iPad or other tablet, others would prefer to print their own music.  Whatever your preference is, there is an opportunity for it.  I've seen students enlarge the music and print it on larger paper.  Dr Waters and I are going to leave it up to you how you want to do it.  If you'd prefer a printed copy, please let me know in advance.

For the Black Violin performance, our string players are going to need to have their music memorized, so I would recommend starting to work on it now.  The way I work, I often times need a reference recording to hear things.  Guess what?  I uploaded that as well, just in case someone out there operates a little bit like me.  If you're a string player, look for an email soon with the password to the music area.  Personally, I hope to have the Christmas music uploaded and ready to go by August.  I know that seems far too soon, but my experience tells me that it'll be just in time.

Thank you all, please let me know if you need anything!
Musically yours,
​JM

Auditions are done.  Great job, everyone! Mr MacBenn is trying to keep things updated, but there's a lot of information to handle.  In the next few days, I'm going to try to get a list of names & "chairs" posted.  Within the next couple of months, I'll try to get pdf copies of music posted in the Members Area section.  Personally, both of us  thought that everyone that we saw audition live did a great job, and we're proud of you all.

Hey, our first performance is with Black Violin.  Here's a news article about it:
​www.limaohio.com/news/455369/new-twist-for-enrichment-dinner