I have put up a link to order your shirt.  It's in the Members section, just under the list of members.  If you already have a LAYO shirt, you do not need to order a new one.  If you want something other than a polo shirt (which we really do get a good deal on, by the way), please order your stuff from Cappie's directly.  My wife bought me a lovely quarter-zip Under Armour top and I love it.  I feel like the sizes tend to run a little large, so I would recommend ordering your regular size.  Cadet Orchestra members do NOT need said shirt.  

​Someone is going to tell me that the member list is ALL messed up.  I know.  I'm working on it.  Between school, home life, some personal issues going on, and taking care of the home, life gets a little busy some times.  I'm working on it.

Just a reminder that the next practice for BOTH groups is January 23.  That's next Sunday.  See you then!

So much going on!  

First of all, great rehearsals this past Sunday!  Wait, shouldn't it be rehearsal, as in singular?  No, because...

Congratulations to our new Cadet Orchestra students!  Right now, it's a small group.  And that's OK.  We're learning to play music with each other, which is what it was designed for.  I am 100% not joking when I tell you that these kids are the future of LAYO.  Check back in 5-6 years, and they'll be toward the top of the string section.   Which reminds me, check out their 2 pictures on the members page!

Now, for number three... I'm NOT going to say that there's going to be a song taken out.   And, if there was, I'm surely not going to say which one it is.  However, I'm going to have a new song for our LAYO group some time in the next... 24 hours-ish.  Some of those who have been around for a few years may have already played it.  If so, all good, just be patient.  It's still one of my favorites.  I think I might have too many favorite classical pieces of music.

Thank you all for staying safe & healthy.  I know our recent rehearsal attendance wasn't the best.  For sure, the COVID is going around right now.  Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of local school districts went to remote learning or something like that, just for a week or so.  Would I enjoy that?  No, but I just know that there are a lot of teachers sick, and a lot of students sick.  Try to practice when you can.

Reminder: our next rehearsal is January 23!   Mr MacBenn will be "flying solo" on that one.  Apologies if I get tired - 4 hours of rehearsal PLUS set-up/take-down will definitely wear you down!  I'm not saying this officially, but I'd love to be done by 5:30.  wink wink.

Hey, if you're reading this, and you're in LAYO, and you started looking at that newest music for "Danse Negre", please don't freak out.  #1, that's for a performance WITH the Ohio Northern University Symphony.  So, advanced college level stuff, right?  Please don't freak out about it.  That piece is something we're going to be working on slowly.  #2, if you're a clarinet or a trumpet player, on all things holy, watch for the transposition!  Clarinet in A? How about Trumpet in F?!?  These tasks can be very daunting, no doubt.  When I was your age, I got scared of them too.  You'll get it.  Maybe you won't get EVERY single note, but you'll do well enough to fit in with a collegiate symphony.   

I have a very good friend, who happens to be a cellist, who says something like "the best players know when to play, and when to get out of the way".  As a symphony player, you don't have to get every single note perfect (unless you're in one of those major symphony orchestras.  Then, you do.) to be a positive contribution to the ensemble.  Should you try to at least get most of them?  Sure, absolutely.  But no one is perfect.  And a perfect performance?  That's rare.   And by perfect I mean EVERY note, dynamic, rest, bowing, articulation, accent/nuance, style, and following the cue of the conductor AND the lead of the concert master.  That's a lot to take into consideration.

OK, now that's I've gotten that stuff out of the way.  I also have ALL of the music uploaded.  In the words of TwoSet Violin, "go practice."  Again, Merry Christmas to all.  Happy New Year.  See you in January.

Hi all.  New music is up.  I'd like a rest now, so I'm going to "disappear" for a little while.  If you need help, ask away via email.  On the Satie ("Sat-ee-ay") piece, yes, French is hard.  Backward eighth rest = quarter rest.  I can definitely see a theme in our music.  I hope that you enjoy playing it.  I hope that you PRACTICE it before our first rehearsal.  

​Merry Christmas, all.  Happy New Year.  See you soon!

Hi all!  I hope that everyone is now done with school activities, and I hope that we can all rest & recharge while staying safe & healthy!  Today, Dr Waters and I met and agreed on music LAYO music.

In no particular order, you can expect to see: Bach Brandenburg Simphonia, Vistas Espanolas, Themes from 1812 Overture, Warrior Legacy, Royal Fireworks, The Great Locomotive Chase, Eric Satie's Gymnopedes, Ear-Igami, Procession of the Nobles by Rimsky-Korsakov, L'Estro Armonico by Vivaldi (have fun, Madison!), and the Magic of Harry Potter.   

I'll be working on scanning items & uploading them.  My goal is to be done by Christmas Eve.  

​Our next rehearsal is Sunday, January 9.  Have your music ready & I'll see you then!  Please remember that if you have any questions, feel free to email or text me.  And if you have any ideas on perspective members, we'd love for them to join us, but they still have to send in an audition.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

What an outstanding concert for everyone involved!  That concert was a great way to get back in to live music performances!  I, for sure, wasn't the only one who thought so.  Check out us in the Lima News:
https://www.limaohio.com/news/488378/excellent-return-of-youth-orchestra

I'm going to try to be putting up some photos from the concert & rehearsal over the next few days.   I'm also planning on taking down the old music, and hopefully soon putting up the new!  To be honest, at this time, I can't be too sure of what we are going to be playing.  If there are any doubts or questions, I'll make sure that I put it in the news section.  I think that at this time, it might be a good idea if we "over-programmed" the concerts, and then eliminated music if/as we need to.  I hope that makes sense to everyone.  If you see a TON of music, please understand that some may be "backups".  I suppose we have to see how that shakes out in rehearsal, right?

So, I'll be doing my best to get things all set up for the 2022 calendar/concert year.  PLEASE check back every once in a while for new music.  And, absolutely have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  See you (I think the date is) January 9!  

This morning, it was so beautiful to see Christmas lights shining through the fog.  Even though it's not snow, it put me in the mood for a Christmas concert, which is tomorrow!

On a personal note, I'm proud of all of the work that we've put in for this concert already, and I'm sure it's going to be a giant success.  Reminder that we're meeting to rehearse today from 1-3.  I'll be getting there plenty early to set up the stage.  We had to meet in the afternoon today because of building usage/conflicts at Lima Senior High School, which is fine.  

Our Cadet Orchestra has had some great positive responses.  But I feel like we definitely need some more sign-ups.  If you are even considering it, please sign up for it.  If you know of a younger player with maybe just a year of playing experience, please send them the way of the Cadet Orchestra.  

Oh, and here's us in the news: https://www.limaohio.com/news/487677/lima-area-youth-orchestra-concert-scheduled

For our concert tomorrow, tickets will be available at the door: $10/adults, $5/students and seniors.  The concert will begin at 5:00 PM on the stage of Lima Senior High School.  For our wonderful members, Dr Waters put it best in her email.  I can't remember the exact words, but she described it beautifully: something about formal with some festive accents.  Personally, I'll be wearing a black suit with a reindeer tie, and festive Christmas tree socks (not that you'll really be able to see them...).

Also, I'm going to begin putting together the next concert.  We've got some Beethoven, which will be fun.  If you want to prep, go listen to Beethoven Symphony 5 (that's arguably the most famous one), and I would recommend the last movement.  Hopefully we'll be looking at the Bacchanale from Samson & Delilah by Saint-Saens, I would definitely recommend putting that on your playlist.  We're also hopefully going to be looking at the Waltz from Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky - again another that I would recommend listening to.  That might sound like a "heavy" concert, but I assure you it'll be great.  It's music that you'll be almost 100% guaranteed to fall in love with!  I'm going to try to have new music posted around the 17th of December.

Speaking of next concert, our members will need a LAYO shirt!  It's a beautiful black polo-style shirt.  We put our *new* LAYO logo embroidered on the left chest, and members get their choice of embroidery on the right sleeve (we recommend either a first or last name, or an instrument).  Before you write a check, let me check on the price.  It was $17.  Honestly, it's a great shirt that holds up well, and I feel like it's a good price.  They will be available in a "regular" cut (which works well for just about everyone), a "youth" cut (which is great if you're younger), and a "ladies" cut (it's slimmer on the sides and has shorter sleeves).  That will be something that we discuss in January.

And speaking of January, if there's an issue where we need to cancel a rehearsal due to weather, it'll be right here in the "News" section, I'll try to put it on our "front page" and I'll try to shoot out an email.  It's been a few years since that's happened, so, fingers crossed!

Finally, the Youth Orchestra is looking for new sponsors.  If you know of anyone, or would like to donate to our cause, that would be much appreciated.  We'll take any amount, but $50 gets you listed in the program and a custom message.  $300 gets a 1/4 page in the program.   For $750 you get 1/2 page and you get to name an honorary chair in the program.  And, for $1000+ you get a full page in the program, custom message, and 4 free tickets.  If you or someone you know is interested in donating, please make your check payable to "Lima Community Foundation" and put "Lima Area Youth Orchestra" in the memo line.  You can get a donation to me to turn in, or you could mail it to: Nanci Carroll - LAYO Treasurer, C/O Lima Noon Optimists, PO Box 428, Lima, Ohio 45802-0428.