Music

The HCS music department consists of 4 choirs: High school, Middle School, Elementary beginning in second grade, and our new Preschool-first grade chorus. In the secondary years, students elect to take chorus which meets twice a week during the school year. The elementary chorus is made up of the second through fifth-grade classes and rehearses every Thursday afternoon before dismissal. We have two major concerts: one at Christmas and one in the Spring. We also have a praise and worship team that includes some of our high school students that performs in weekly chapels. Additionally, we host an annual talent show as a fundraiser for all of our chorus students, as well as various performances for events such as Grandparent’s Day, Thanksgiving, and chapels. Our preschool chorus will perform a separate Christmas concert of their own. It is our goal that each program we produce reaches the community to teach them about our faith through music, as well as praise and worship in Christ.

All preschool-fifth grade students participate in music class on a weekly basis. During class, we learn a variety of things including world music cultures, different musical genres, reading and notating music, how to sing, how to play instruments etc. Furthermore, our third and fifth graders have an additional instrument class where we study and practice music literacy and build up to learning, playing, and performing with instruments. Instruments we have studied with these classes include bucket drumming, boomwhackers, and recorders. Our goal this year is to work up to the ukulele. Beginning in fourth grade, HCS students also have the opportunity to take private instrument lessons with Mrs. Bergin on all band instruments such as flute, saxophone, trombone etc.

HCS and Mrs. Bergin are new members of the National Association for Music Education as well as the Orange County Music Educators Association. These memberships allow our students to have the opportunity to audition for All-County band and chorus, as well as participate in NYSSMA competitions and solo festivals.

Piano Recitals

Each year there is a spring recital for all piano students under the direction of Nadene Long.