Special to 1808Delaware
Lucas Ray knew he wanted to join the orchestra as a sixth-grader at Minerva Park Middle School this year. He favored the sounds of the string instruments but didn’t settle on the viola until after taking a couple of orchestra classes.
“The viola just seemed like a special instrument,” Ray said.
Ray is among 316 sixth-graders who are taking orchestra this year — double the number from last school year. Music programs across the District’s middle schools have surged this year, especially in the sixth-grade.
While choir participation numbers slightly dipped, enrollment in band is up by about 40 students.
The sharpest increase this year has been in orchestra. At Blendon, the number of sixth-graders tripled from 20 students to 62 students. Enrollment doubled at Heritage with 61 students this year. At Genoa, 45 students are taking orchestra — an increase of 19 students. At Walnut Springs, the orchestra program has 58 students enrolled — up by 20 students this year.
Minerva Park opened last school year with 47 sixth-graders in orchestra. This year, 93 students are learning to play a string instrument.
“I’m really excited,” Minerva Park Orchestra Director Alex Chapman said. “It will be really good for our high school programs and help build them up.”
District leaders attribute the enrollment spike to the instrument fittings educators organized for fifth-graders at their school. Last year, volunteers from the Music & Arts store in Uptown visited elementaries to help students try out a variety of instruments they could play in a middle school band or orchestra class.
Previously, families brought their students to instrument fittings at evening-only events at the District’s middle schools.
The new approach focused on raising awareness about the District’s music programs, dispelling scheduling myths and removing hurdles for students interested in pursuing a music education. That includes ensuring all students have access to an instrument.
The District launched an instrument drive in May with the Westerville Symphony and Westerville Community Band. Since then, area residents and community members have donated more than $19,000 worth of instruments for Westerville City Schools students.
And donations are still coming in. On Thursday, Westerville Symphony Executive Director Axl Pons dropped off eight violins — the equivalent to a $2,400 donation — to Minerva Park’s orchestra program.
The violins belonged to Wayne Muzzioli, a violinist with the Westerville Symphony Orchestra who passed away last year. He wanted the violins to be used for schools.
“That means so much,” Chapman said. “As a Westerville grad on free and reduced lunch, I was the oldest of five siblings. I understand money is limited and that shouldn’t be the deciding factor if a student is able to join music.”
He played two instruments while at Westerville South High School, including a saxophone that belonged to the District.
“That was the instrument I used to audition to get into college,” he said. “That instrument made everything I’m doing today possible because I didn’t have a saxophone to use.”
As the orchestra director at Minerva Park, he hopes to build a pipeline that leads to a rich music experience for students through high school — and beyond.
Ray credits Chapman for helping him develop into a viola player.
“I feel awesome because I can’t wait to get better and better each day,” Ray said. “My goal this year is to be a good viola player while also keeping good grades up.”
Source: Westerville City Schools; Image by Ri Butov from Pixabay
