Hilltop Music News

Welcome to Hilltop Primary School.  As always, I am excited to be back and to see all of you again. Welcome to the new kindergarten families. I look forward to meeting you. 

As we go through this year, if you have any questions about the music program and the curriculum, please feel free to contact me by phone or email.  I am always willing to set up a time to meet as well. The music curriculum is posted on the Hilltop music web page so you can see the outcomes that we expect by the end of each year.

Students at Hilltop Primary School experience music through active learning by speaking, singing, moving and playing.  At Westonka the primary music class is influenced by the Orff-Schulwerk and Kodaly philosophies. 

Each year the previously learned material is reviewed before moving forward to the new concepts. These concepts include: Duration, Pitch, Design/Form, Expressive Qualities and Tone Color (See my Curriculum Outcomes below). 

Third and Fourth Grade students also learn to play a soprano recorder to help in understanding music concepts and the instrument offers a new avenue for music making. 

During a typical school year, each grade (1-4) is involved in a music performance for family and friends. Every three years, students in grades 2-4, have the opportunity to take part in an Operetta.  There is also a field trip opportunity for second and fourth graders to go to the Ordway or Orchestra Hall for a Young People's Concert, although it appears that we may be taking these trips digitally.