PREP

Introduced in 1995, the Central Illinois Prep Orchestra is designed for string players that have at least one year of playing on their instrument but have little or no experience playing in an ensemble. The students will work on note reading and rhythm patterns and develop confidence and listening ability. The level of music will be similar to that of an elementary honor orchestra.

PREP Orchestra Conductor Betsy Jones...

...has conducted the orchestra since its inception in 1995. She has taught in the Peoria Suzuki Program, Bradley University Preparatory Program, Sun Foundation and currently teaches at the Roosevelt Magnet School, Peoria, IL. She has been a member of the Peoria Symphony, Opera Illinois, the river City String Quartet, the Apollo String Quartet and the District 150 String Trio. Mrs. Jones attended Indiana University and the University of Illinois and received a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Music Education.

Conductors Notes

Prep Orchestra Conductor Betsy Jones' Message

It is already July and music fashions my lifepath...I went to San Jose/San Francisco for some time with two of my children, Ben and Lindsay, and enjoyed some of their musical events. In mid-July Mike goes to orientation at Cincinnati Conservatory and Kate moves into her apartment in Cleveland to ready herself for her masters program at CIM. There has been high water, as some of you know, so sailing is on the list whenever it is possible. We are renovating an older home on a bluff of the Illinois River, and so that project is very time-consuming. Then Kate leaves mid-August for her educational adventure and Mike leaves at the end of September. WE WILL BE EMPTY NESTERS, but I am sure that life will be at full tilt with our own music-making as well as going to all of our children's music performances.

That said, I want to wish you all a happy summer, and I hope that music enhances your life also....the time that we all spend in the music scene, whether it is in practice or whether it is during performance is very important. It helps shape who we are, it moves us to another place, it expands our knowledge of the world around us. I am so looking forward to another year with Prep Orchestra and I hope that you are too.
-Betsy Jones, Prep Orchestra

Tuition

The tuition for the 2009-2010 season for the PREP Orchestra is $150.00 per year. This is payable in two installments. The first installment is due in June at time of notificaion of acceptance and the second installment is due in September when rehearsals begin.