Help support Mr. Adam Stewart's Classroom

Each day, the members of the orchestras must tune the strings on their instruments. When the strings of orchestral instruments are perfectly tuned, the students are able to develop their sense of pitch faster and more accurately which improves the overall sound of the ensemble. The better an orchestra sounds, the more fun the students have, and the more learning takes place. String instruments are, unfortunately, greatly affected by even slight changes in temperature and humidity which complicate the tuning process. In Alaska, the weather conditions can change rapidly. With students transporting their instruments to and from school, the instruments go through a number of different environments before arriving in the classroom. This often results in tuning being a major ordeal. The time spent to tune an entire orchestra can become significant when factoring in that each instrument (multiplied by the number of students) has four strings which may need to be tuned multiple times before stabilizing to the temperature and humidity of the classroom. Long tuning sessions at the beginning of each class result in a loss of time for learning and playing music, and is also a major contributing factor in behavior issues. Reducing the amount of time spent tuning would not only increase the amount of learning time but would also improve the level of refinement within the orchestra. Currently, I share my one personal electronic tuner with most of the students. Having tuners for the classroom would significantly speed up the tuning process since the students would be able to tune themselves. Tuning is a necessary skill to be successful as an orchestral musician, and -once learned- enables students to have more successful and rewarding practice sessions at home.

About my class

Each day, the members of the orchestras must tune the strings on their instruments. When the strings of orchestral instruments are perfectly tuned, the students are able to develop their sense of pitch faster and more accurately which improves the overall sound of the ensemble. The better an orchestra sounds, the more fun the students have, and the more learning takes place. String instruments are, unfortunately, greatly affected by even slight changes in temperature and humidity which complicate the tuning process. In Alaska, the weather conditions can change rapidly. With students transporting their instruments to and from school, the instruments go through a number of different environments before arriving in the classroom. This often results in tuning being a major ordeal. The time spent to tune an entire orchestra can become significant when factoring in that each instrument (multiplied by the number of students) has four strings which may need to be tuned multiple times before stabilizing to the temperature and humidity of the classroom. Long tuning sessions at the beginning of each class result in a loss of time for learning and playing music, and is also a major contributing factor in behavior issues. Reducing the amount of time spent tuning would not only increase the amount of learning time but would also improve the level of refinement within the orchestra. Currently, I share my one personal electronic tuner with most of the students. Having tuners for the classroom would significantly speed up the tuning process since the students would be able to tune themselves. Tuning is a necessary skill to be successful as an orchestral musician, and -once learned- enables students to have more successful and rewarding practice sessions at home.

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Mr. Adam Stewart's Classroom Edit display name

Support his classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

Support Mr. Adam Stewart's classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

About my class

About my class

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season! Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Mr. Adam Stewart's Classroom Edit display name

Support his classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

Support Mr. Adam Stewart's classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

About my class

About my class

Share this classroom

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.