Mission Statement:
To bridge the gaps in the cognitive and emotional development of economically disadvantaged youth by providing unique music training in Zimbabwean marimbas while using group performance as an inspirational catalyst for success.
Mojo-Rimba.
Consists of 15-20 students, 9-18 years of age, from the San Antonio area. They attend free classes 2-4 hours per week, which teach performance skills in Zimbabwean marimba and traditional drum set. These students perform for various events in a variety of venues throughout the year.
Mojo-Rimba performs powerful, traditional Hispanic and Zimbabwean-influenced songs as well as joyous cover tunes.
Our intention is.
To obtain a building for the purpose of providing a marimba school to support program objectives. The director, public school teacher Bonnie Anderson, plans to work full time at the marimba school once she retires. Anderson’s credentials and previous achievements regarding the program demonstrate she is able to continue making the marimba program beneficial to all stakeholders. The organization strives to keep the families invested in the advancement of the students and the program by requiring them to assist as they are able with loading/unloading instruments, transporting the trailer, picking up meals for students etc. The entire organization operates as one big family which consists of the director, the students, and their families. The strength of the program resides in the fact that every member of the organization has a personal stake in its success.
Our Music.
Our handcrafted instruments are styled after marimbas from Zimbabwe. They have resonator tubes with buzzers which amplify the sound. The bars are mostly made from padouk wood. The tuning of a marimba bar of any type requires more complex tuning than xylophone bars in order to be able to hear the overtones. There are five sizes and voicings (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass). We add drum set to the music, which is typical of Zimbabwean marimba bands.
