From mariachi to rock, summer music camps hit the right note with young performers

Kids in San Antonio are off for summer vacation, but school’s still in session for some musically inclined students.

At School of Rock in Stone Oak, band posters line the walls of the practice rooms, and colorful instruments are displayed along the narrow hallways.

In Rock 101, an introductory course for young performers, kids learn bass, guitar, keyboard, drums and vocals. Students come together to perform as a band, with a concert at the end of the summer for friends and family. They also create band names, show shirts and posters for their concerts, which gives them the full experience of being in a band. 

“I came here because I saw a concert last year and I was like, ‘Wow, they’re really good,” said 10-year-old Athena Pate. She is learning vocals and bass in Rock 101. 

Along with her bandmates, Athena practiced “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac on an afternoon in late June. Two drummers drove the rhythm, while two vocalists sang and three other students carried the melody on guitar and keyboard. As the band played on, instructor Emilio Garza guided and encouraged them through their performance by singing along and pacing their tempo.   

“What stands out the most is just watching kids go from being shy and not sure of themselves to becoming confident,” said Michele Patton, the owner of School of Rock. “They become leaders and a part of something that they really enjoy.” 

Students also get the chance to make new friends and find a creative outlet to learn and be themselves. 

“We play a lot of games where we are able to not act just like classmates but as friends who we can talk to about different things,” said 10-year-old Rock 101 student Juliana Hawkins. 

Classical Music Institute

In the educationally focused summertime Classical Music Institute (CMI) 210 Festival at Edgewood High School, music students ages 8 to 18 learn by performing side-by-side with professional musicians of the regular CMI orchestra seated among them.

Nine-year-old Ana Victoria Lizarraga has played violin since age 4, but the second-year CMI student said she appreciates the chance to learn how to play in an orchestra. 

“Most of them are advanced more than me here, but since I can hear them [play] I learn how to play the music” by example, she said.

High schooler Aubriela Kolar was busily practicing her cello playing during Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major, honing her skills toward future music competitions and studying music in college.

Kolar takes music classes at Steele High School during the school year, but the CMI 210 Festival classes offer more detailed instruction on individual parts, and give students a chance to perform in a public concert that culminates the two-week sessions.

She said the CMI approach focuses on the story behind the music, what imagery and feeling the composer was trying to evoke through chords, rhythm and melody. 

“It helps push the kids’ imagination with music, rather than just playing notes,” Kolar said.

Instructor Luis Primera said connecting students to the storytelling side of classical music is intentional, partly to help them learn to communicate musically with audiences.

“They can relate to the music, so they can learn in a different way,” Primera said. 

He said another goal of the program, which takes place in June, is to imbue a sense of shared purpose. “When they’re playing in the orchestra, there not just one person. They are like a family,” he said. “If they listen to each other, you will get a good result.”

Kolar said she only wishes the two-week session were longer so she could spend more time with her fellow musicians. 

“I always look forward to coming here,” she said. “I wish it was an overnight camp. It’s a lot of fun to be here.”

Mariachi camp

Over in the Carlos Alvarez Theater at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, the Mariachi Extravaganza Summer Camp focuses on craft and expression.

Camp organizers started the program 12 years ago after noticing that many young mariachi performers lacked depth of expression, perhaps from not knowing the proper techniques or from not understanding the language of the songs well. 

The camp is a way for students from across the country to connect with others who share a passion for mariachi music and develop their talents. During the four-day camp, students attend group lectures and individual coaching sessions before performing in a final recital. 

“You need crafts, you need tools, you need to go to the vocal gym to make your voice stronger and healthier,” camp maestro Octavio Moreno said. “I think that’s why [the camp is] important.”

Moreno coached Fox Technical High School student Zoe Gomez on technique and expression during this year’s camp, which took place the last week of June.

Gomez, a San Antonio native, has performed mariachi music since middle school and joined the camp to improve her leadership skills before heading up Fox Tech’s mariachi group as a senior in the fall. 

“I’ve been around people who love music and know music, but I’ve never been around so many people that enjoy singing,” Gomez said.

Through the experience, Gomez has benefited from constructive criticism and the passion of the camp’s organizers and participants. 

“We don’t really sugarcoat here,” instructor Vanessa Alonzo said.  “I think what [the students] appreciate is the honesty from us.”

Since it was formed, the vocal camp has given students from all over the country the opportunity to benefit from the wealth of knowledge of professionals like Moreno, Alonzo — the grand champion vocalist of the Mariachi Extravaganza competition in 1999 — and 2015 grand champion vocalist Alexa Posas. 

The camp’s producer, Cynthia Muñoz, started the Mariachi Extravaganza nearly 30 years ago, before the summer camp came to be. The extravaganza is a multi-day San Antonio music festival showcasing mariachi music. Students get the chance to compete in the festival’s national competition and also see some of the best musicians in the world perform. Because of her experience with running the program, Muñoz has been able to see hundreds of students become better able to express themselves through their passion for music. 

Muñoz said a highlight of her time with the program has been “seeing people like Posas who have grown up through our whole programs and [are] now back teaching the students.”