Intonation Improving
Thanks for your patience and focus on the intonation.  i know it's not easy and not fun but, we'll enjoy the fruits of your labor.  I think your audiences will enjoy it, too.

Big picture plan for the next four rehearsals includes:
1. Focus on Venus
2. Work on Mozart
3. Working with the soloists on their pieces.  The music should be arriving soon.  Please listen to the Sarasate Zigeunerweisen and the Elgar Cello Concerto this week. 
--Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyzk6Ty-Ms&feature=related
--Elgar: Cello Concerto, 4th mvmt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rjudv2woxQ

Blog readership down this week.
Hmmm.  There were 12 e-mails/facebook posts/blog comments this past week, down from seventeen people who read the blog last week and responded that they had done so.  Katherine McDaniel won the chocolate bar that I bought just before rehearsal.    If you'd like to be included, please send an email to me at jose@mayomusic.org or a message to me on Facebook when you've read it so we can count you in and understand the usefulness of this feature.

Take the poll!
We would really like to know what you would like to do with the orchestra this year and next.  The webmaster, also known as Executive Director Kristen Bellisario, has informed me that the poll will be valid for a short time.  Please look at this with your family: MAYO Online Poll.

Sections for personal practice:
Please look at these following sections for the coming week.
Mozart: measures 158 through the end of the movement.  I promise we will do more Mozart this week.
Holst: Mars: General Intonation.  find your function in the triad and tune against a drone (I know some of you know what this means.  It is the type of exercise we were doing at number 10, slow, and making it more beautiful).
Holst: Venus: violins practice from Andante before rehearsal 2 to rehearsal 3
Holst: Jupiter: rehearsal 17 to the end.

And, finally, our rehearsal schedule for Monday, October 19th:
6:30  Announcements
6:35  Sectionals (winds on Venus, brass on Star Wars and Holst, Strings on Mozart, Venus)
7:15  Mozart (measures 158 through end)
7:50 Break
8:05  Holst: Venus
8:17  Star Wars
8:35  Holst: Mars (more triad tuning and the coda)
8:50  Holst: Jupiter (stringendo and the end)

Keep up the hard work.  We have a ways to go, though, and a concert coming up very soon!