Why band is popular at Grayslake's Frederick School

Band has become so popular at Frederick Elementary School in Grayslake that this will be the first academic year when a majority of the student body is enrolled in the program, according to its directors.

While Eric Rivera and Aaron Mulder, who lead the fifth- and sixth-grade musicians, say they are happy with the program's popularity, they hope to receive some assistance.

District 46 school board members Wednesday night agreed to consider the directors' request for a part-time employee to better serve a projected 336 band students for the 2015-16 academic season. Mulder said Frederick School's band participation has been growing as student enrollment declines.

"We will be at over 50 percent of the entire school population enrolled in band," Mulder told District 46 officials during a presentation.

District 46 board President Steven Strack and other elected officials recognized the roles of Rivera and Mulder in creating the keen interest in the Frederick School band.

"The increased enrollment and the retention rate that they have is a testament to how well you've handled the program," Strack told the directors.

Mulder said he and Rivera each would have to handle 168 students if a part-timer doesn't join them this year. In making his case for help, Mulder said the student-to-band-instructor ratio is 100 to 1 at Woodland Middle School and 83 to 1 at Woodland Intermediate School, both in Gurnee.

Explaining the program's popularity, Rivera said Frederick's band curriculum is presented to students in a way similar to how they learn core subjects, unlike many other schools. He said Frederick pupils practice their instruments mostly in class when teachers are present to provide instruction.

"We have state goals and national standards that we adhere to," Rivera said.

Frederick School has been recruiting children for band before they enter fifth grade. Once in the program, the directors said, about 90 percent of the students remain with band in sixth grade, which is above the 85 percent retention rate listed by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Support from the community and District 46 administrators is vital as well, Rivera said. He said the band tries to connect to the Grayslake area in a several ways, such as an annual Christmas season performance at Salvation Army kettles outside the village's Jewel-Osco on Route 120.

"They value, obviously, a fine-arts education," Rivera said.