Band

The Band program at Stonehurst Hills is a thriving group compromised of musicians from 4th and 5th grades. Students involved in Band perform for our Winter and Spring Concerts as wells as activities throughout the school year. We learn the basics of music reading, how to play and care for instruments, and most importantly, how to cooperatively work together as a group in order to achieve our common goal of playing great music. Dedicated and hard working students are given the opportunity to participate in the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation's annual Gala, as well as the Beverly Hills Elementary Jazz Band, which performs at the Beverly Hills Jazz Festival as well as records a professional CD. Band membership is open to all interested 4th and 5th grade students.

Vocal/General Music

Students in the Stonehurst Hills Vocal/General Music program follow a standards-based curriculum that incorporates the elements of music within the categories of singing and playing instruments, improvising and composing music, reading, analyzing and listening to music and musical performances, and understanding the relationship between music, other subjects, the arts and history. Students are taught to sing, listen, and move to demonstrate their understanding of musical concepts. They play an array of classroom musical instruments with a concentration on recorder in the upper grades to promote music reading and performance. All grades play melodic and non-pitched percussion instruments throughout their elementary music experience. Students move in response to music through creative and structured dances. As a culminating experience in fifth grades, students complete a composition project, thus enhancing their music reading and writing skills and applying their knowledge of musical theory. 

Strings

The string program at Stonehurst begins in the third grade and continues through fifth grade. Students learn to play the string instrument of their choice and to read music in a small group setting. Students become members of the Stonehurst Hills string ensemble by the second semester of third grade. Performance opportunities for the orchestra include the Winter and Spring Concerts at school, and the annual district-wide Gala concert in January of each year. Most of our string students continue as outstanding members of the middle and high school orchestras.