Elementary school's marimba band expanding

Thanks to a craftsman musician from Virginia, the Tucumcari Elementary School Nyoka Marimba Band soon will have more members and a bigger sound.

Andrew Kesten, a music teacher at Tucumcari Elementary School, said in a recent interview the number of children in the marimba band will expand from nine to 11 by March. A marimba is an African-based instrument, much like a xylophone.

Brent Holl, a retired music teacher and marimba builder from Bridgewater, Virginia, will come to Tucumcari in March to build two new marimbas for the band.

Kesten said the primary reason for the additional instruments is to get more children participating, but it will produce a side benefit.

"It'll be a more rich sound," he said.

Upcoming performances for the Tucumcari Elementary Nyoka Marimba Band include 5:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at The Gallery Etc. at 201 S. Second St. in Tucumcari and 9 a.m. March 22 with Holl at the historic Tucumcari Train Depot in downtown Tucumcari.

More performances will be scheduled later in the year, including its annual show during Tucumcari MainStreet's annual Fired Up festival Sept. 28 at the downtown railroad depot.

Kesten said in Zimbabwe, where the marimba originated, there is no language equivalent for the Tucumcari school district's Rattler nickname. So they settled on "Nyoka" in the band's name, which is Zimbabwean for "snake."