Desert Sounds will host a benefit concert to help children access the musical arts on Friday March 22, 2013 at Rhodes Junior High School Auditorium, 1860 S Longmore, Mesa, at 7 PM.  The public is invited to enjoy an evening of music as student and professional musicians share the stage in a multicultural celebration.  Admission to the event is by donations.  Please contact the office with any questions at 480-304-4762 or by email at info@desertsounds.org.

March 2013

22

Call to schedule your Mariachi “Sones del Desierto” audition

480-304-4762

Teaching mariachi music to children is my passion and it is an honor to direct the young students of “Sones del Desierto,” a Desert Sounds musical group established to provide an authentic cultural and musical experience for students in the elementary years. This is my 20th year as a public school string orchestra teacher and my fourth year in the Mesa Public Schools. I am also a professional freelance violist in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area.

Ever since I was little, I knew that music was something I wanted to share with others. I joined orchestra in the 4th grade at an elementary school in Rockville, Maryland. I can still remember the excitement of playing my first violin duet in front of an audience and hearing the appluse from the audience. I continued playing in orchestra throughout elementary and junior high, eventually starting private lessons as well. It was not until I was a freshman in a Houston, Texas area high school that I switched to viola.

When my family moved to Mountain Lakes, NJ, I joined Lakeland Youth Symphony and took lessons with Harriet Ryan, who was a student of the legendary Ivan Galamian, My interest continued as I went on to study viola at Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music, in Winchester, Virginia. My teacher, Kenneth Sarch, was a big influence in my musical development. He encouraged me to attend Meadowmount, a summer music school established by Ivan Galamian.

While studying viola at the Meadowmount Summer Music Festival in Upstate New York, I met Dr. William Magers, viola professor at Arizona State University. Twenty-three years ago I transferred from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music to ASU School of Music to continue my musical studies. I finished my Bachelors and Masters degrees at ASU on viola performance and completed the Post-Bac program in string education.
Performing is still a very important part of my professional career. As a freelance violist, I perform with many of the local professional string quartets, including the Allegro Quartet, Sunland Strings, Bel Musica String Quartet, and The Urban String Quartet. In years past and present, I have performed with the Mesa and Scottsdale Symphonies, at large and small church holiday pageants, and the 2009 Arizona tour of Mannheim Steamroller.

As an educator, I have had the privilege of spending 20 years in the orchestra classroom teaching students about the world of stringed instruments. Before accepting my current orchestra director position in the Mesa Public Schools, I taught strings in the Glendale Elementary School District for 15 years, and the Madison Elementary School District for my first year. While teaching in Glendale, I was introduced to the culture of mariachi music. I attended workshops, and mariachi classes, met colleagues and collaborated to start a program in Glendale.

During the ten years that I directed “Mariachi Una Voz” in Glendale, we were able to perform for thousands of audience members, including the Glendale Library and City of Glendale Amphitheater, Mariachi Spectacular at US Airways Arena, the Maricopa Community College Hispanic Convocation, and the Arizona State Capitol.

Now that I am director of “Mariachi Sones del Desierto”, I am excited to think of the new opportunities that await and the successes that we will achieve. We look forward to many outstanding performing opportunities. As we entertain our audiences, we will demonstrate the power that mariachi music has on all who listen. It is wonderful to see such a bright future for these youngsters at Desert Sounds.