SAWS Strings Student Festival

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SAWS Annual Strings Student Festival

Our 2024 festival at First Lutheran Church of Bothell was a huge success! We look forward to meeting again in mid-October 2025 for another weekend of teacher training, a student workshop, and a graduation concert.

 

For an idea of how the festival works, here is last year’s information.

Location: 10207 NE 183rd St, Bothell, WA. Ample parking and various quick bite options nearby for lunch.

Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024, 8:30-3:15; Graduation concert at 4:15

Families! Come to our signature event, an institute-in-a-day workshop held every October, open to violin, viola, cello, and bass students in mid Book 1 through Book 6 (no pretwinkle or early book 1 program this year).

This year all students will receive 4 classes:

  • Semi-Private Lesson (Masterclass)
  • Repertoire Class
  • Technique Class
  • Supplemental Class

This year’s supplement will be movement and mind-body oriented classes, featuring Alexander Technique, body mapping, the Paul Rolland Method of violin pedagogy, and more.

Also: the Refresh Room and Parent Talk are back! Before lunch, students will get a “recess” in a supervised area with toys, games, and art projects so that parents are free to enjoy an inspiring half-hour Parent Talk. At the end of the day, we will reconvene for a short play down. 

Festival registration will open August 18 and close September 22 (or earlier if capacity is reached). We tend to sell out, so please mark your calendar and register early.

Click here to register for the festival*

Graduation concert: This concert is available for those who participated in the SAWS Graduation Program last spring. This means that you and your teacher prepared a video of you performing a graduation piece, uploaded it to our website, and you received written comments in August. In the fall, we celebrate by combining all graduates to perform onstage together, accompanied by piano. This is available as a standalone event or can be combined with festival registration. You will have a rehearsal beforehand, and the concert goes from 4:15-5:15.

Note: We apologize that this year’s festival coincides with Yom Kippur, and if you graduated but cannot make it to the concert you may postpone until next year. Graduation participants will all receive their trophies, whether or not they play on the concert.

Register here to attend ONLY the graduation concert.

Schedule

  • 8:00 – 8:20 Student Check In
  • 8:30-8:50 Opening Ceremony
  • 9:00 – 9:50 Hour 1
  • 10:00-10:50 Hour 2
  • 11:00-11:30 Refresh Room (Fellowship Hall)/ Parent Talk (Sanctuary)/ Faculty Lunch (Music Rm)
  • 11:30-12:25 Student Lunch (pack a lunch or buy something nearby)/ SAWS Members Meeting and Lunch (faculty lunch continued)
  • 12:30 – 1:20 Hour 3 
  • 1:30-2:20 Hour 4
  • 2:20 – 3:10 Play Down / Closing Ceremony
  • 3:10 – 4:00 Grad Concert Rehearsals
  • 4:15 Graduation Concert All festival participants are welcome to watch. Come support the graduates and see high quality performances from book 1-10!

Click here to register for the Festival. *

*A parent needs to be present with all students under age 12. Students age 12 and over can attend the festival without a parent, though they need to plan to stay in the building for the day (and bring a packed lunch).

Travel Stipend: A $75 stipend is available for families traveling more than 3 hours (each way) to come to the festival. Please email us to request a stipend (sawsfestival@gmail.com)

Preparing for Festival: Students should do extra work reviewing all the pieces they know in their current book for the repertoire class. Book 1 and 2 students should have all the pieces they know reviewed.  In addition, all students should review what they know from this list for the Play-Down Concert at the end of the festival. Graduation participants need to have their graduation piece performance ready.

Please email sawsfest@gmail.com

Play-Down Concert Review List:

For Violins:
Book 1: Twinkle Theme and Triplet Variation, Allegro, Andantino, Happy Farmer (play all one string down)
Book 2:  Minuet in G (all instruments in same key), Hunter Chorus
Book 3: Gavotte in G minor (play one string down to be in C minor)
Book 4: Seitz 5/1

For Cellos:
Book 1: Twinkle Theme and Triplet Variation, French Folk Song, Allegro, Andantino, Rigadoon, Happy Farmer
Book 2: Hunter Chorus
Book 3: Minuet in G (all instruments in same key), Gavotte in C minor

For Violas:
Book 1: Twinkle Theme and Triplet Variation French Folk Song, Bohemian Folk Song, Allegro, Andantino, Happy Farmer
Book 2: Minuet in G (all instruments in same key), Hunter Chorus
Book 3: Gavotte in G minor (transpose up one fourth to c minor – violin fingering)