During fourth period at Ernest Righetti High School, a visitor can pass wings of students silently reading, listening to lectures, and working on group projects. Someone nearing room 502, however, will start to hear a steady bass line, followed by drums, then guitars, keyboard, horns, voice, maracas, and, of course, the marimba—the instrument that gave Righetti’s Marimba Band its name.
The band is an all-student ensemble that performs Mexican and Latino music. The group is currently gearing up for the 34th annual “Big Show” performance with the Ballet Folklorico, an all student dance troupe at the school.
The Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico were founded by teacher Ricardo Gabaldon in 1975 when he was director of the ESA bilingual and bicultural program at ERHS. He still directs both programs.
“I started here in 1974, and what I soon learned was, in order to have a strong educational program, we needed to build self esteem among the Hispanic kids,” he explained. “We started the Marimba Band to develop that sense of dignity, self worth, and pride in a positive and beautiful way.”
The music is certainly beautiful and varied. The group performs in several styles, including—but not limited to—mariachi, cumba, banda, salsa, Latin pop, and even some selections from rock’n’roll icon Carlos Santana. But whatever the genre, the kids bring energy and enthusiasm to the music.
Besides energy, the group is brimming with technical skill. The band includes 23 students and can have just about all of them on stage at once, featuring electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums, timbales, congas, clarinet, flute, trombone, trumpet, saxophone, marimba, keyboard, vocals, and maraca work by the band’s own rhythm and dance section, the “Maraca Girls.”
“It makes me proud to be able to do this at my high school,” said Cesar Ramirez, vice president of the Marimba Band and senior at Righetti. “I come to school looking forward to it every day. I get to play music that is fun to play, see my friends, and it’s really exciting to perform.”
While the “Big Show” is one of the Marimba Band’s main attractions, it’s not the only concert the group performs during the year. The “Celebration of Mexican Culture Show” features collaboration between the Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico with similar programs from Allan Hancock College, Pioneer Valley High School, and Santa Maria High School.
Elementary schools in the community also get to enjoy the sounds of the Marimba Band; this year included concerts at Shell Beach Elementary and St. Patrick’s School in Arroyo Grande. The band also performs at parties, fiestas, and other community events—not to mention the day they perform free for the students at Righetti. In a school year, the group may perform anywhere from 25 to 35 times.
“In a typical year, we are a very active performing group,” Gabaldon said. “The students here see it and want to participate.”
All it takes to join the band is a quick audition and the right attitude, no matter what the student’s musical or cultural background. The students support each other, Gabaldon explained, by working on vocal harmonies, teaching new guitar chords, or playing the marimba.
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“You get to celebrate your culture and who you are,” said Breanne De Anda, president of the Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico and a senior at Righetti. “I didn’t know how much fun I was getting myself into. It has become like my second family.”
The group has been rehearsing nonstop for the annual “Big Show,” which will highlight the skills and variety the Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico have to offer. The band will feature several varieties of Mexican and Latino music, including a focus on the modern banda style of Sinaloa, Mexico, which incorporates strong dance rhythms around the brass section.
The show will also feature collaborations between the band and ballet, including the piece “Lucero de la Manana,” which will highlight the marimba as well as the dancers.
The Marimba Band and Ballet Folklorico is a nonprofit organization, Gabaldon explained. The proceeds from their concerts go toward wardrobes that match the region being highlighted, equipment purchase and upkeep, and scholarships for senior band members continuing on to higher education.
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Talent in numbers
Santa Maria Has Talent 2011 will feature 51 different acts—all performing with an eye on a $1,000 Coast Hills Talent Award—April 7, 8, and 9 at 7 p.m. each night at the Veterans Memorial Building. Performers include local dancers, musicians, singers, songwriters, and composers. Admission costs $5 on Friday and Saturday nights, then $10 for adults and $5 for kids on Sunday night.
Enjoy the shock rock
Shock rock legends The Mentors perform in concert with openers Meth Leppard, The Panties, and Tabernacle on April 8 starting at 8:30 p.m. at O’Sullivan’s Pub. Listeners have to be 21 and older.
Reggae divine
Reggae dub rock fusion group The Divine Crime performs live on April 9 at 10 p.m. at Rooney’s Irish Pub in Orcutt. It’s open to people 21 and older, with a $5 cover.
The classical touch
The Lompoc Music Association presents the final concert of its 2010-2011 season: Dr. Egle Januleviciute, Lithuanian-born concert pianist, performing April 10 at 3 p.m. at the Valley of the Flowers United Church of Christ. Admission costs $15, or $6 for students. Januleviciute started her musical education in her home country and has since traversed the globe performing and studying her art. She earned her doctor of musical arts degree at U.C. Santa Barbara. Her concert will feature Mozart’s “Sonata in F Major,” Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” Bach’s “English Suite No. 2,” Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 1 in E Minor” and “Nocturne No. 1 in C Minor,” and Listz’s “Etude No. 6” from “Grandes Etudes de Paganini.”
Music that pops
The Lompoc Pops Orchestra presents its Spring Concert on April 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Lompoc’s First United Methodist Church. Admission costs $15, or $5 for students. Guest artists include vocalists Bob Nations and Sylvia Kozel and several Lompoc-area instrumentalists. Selections include “Sounds of Hollywood,” “Victory at Sea,” “American Salute,” “King Cotton March,” Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March,” “American Frontier,” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”
More at the Maverick
The Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez will be host to local country band Teddy Spanke and the Tex Pistols on April 8 at 8:30 p.m., followed by Late Night DJ. “Concert on the Deck” is April 9 with Teddy Spanke and The Boys at 3 p.m., Teddy Spanke and The Tex Pistols at 8:30 p.m., followed by Late Night DJ. Tales from the Tavern is an intimate concert series featuring Kenny White and Stephen Bishop in concert April 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at talesfromthetavern.com or 688-0383.
Contact Calendar Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 7-14, 2011.