Meet the Director

Mr. Rob Slater was named Band Director at Conrady Junior High School in August 2020.  Prior to Conrady, Mr. Slater taught for 15 years in the Chicago Archdiocese school system directing 4th-8th grade bands at several north suburban Catholic schools.  In addition to directing bands, he also served as Choir Director & music sound design/engineer at St. Theresa School in Palatine, and was invited to conduct the Music Education Services Chicago honor band festival four times. 

Mr. Slater started playing trumpet in 5th grade, attended Cary Grove High School, and received his Bachelors in Music Education from Western Illinois University in 2005.  While at WIU, he was a member of nearly every music ensemble: he played lead trumpet with the award winning Jazz Studio Orchestra, was a soloist with the Marching Leathernecks, and was a contracted musician for several organizations including the WIU and Millikin University theater programs, Decatur Park Singers, Jacksonville Symphony, & the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra.

Outside the classroom, Mr. Slater is a freelance musician, and maintains a performance schedule in all genres of music and settings.  He has worked with many world-renowned recording artists such as Manhattan Transfer, Jon Faddis, Bobby Shew, The Gin Blossoms, David Cassidy, The Ides of March, and Three Dog Night.

Mr. Slater enjoys everything baseball (CUBS FAN as well as a fan of the MLB Umpires), is an armchair pilot, and a weather fanatic.  His favorite musicians are too many to list....if he had to choose two, they would be Maynard Ferguson and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Slater's educational philosophy is to create life-long learners and appreciators of music through performance and interdisciplinary activities while developing a solid foundation of musical knowledge, aptitude, and appreciation.