Freedom Hill Elementary School

1945 Lord Fairfax Rd, Vienna, VA 22182
Main Office 703-506-7800 | Fax 703-506-7897
Attendance Line 703-506-7878 | Clinic 703-506-7810

Principal: Timothy Stanley
Assistant Principal: Jessica Lewis

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Music Team
Gretchen Lynch - General Music Teacher and Choral Director
Victoria Schubert - General Music Teacher

General Music Information
General Music is music education for all students grades K-6. Students in grades K-6 have music twice a week for 30 minutes each session. At Freedom Hill I provide well-rounded music instruction with an emphasis on singing. Students sing individually and in groups. Students learn how to sing in their head voices using proper breath support and technique. Students not only work on matching pitch and singing melodies accurately, but they also learn how to sing musically and expressively. In addition to singing in the classroom, students participate in reading and writing rhythmic and melodic patterns; playing instruments individually and within an ensemble; listening to and moving to a variety of musical styles and genres; and improvising and creating rhythms, melodies, and dances.

Chorus - General Information
Chorus is for all fifth and sixth graders at Freedom Hill. The chorus rehearses on Monday mornings during school hours. Chorus is a fun and different way to reinforce good singing technique, to sing quality repertoire, and to reinforce math, language arts, and social studies skills. Chorus is also an activity that depends on team work to be successful. Team work is a very important life lesson that all children need to learn, and chorus provides an opportunity to work on this skill. A chorus is only successful if its members work together. Each person's voice is crucial to the overall sound and performance of the choral ensemble.
The chorus will present one winter and one spring concert during the year. Being a member of the chorus is a commitment for both you and your child. Your child has a responsibility to come to chorus ready to sing and to be a team player. Your child has a responsibility to take home and share with you any pertinent information that I may hand out or discuss in rehearsal.

All children need to dress in proper concert attire for the choral concerts. Girls may wear black skirts or pants, and boys should wear black dress pants. All children need to wear a solid white top.
You are responsible for bringing your child to the two evening choral concerts, or arranging carpools with other families to get your child to the school. I am happy to help arrange carpools for your child as each concert approaches. Please contact me at 703-506-7800 if you are unable to take your child to and from the concert and you would like me to assist in setting up a carpool.

Recorder – General Information
The soprano recorder is a musical instrument introduced to students at the third grade level and used throughout the sixth grade level. Aside from his or her voice, the soprano recorder may be the first instrument that a child may own. This makes the recorder very special! The recorder, a member of the woodwind family, is an effective music-reading tool, as students learn to read the notes on the staff in order to play their recorder pieces. The recorder does assist in developing dexterity and motor skills. As students learn the fingering patterns of the pitches, and link the patterns together to create melodies, they are developing the fine motor skills in their hands and fingers. Finally, and most importantly, the recorder produces a lovely tone when played correctly and is capable of playing a variety of repertoire individually and within an ensemble.

Recorder – Purchase Information
All students in grades 3-6 must have a recorder in music class. These can be purchased directly from Freedom Hill at the cost of $4.25 per recorder. Checks can be made out to Freedom Hill Elementary. Please contact me at 703-506-7800 if you need assistance with the purchase of a recorder.