Viewfinder: Musical Number Benefits Ravinia’s Youngest Performers

Last Wednesday, students of William G. Hibbard Elementary School were treated to 35 donated musical instruments. Now all they need to do is master them.

partnered with Wintrust Financial Banks and radio stations WTMX, WILV and WDRV for an instrument drive for students of Ravinia's REACH Orchestra, a free student-training program at Hibbard Elementary.

The donated instruments included flutes, electric keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, a drum set and a digital recorder.

"For grammar school, those are great starters," said North Shore Community Bank-Sauganash President Dennis Hammer, whose bank was a drop-off during the monthlong instrument drive. "You got nice starter instruments there that will carry them a long way."

The REACH Orchestra is part of The People's Music School, which has been offering free lessons for 35 years. In 2008, the music school began an outreach program called YOURS Project (Youth Orchestras United Rita Simo) that thrusts Chicago grade school students into an immersion method of learning an instrument, a process called El Sistema. At Hibbard Elementary, the first school chosen, 96 percent of the student population comes from low-income families.

"Two years ago, none of them even knew what an oboe looked like," said Bob Fiedler, executive director of The People's Music School. "Now some of them have dreams of being professional musicians someday."

Students enrolled in the program practice everyday after school for two hours. Some practice for an hour in the morning as well and even come in on weekends.

"This is a big part of their life, and because they're getting so much instruction they're getting good really quickly," Fiedler said.

Conceived by Deborah Wanderley dos Santos, the program attempts to make learning an musical instrument a community effort rather than an individual one. Instead of private lessons, students learn in a group, with the goal of eventually performing as an orchestra.

"They're part of a gang from the very first day," Fiedler said. "They all grow up together."

YOURS began two years ago with 35 students and little funding. Ravinia stepped in and now financially supports the program, which has expanded to 150 students in three different levels of orchestra. Some have already performed at the Symphony Center and the Harris Theater.

"This is a special phenomenon," Fiedler said. "In most other circumstances, the kids are in music classes because the parents want them to be. But here, because it's such a social activity, the kids want to do this."