Category: Letters from the Director

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2024-25 Langley High School Orchestra!   You will be part of one of the largest and most successful organizations in our school.

For those who do not know me yet, I have been directing the orchestra program at Langley High School since 2001.  Originally from what I call ‘The Great and Powerful Nation of Canada’, I came to the U.S to complete my doctoral degree at Indiana University before moving with my wife to Northern Virginia. In addition to my FCPS teaching, I am also an adjunct professor at Patrick Henry College and a core member of the Washington Bach Consort, the area’s premiere baroque orchestra and chorus.

You are invited to join me at Orchestra Orientation on Thursday August 15^th after the freshman class orientation (around 12-1pm) in the Orchestra Room (1104).   This is the best time for students who are new to the program to take measurements for Formalwear (dresses and tuxedos) which will be necessary for formal performances and assessments.  We will also coordinate orders for Spiritwear, including the required t-shirt & polo and other optional items of apparel to display our orchestra pride. We will present information about the orchestra (materials and expectations) and how parents can get involved  with Sponsorship and supporting students through the Langley Orchestra Society.

I would also like to invite all orchestra Saxons (including family members and even graduates) to the Orchestra Welcome Back Picnic on Sunday August 18th from 5-7 pm in the Langley Amphitheater (or Langley Hall if we have unfavorable weather).   This is where you will discover what our orchestra is truly about – friends, family, and food!  We will also hold the ceremonial “Flickin’ Chicken” contest to see which grade level emerges as the champion.

Our orchestra is known for our dramatic theme concerts and we are planning an especially appealing line up.   We will start with Spookfest, a chance to thrill our audience with spectacular Halloween tracks as well as an opportunity to  enhance the impact with creative costumes.   We will continue with “Call of the Sea”, a concert based on water and all things nautical.   Then we will  prepare for our annual Orchestra Assessment and our spring trip  (more information should be ready to share at Orientation).  Finally, we will conclude with “Music & Color” while we celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2025.

I would like to encourage everyone to bookmark our orchestra website:  www.langleyorchestra.org  which is an extremely valuable tool for information such as the Orchestra calendar, announcements for upcoming events, and honors ensemble information.  Orchestra families will also be able to sign up to receive Constant Contact emails with our Orchestra Newsletter which will provide helpful reminders and updates.   Students’ information will be hosted in Schoology but they will also find opportunities to connect through social media connections on our Instagram account which is updated and monitored by our capable Tri-M Music Honors Society officers.  Speaking of honors opportunities, heads up that SRO Auditions are really early (Oct 1st) be ready for online registration and to pay the $10 fee on MSB.

 I wish you all the best in your summer activities and look forward to seeing you in a few short weeks.

Dr. McCormick (a.k.a. Doc)

Dear Langley Orchestra Students and Parents,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Langley High School Orchestra for the 2023-24 school year! This is a very exciting time to be in our program as we continue the momentum from our landmark season & Carnegie Hall performance.

For those who do not know me yet, I have been directing the orchestra program at Langley High School since 2001. Originally from The Great and Powerful Nation of Canada, I came to the U.S to complete my doctoral degree at Indiana University before moving with my wife to Northern Virginia. In addition to my FCPS teaching, I am also an adjunct professor at Patrick Henry College and a core member of the Washington Bach Consort, the area’s premiere baroque orchestra and chorus.

I would like to invite you to our Orchestra Orientation on Thursday August 17th from 12-1 pm in the Orchestra Room (1104). This is the best time for students who are new to the orchestra to take measurements for Formalwear (dresses and tuxedos) which will be necessary for formal performances and assessments. We will also coordinate orders for Spiritwear, including the required t-shirt & polo and other optional items of apparel to display our orchestra pride. We will present information about our Orchestra program (materials and expectations) and also explain how parents can get involved with sponsorship and filling roles to support the students in the Langley Orchestra Society.

I would also like to invite all orchestra Saxons (including family members and even graduates) to the Orchestra Welcome Back Picnic on Sunday August 20st from 5-7 pm at McLean Central Park. This is where you will discover what our orchestra is truly about – friends, family, and food! We will also hold the ceremonial “Flickin’ Chicken” contest to see which grade level emerges as the champion.

Last year is going to be hard to top, especially our landmark concert in Carnegie Hall. But with the talent in our group and season of music I have planned, this year could be every bit as exciting. We will start with a concert exploring the Music of Asia that should provide a fabulous opportunity to celebrate the cultural heritage of many of our students. Then we head back in time for a Medieval theme before ending the season with the rich musical traditions of France.

We will also share a concert with our feeder MS as we prepare for our annual Orchestra Assessment. In addition, we are making plans for a spring trip in April (more information should be ready to share at Orientation). I would like to encourage everyone to bookmark our orchestra website www.langleyorchestra.org which is an extremely valuable tool for information such as the Orchestra calendar, announcements for upcoming events, general orchestra resources, and honors ensemble information. Orchestra families will also be able to sign up to receive emails with our Orchestra Newsletter which will provide helpful reminders and updates. Students’ information will be hosted in Schoology but they will also find opportunities to connect through social media connections on our Instagram account @langleyhsorchestra which is updated and monitored by our capable Tri-M Music Honors Society officers.

I wish you all the best in your summer activities and look forward to seeing you in a few short weeks.

Dr. McCormick (a.k.a. Doc)

Dear Langley Orchestra Students and Parents,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Langley High School Orchestra for the 2022-23 Season!   What a difference one year of in-person instruction has made to our class culture and season plans!

For those who do not know me yet, I have been directing the orchestra program at Langley High School since 2001.  Originally from the Great and Powerful nation of Canada, I came to the U.S to complete my doctoral degree at Indiana University before moving with my wife to Northern Virginia. In addition to my FCPS teaching, I am also an adjunct professor at Patrick Henry College and a core member of the Washington Bach Consort, the area’s premiere baroque orchestra and chorus.

I would like to invite you all to our Orchestra Orientation on Thursday August 18^th from 12-1 pm in the Orchestra Room (1104).   This is the best time for students who are new to the orchestra to take measurements for the dresses and tuxedos which will be necessary for formal performances.  We will also discuss orders for Spiritwear, including the required t-shirt & polo and other optional items of apparel to display our orchestra pride. We will present information about our Orchestra program (materials and expectations), our Spring Trip, and also explain how parents can get involved with sponsorship and filling roles in the Langley Orchestra Society.

I would also like to invite all orchestra Saxons (including family members and even graduates) to the Orchestra Welcome Back Picnic on Sunday August 21^st from 5-7 pm at McLean Central Park.   This is where you will discover what our orchestra is truly about – friends, family, and food!  We will also hold the ceremonial “Flickin’ Chicken” contest to see which class emerges as the champion.

Last year, I was immensely encouraged at how quickly our resilient students bounced back from the challenges of distance learning to rebuild our orchestra community and concert traditions.   Now I plan to build on that momentum with an even more challenging season that puts their talents on full display.    We will explore concert themes including Celtic Dreams, Winter is Coming, and Sounds of the Old West.   We will also share a concert with our feeder MS as we prepare for our annual Orchestra Assessment.

The culmination of our year will be a concert in Carnegie Hall, the most celebrated performance venue in the country.   This is the type of experience that will fortify any resume and create memories that can last a lifetime.   We are planning a trip interest meeting for Wednesday evening, August 31^st and we will need to move quickly to enroll our performers and meet our deadlines.  I hope that you are as inspired as I am to raise your level of commitment to be worthy to perform on this historic stage.  And even if you are not able to join us in New York, we will all benefit from training toward such an ambitious goal.

I would like to encourage everyone to bookmark this website, www.langleyorchestra.org,  which is an extremely valuable tool for information such as the Orchestra calendar, announcements for upcoming events, general orchestra resources, as well as a Shutterfly link to photos from the year’s activities.  Orchestra families will also be able to sign up to receive emails with our Orchestra Newsletter which will provide helpful reminders and updates.   Students’ information will be hosted in Schoology but they will also find opportunities to connect through social media connections on our Instagram account which is updated and monitored by our capable Tri-M Music Honors Society officers.

 I wish you all the best in your summer activities and look forward to seeing you in a few short weeks.

Dr. McCormick (a.k.a. Doc)