<p>Ohh haha wow I should have guessed from your screen name 
That’s interesting, I don’t think we have a trombone player.
Most of the ensembles are basically the same, but they play different music depending on the skill level of the players in it.</p>
<p>haha yea my screen name is kind of a give away. But that’s cool that they’re separated by skill, i like that. </p>
<p>Thanks for answering all my questions :-)</p>
<p>Oh no problem
It gives me something to do with all this free time I have now…
Feel free to ask any more. I need something to do haha</p>
<p>I know the gym opens at 9:00 on sundays and during the week I’m pretty sure it opens at six</p>
<p>My son is applying for 9th Grade at Exeter. Can you tell me more about playing the violin at Exeter. He has been studying violin for 8 years. He is the concert master at his school. Plays in various trios at his music school. How talented are the violins will he be able to play in the symphony orch. as a prep. How many violinist are there in the symphony orch? Is it hard to get your practice time in? Can you also compare the music program at Exeter vs Andover, Choate and Hotchkiss. Thanks again!!!</p>
<p>There are so many ensembles and playing opportunities available to musicians at Exeter!
So far, I have played in a school assembly, a Haydn concert, and a holiday concert - playing symphonies and accompanying various singing groups. In addition, there are also in-house concerts that students can play in if they want to.
I have been playing for 10/11 years now, and was lucky enough to be placed into the Chamber Orchestra (the highest available). Members in the Chamber Orchestra are also required to play in the Symphony or Symphonia Orchestra.<br>
Currently, there are about 15 violinists in the Chamber Orchestra (there are more this term), and around 24 violinists in the Symphony Orchestra (9th grade - PG).
Anyone can play in an orchestra - there is no set number of people from each grade “allowed” to play in orchestra - it is just how many people are placed in an orchestra of a certain skill level.
At the beginning of the year (or a term, if you choose to join later in the year), you audition for the conductors of the orchestras, and they place you according to your skill level. I don’t know exactly how long or at what skill level each player is at, but the players in Chamber and Symphony are pretty advanced.
Sometimes it is hard to get practicing in, with classes ending at 6, and check-in at 8 (add in all the extra rehearsals and different club meetings too). However, I find that weekends and Wednesday afternoons are a good time to practice. I find myself frequenting the music building with friends.
I can’t really compare the Exeter music department to that of other schools - I’ve never heard them play, and have no experience with them, but I’m sure they’re good.</p>
<p>How are you adjusting to leaving away from home? Is it harder than you expected? What are some of the good parts? Some of the hard parts?</p>
<p>Honestly, it wasn’t that hard adjusting from home. When you get there, it’s kind of like getting a new family - your dorm, your friends, your teachers. Besides, my parents call me like ten times a day, so I talk to them a lot.</p>
<p>I love the atmosphere at Exeter, I love the people, and I love my classes. Exeter is really accommodating - I know for me, I thought I was placed in the wrong math class at the beginning of the year, so they let me do work throughout fall term and after taking two placements tests, they let be skip to a math class I’m happy with.</p>
<p>At times, it gets stressful. Handling five academic subjects, extracurriculars, and friends in general can be overwhelming at time, but there are definitely many ways to relieve stress at Exeter - going out to dinner with friends, dances, etc.</p>
<p>It actually wasn’t harder than I expected, the teachers are really great at explaining things, and if you need help there are always people in your dorm or friends you can call and ask for help (I know one of my friends calls me for bio help - sometimes pretty late at night, but I don’t mind )</p>
<p>Are there any people who try out for orchestras, but don’t make it, because I don’t think I have been playing my string instrument for as long as most people? Also what was the audition like?</p>
<p>When do preps have junior studies?</p>
<p>Everyone I know who tried out for an orchestra made it, I’m not sure if they cut people or not. However, most people who try out for an orchestra usually have some experience (I have friends in Symphonia with around two years of experience). </p>
<p>For my audition, I basically just played some of my repertoire - really, it wasn’t that formal.</p>
<p>All preps take Junior Studies fall term of 9th grade (instead of English). Winter term and after, all preps take English.</p>
<p>Do people ever get A’s?
Have they ever curved the grades in any of your classes?</p>
<p>Thanks for answering all my questions!!!</p>
<p>You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but what your SSAT scores and are you on FA?</p>
<p>Yeah people do get A’s. They just don’t give A+'s. They haven’t curved the grades in any of my classes though.</p>
<p>what abt those special courses preps have to take? what do they do in them?
do preps regularly make sports(ex jv girls soccer)?</p>
<p>Does lights out at 11 mean that u have to actually have all your lights off including like a desk light, or can u just be really quiet and work if you still have some more work? If the answer is you’re allowed to work, totally disregard this next part.</p>
<p>Say you play an instrument and you’re playing a sport that season, and one day you have 1 free period and you don’t get back until 8:15 because of rehearsal. You end up getting 1 or 2 subjects of work done but u hav like a test the next day, a paper, due, and you other subject of homework. If you don’t end up getting it all done by 11 and your dorm is really strict about lights out what do you do?</p>
<p>Most dorms don’t really enforce lights out at all except for Merrill. They have serious lights out like they go around and check the windows to see if the lights are on.</p>
<p>wow that sucks</p>
<p>The OP is in Merrill. Maybe she can debunk or confirm that. And no, it doesn’t suck. I thought it would, but sometimes I wish someone would enforce lights out in my dorm. It at least ensures that you would get enough sleep, and getting up early to finish work is much more healthy than staying up late and not getting up until 5 minutes before your first class. Plus, the internet turns off at 11 (time for lights out) on weekdays anyways, so it’s not like you can do much anyways.</p>
<p>oh yea ur rite that actually doesnt seem too bad</p>
<p>In main st. dorm, lights out aren’t enforced… at all. All kinds of shenanigans are taking place every night at like two in the morning… it’s not loud enough to keep anyone who wants to sleep awake though. Its kindof fun having a dorm night life. I’ve got so many early morning/late night memories of just having a fun time with my friends in the dorm.</p>
<p>urbanflop - Yes, people do get As. One of my friends has an 11.0 taking pretty high classes, another has a 10.6 taking most of the highest classes (Exeter’s grading system is out of 11)</p>
<p>Grades haven’t been curved in any of my classes, but your Harkness participation is a factor in your final grade at the end of a term.</p>
<p>SSATs:
95% Reading
98% Verbal
99% Math
Overall - 99%
not on FA</p>
<p>(Oh, and I read on another post you were asking about precalculus. My parents had to same question. Before Exeter, I had taken Algebra I and II - both accelerated, and Geometry over the summer and I was placed into a class that was Algebra I and the beginning of Geometry. Luckily, I was given the chance to do extra work and skip Geometry, and now I’m in a 300-level Algebra II class - thingslost is in my class :). But I agree, you might have to take a math course again. Exeter’s math curriculum goes very into depth with things - I learned a lot more in the Exeter geometry book than I did at my old school, and I went to one of the top-ranked private schools in the country.)</p>
<p>Rad-in-Plaid96 - All preps have to take health twice a week, and Junior Studies instead of English for fall term. A lot of preps play JV sports, some play varsity too.</p>
<p>DEtrombone - My dorm enforces lights out very strictly (you get put on restrictions if you have a desk light on at 11:05), but most dorms don’t. In my dorm, you can ask for late lights - which is only until 11:30 anyways. I have the problem of getting five classes of work done on orchestra nights twice a week - some people turn on their lights after their room gets checked, I sometimes wake up early to finish my homework, or do it during lunch or my free times if I have to)</p>