Loma Portal Elementary School students listen to an eclectic mix of classical musicians. That’s because music teacher Alicia McMillan exposes her students in grades kindergarten through third to classical music greats like Clara Schumann and Ludwig van Beethoven.
However, McMillan’s program could be in jeopardy. Public funding for the school’s music program covers fourth grade and up, she said. And this leaves the Loma Portal Elementary Parent Teacher Association with a void ” that is, the responsibility of funding the popular program for students in the lower grades, she said.
“I think it’s important for our culture to expose them to the arts,” McMillan said. “There are many students who don’t get to express themselves anywhere else.”
To keep the program breathing, Loma Portal Elementary will host its second annual Home and Garden Tour on Saturday, May 19.
This is the primary fund-raiser for keeping the program going, according to event organizers.
A $20 donation will give guests a chance to absorb the rich, historical fabric and architecture of 10 homes in Point Loma while benefiting the musical programs for Loma Portal’s lower grades, according to Candace Szalay, a kindergarten teacher and the event’s coordinator.
The home of Mark and DeAnn Reynolds, at 2750 Rosecrans St., will be featured for the first time on the Loma Portal Elementary School circuit. The Spanish/Italian Renaissance-style house was one of the first houses built on Loma Portal in 1914, said DeAnn Reynolds. The two-story house has undergone renovation over the years, including the conversion of the home’s carriage house into a garage, she said.
“It was our pleasure to open up our home and let the community see from the inside,” Reynolds said.
Proceeds from the tour will help offset the estimated $12,000 needed annually to keep the program running. The funds will cover McMillan’s salary as a professional expert hired by the school as well as help provide supplemental music materials such as charts, recorders and other teaching aids used by McMillan to introduce her students to the world of music, she said.
McMillan’s program exposes the children to music at a young age to lay the foundation for future music programs, she said.
In meeting national standards for music education, McMillan also uses play and dancing which allows them to creatively express themselves and acquaint them with public performance, she said.
As part of her program, McMillan also features a classical musician of the month, providing students an opportunity to more closely study the lives and listen to the music of classical musicians, she said.
McMillan began teaching the program as a volunteer in 2003, she said. The school hired her the following year as a professional expert, she said. The program is fully supported by the Loma Portal PTA, she said.
For information, call (619) 223-1683, or visit www.lomaportalelementary.com.