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MUSIC
at WLE
Students receive instruction in music during the school day once a week. The younger grades will experience music with Mrs. Esposito, and our 4th and 5th graders will recieve instruction from Ms. Karine Szakos.
We currently have a variety of musical instruments, including rhythm and percussive instruments. Students are exposed to general music including learning basic music skills, choral elements and more. In third grade, students learn to play the recorder, and in 4th and 5th grade students begin learning the ukulele.
In addition to our general music classes, students can participate in Beginning Band, and Advanced Band, and Strings. These programs are typically offered during the school day for an extra charge through our partnership with Hillcrest Center of the Arts. WLE also offers additional after-school Chorus enrichment, which is also coordinated through Hillcrest Center of the Art.
Caroline Esposito
Music Specialist (TK-3rd)
Caroline has been directing Youth Choirs for the last 25 years! She has been the Children's Choir Director at St. Paschal Baylon Church for the last 19 years and heads the school's drama program where she directs musicals every Spring. She also spent 6 years as the Liturgical Choir Director at Chaminade College Preparatory High School. Caroline has Musically Directed multiple community theater productions in the area and was also the vocal instructor/Summer Children's Musical Theater vocal director at the ARTS Cultural Enrichment Center in Simi Valley for 8 years, where she taught vocal skills and performance & audition techniques. Prior to her career in musical theater and choral direction, Caroline was a professional recording artist as a member of the 3 girl group , "The Cover Girls" for 7 years. The group recorded 3 albums and 1 greatest hits album on Epic and Capitol records. During those years, she appeared on many national and international TV shows and gained her membership to SAG/AFTRA. She toured all over the United States as well as Japan, Holland & Germany. She immensely enjoys spending her days teaching music classes, the ukulele & recorder, vocal & musical theater instruction, private instruction, and working with children of all ages!
Karine Szakos
Music Specialist (4th & 5th)
Karine has an elementary education degree with a minor in music from Brigham Young University. She began her career as an elementary school classroom teacher in Arlington, Virginia. After becoming she a mother she started teaching music. For the past 6 years she has taught at Pleasant Valley School District in Camarillo for students TK-5 and is excited to teach at CVUSD schools. She plalys the piano, ukulele, flute (and recorder), and has been a professional singer for concerts and movie soundtracks. The music curriculum will include the basic elements of expression, rhythm, form, melody, timbre, texture and harmony. Students will learn to read music by playing instruments, singing, and movement. Ukulele will be part of Karine's teaching focus, and students will play drums, boomwhackers, bells, and doing lots movement (she especially loves hip hop!) and singing. Karine's goal is for the students to have so much fun that they won’t realize how much they are learning!
