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A Papillion La Vista teacher and South ��ֱ���� State University School of Performing Arts graduate has received the Omaha Manilow Music Project Teacher ��ֱ����. Hiltje Peitz received the award, along with a $10,000 prize, in July. 

Peitz graduated from SDSU in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. She is the band director at Liberty Middle School in Papillion, Nebraska, where she teaches seventh and eighth grade band, along with music enrichment classes. 

In March 2024, a representative from the Barry Manilow Charitable Foundation reached out to the Papillion La Vista School District, along with other districts in the area, to ask for nominations for a music teacher in the area to receive the Omaha Manilow Music Project Teacher ��ֱ����. 

In each city of singer and songwriter Manilow’s concert tour, one winner is selected as the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Manilow Music Project. The Manilow Music Project was formed in response to a friend in need of a saxophone for his daughter, which highlighted the nationwide suffering of music programs due to budget cuts. 

According to its website, “The Manilow Music Project supports music education in a variety of ways, having donated thousands of instruments including hundreds of brand-new Yamaha pianos to hundreds of schools nationwide. In addition to instrument grants, the Manilow Music Project also supports young musicians by offering merit- and need-based scholarships to universities all over the U.S.” 

The nomination process was first come, first serve, so Liberty Middle School Principal Troy Juracek submitted Peitz immediately for recognition. 

Following the nominations, the nominees were voted in a contest to see who would receive the award. 

“We told our students about (the voting contest), and they hung up campaign posters around the school with QR codes to the voting link,” Peitz said. “They got to vote every day … so, I probably had hundreds of votes each day just from students.” 

Peitz continued, “As I’ve been walking around after all of this, lots of families have also come up to me saying, ‘Our whole family voted for you every day.’” 

Voting continued through June, and the day after voting closed, Peitz received an email from the organization notifying her that she had won. 

As part of the award, Peitz received a private meet-and-greet with Manilow and was recognized on stage at his show at the CHI Health Center on July 30. 

Papillion was well-represented at the concert with Peitz’s award and with a combination choir that performed with Manilow that evening, an opportunity that came about due to a scheduling conflict. 

“The choir they had lined up backed out last minute, and because they were already talking to me and to our district, they contacted the high school band director at Papillion-La Vista South to see if they could combine a choir,” Peitz explained. 

Students from Papillion La Vista South and La Vista High School and from Bishop Heelan in Sioux City were selected to perform with Manilow. 

After the concert, the $10,000 prize was split between Peitz and the school district. The school district used the $5,000 to purchase new, quality instruments to students in need. “I ended up getting a lot of really great things for our school out of it, which was all worth it.” 

Peitz and the performing arts 

During her time at SDSU, Peitz was heavily involved in the School of Performing Arts. She was a drum major for The Pride of the ��ֱ����s, SDSU’s nationally recognized marching band. 

She was also involved in pep band, jazz band, symphonic band, wind ensemble and the saxophone quartet. 

At SDSU, she met her husband, Matt Peitz, who was a long snapper for the SDSU football team. “We walked around each other for four years. He was a football player, and I was in the band,” Peitz said. “We eventually met our last semester before student teaching.” 

The Peitz family has a history of Jackrabbits. Both of Peitz’s brothers went to SDSU, and three of her husband’s brothers also attended SDSU, two of them being on the Jackrabbits football team. 

Being part of The Pride was one of Peitz’s most memorable experiences. 

“They really just put on a party,” she said. “I loved being part of The Pride, especially my last year as I got to lead The Pride being a drum major.” 

Peitz continued, “Directing the national anthem with The Pride helped me direct so many more things around here now. We just had Veterans Day, and that helped me prepare my students for the national anthem at Veterans Day, and that all went back to SDSU.” 

In her time at Mickelson Middle School in Brookings, Peitz had two teachers who left a positive impact. 

One teacher, Mrs. Weber, helped Peitz decide she wanted to pursue middle school education. “She helped me fall in love with the goofy middle schoolers that I get to teach every day now, and to help me be a better teacher for them and to be prepared to teach middle school.” 

Another teacher also inspired how Peitz wants her own students to feel. “I had the best middle school band teacher, Deb Hartz, who was like a second mom to me,” Peitz explained. “I found my home in her room. She made everyone feel at home and like you were welcomed and part of a group.” 

“After that I was like, ‘I want to do that. I want to teach music, and I want to make music with students and make them feel like they have a home away from home and a safe place in the music room.’” 

Peitz also experienced strong support from the faculty in the School of Performing Arts. 

“They 100% knew me, knew who I was, knew my strengths and my weaknesses,” Peitz said. “They kicked our butts, they loved us, they pushed us, and they helped us prepare for anything that we’re out here doing now.” 

While some of the professors have moved on since Peitz was a student, she still feels like part of the School of Performing Arts family. 

“Even the new (professors),who have been there since I left, like Dr. Wallace and Dr. Kessler, are still so kind and supportive to me even though I didn’t have them as professors,” Peitz explained. “They’re such kind and supportive professors, even to the alumni that they didn’t specifically teach.” 

There have been a lot of big moments around the school lately, according to Peitz. 

Last year, Peitz’s eighth grade band was selected to play for the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association, the association of all band teachers in the state. 

Peitz has also seen an increased enrollment in music, something that was hard to imagine nine years ago. “When this building opened, we had 30 kids in eighth grade band, and now we have 110 in eighth grade band,” Peitz said. 

Whether she has 30 students or 110, Peitz works hard to create a positive learning environment. 

“That’s my goal every day, to create a safe, comfortable space where our students get to make music every day,” Peitz said. “That’s really what we strive to do is create a positive musical experience … so hopefully when they leave my room, they look back and go, ‘That was awesome, that was a wonderful musical experience.’” 

“Music is something that every student should be able to be a part of. … I think I have the best job ever, making music and enjoying music with kids every day,” Peitz concluded.