From the secluded hallway of the art wing, you’ll find Mrs. Hilliard’s room, home to Bishop Manogue’s music, theater, and piano students. Mrs. Hilliard has always been the backbone of the music programs, but she doesn’t just teach music; she builds community, encourages growth, and offers students the same gift she discovered in her childhood: the beauty and comfort of the arts.
It all began with her mom, who was a piano teacher and had helped Mrs. Hilliard and her sister grow as pianists. Some of her earliest memories were of her family standing around the piano listening to her mom play and singing in the living room. This love of music grew as she began to take private lessons, where she discovered the many paths she could take and how big the world of music was. Though she was homeschooled from second grade through high school, she found her voice on stage in the high school musicals like Man of La Mancha and Camelot. Though piano held a special place in her heart, he began to realize the opportunities that came with the music path.
However, it wasn’t until high school that she chose to follow music as a career. Initially, she was planning on studying English Literature, but after the productions she had been a part of and her time at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts’ summer program, she discovered her voice. She eventually double majored in voice and piano. What started as a dream to sing opera in New York became a path to Choral conducting. This led her to become a teacher.
Teaching, unfortunately, came with its challenges. She described her experience at her first job as a music teacher in New Orleans: “The challenge, as I was teaching, was just getting the students excited and involved because their music program is very, very small.” She later moved to Reno when her husband got a job here, leading her to discover Bishop Manogue. Since then, her love for music has evolved into something deeper. “Maybe not so much for myself, but seeing what it gives to the students that comet through the classroom, or that do the musicals, or come in for glee club, and I never know as a teacher what exactly it might mean to all of them, but I do see the connection that it brings to one another.”
She has learned that resilience is key. “Music takes a special kind of person to continue on that path because it’s not easy. Sometimes it can feel lonely,” she explained. Even when she faced challenges like when she first started teaching and virtual school during COVID, she has never wanted to trade her path for another.
For students dreaming of a life in the arts, Mrs. Hilliard has one message. She says that “Passion and talent are major in that, but they’re not everything. And you still have to apply yourself, and it’s still going to be hard work. But it’s going to be hard work, that’s gonna be worth it. And you’ll have the opportunity once you’re finished to share your passion with others and inspire others to do the same.” And that’s exactly what she is doing, one music note at a time.
