Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Instructor Andrew Kesten and the Tucumcari Elementary School's Nyoka Marimba Band perform during the New Mexico Music Educators All-State Music Festival and In-Service Conference in Albuquerque.
Tucumcari Elementary School's Nyoka Marimba Band recently performed at the New Mexico Music Educators All-State Music Festival and In-Service Conference in Albuquerque.
The band's instructor, Andrew Kesten, said the Tucumcari group represented the state as a general music honor ensemble after being selected by three out-of-state judges in June.
"The concert was attended by hundreds of music educators and high school all-state musicians," Kesten stated in an email. "The performance was well-received, with thunderous applause and a standing ovation."
The marimba is a percussion instrument, much like a xylophone, that originated from Africa. "Nyoka" in the band's name is Zimbabwean for "snake," a nod to the school's Rattlers mascot.
The band comprised of fourth-graders Bryson Klinger, Kade Page Aughtman and Valeria Ortega; fifth-graders Aaliyah Braziel, Ariella Gonzales, Jocelyn Lopez, Rhiannon Rey-Montoya and Eva Rivera; and sixth-graders Ava Roybal and Kyla Samaniego.
The Nyoka Marimba Band's next public performance will be April 17 at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas.
