The marimba is a curious instrument. To the uninitiated, it may look like a xylophone, except that its keyboard is made of wood and laid out like a piano. A resonator, made either of wood or metal, is placed under the instrument to amplify its unique sound. Any musician with a familiarity with keyboard instruments would have no difficulty playing it.
The instrument had its heyday in the ’60s and the ’70s when the country had virtuosos who concertized on the instrument regularly. It went into a decline during the next decade or two, when it went out of fashion. It only experienced a revival a few years ago when a new breed of virtuosos emerged to champion it.
For the past three years, the Temple Hill International School has been teaching its students the marimba as part of its music curriculum. Although the school also offers tuition on other musical instruments, such as the piano, violin and voice, its group of marimba players has gained popularity for the school.
Says Ruby P. Salvosa, Temple Hill music director, the shift from simple musical instruments to the marimba, or any other mallet instrument for that matter, is rewarding for many students because even at a beginner’s stage, they could already play simple tunes.
"Students develop an increased appreciation for the instrument because even if they are just beginners, they can start playing tunes. You can’t say the same thing for the violin or the piano. Beginner violin students can only expect to produce something cacophonic, while piano students are not yet technically proficient to play the instrument. They can play a simple tune but it takes some time before their hands gain the dexterity to play the instrument fully," Salvosa adds.
Salvosa was a mentor of child marimba prodigy Thristan "Tum Tum" Mendoza, a student of the Philippine Montessori Center. When Temple Hill was opened a few years later, she introduced a thorough musical education program at the school. Students were taught not just to read notes but also to learn an instrument. And the marimba has proven to be a popular choice for many of the kids.
"Maybe it’s because many of the students are influenced by their peers," the teacher explains. "If they see their friends having fun with the instrument, I suppose they also want to join in the experience."
Temple Hill has invested in four marimbas, mostly bought second-hand from senior marimbists who have retired from the concert stage. The cost of an instrument may also be a reason for a decline in the interest for the instrument. A brand-new marimba costs more than P1 million. Locally made marimbas, assembled using aged narra, cost around P100,000, while second-hand instruments go for around P300,000.
The problem with the locally-made instruments is that they easily go out of tune," Salvosa says. And to retune a marimba a tuner has to shave each key with a plane. If a key is shaved wrong, it will go out of tune and most of the keys will have to be redone.
Aside from the absence of active concert marimbists in the country, the lack of suitable material for the instrument also limits pieces that can be performed on it.
"There are materials for the marimba, but maybe none of these materials reach the Philippines," she adds. "It’s a good thing that the marimba is a versatile instrument. Compositions for the piano and flute can easily be transcribed for it, so that we do not run out of material during our performances."
Today, the students of Temple Hill International School perform in an evening of marimba music at Paco Park Presents…, at 6 p.m. Featured performers are Isabel Marie, Marian Mae, Joshua Elbert, Gabriel Antonio, Ethan and Angelo. Temple Hill music director Ruby P. Salvosa is assisting artist.
To prepare for this concert, Salvosa says the Temple Hill music department assessed the mastery of the instrument of each student and worked on his or her strengths.
"It was quite a democratic process. We asked each student what he was prepared to play and we respected his or her limits. Those who were proficient in the instrument, we challenged them to learn some pieces which would show their technical prowess. That’s why some students are performing solo and playing more pieces, while the others will just be appearing in duets and trio," she explains.
Many of the students did not learn music while studying the marimba. Some of them actually came to the instrument with knowledge of the piano or the violin.
Eight-year-old Gabsy, a Grade 2 Temple Hill student, also plays the piano and sings. A consistent silver awardee in both Kumon reading and math, he will be part of the delegation that will represent the Philippines in the 2004 VSA Festival in Washington DC.
Eight-year-old Mae Mae, a Grade 3 student, started studying music at the age of four. She was a member of the Orff and Angklung Ensemble at the Philippine Montessori Center and is now taking marimba lessons under Prof. Alba Samano, as well as piano lessons. She has performed with the Temple Hill International School Instrumental Ensemble Concerts and has played with the Metro Manila Community Orchestra under the baton of Prof. Chino Toledo.
Isabel F. is a Grade 4 student and was consistent Advance Student Roll awardee of Kumon reading until her graduation last December. She excels in piano, voice and marimba. She has also performed in a number of concerts since 1999, the last during the December Concert at the Park performance of the Temple Hill International School Instrumental Ensemble. She will also be part of the delegation that will represent the Philippines in the 2004 VSA Festival in Washington DC.
Ethan, a Grade 6 student, has been playing the violin since 2001. Blessed with a natural gift for music, he also plays the guitar and the recorder. He just started studying the marimba and is taking up music lessons. Aside from his musical interests, he is into sports and is a star-level scout of the Boy Scouts of America. He was a golf champion, plays baseball and basketball and swims. He has performed with the Temple Hill International School Instrumental Ensemble during its Christmas concert, as well as in chamber music performances at Casa San Miguel in Zambales and at the Manila Waldorf School. He will soon be training with the Temple Hill International School Instrumental Ensemble. He will also be part of the delegation that will represent the Philippines in the 2004 VSA Festival in Washington DC.
Angelo has been playing with an instrumental ensemble since his kinder year. At six, he started his violin lessons, and in June last year, he studied with Alba Samano on the marimba. He also plays golf and baseball. He will be training with the Temple Hill International School Instrumental Ensemble and will be joining the group at the VSA Arts Festival.
Josh started playing the marimba at the Philippine Montessori Center when he was five. Two years later, he stopped his studies when he moved to another school. Four years later, after receiving a scholarship from Temple Hill International School, he has since devoted his time studying the instrument again. Apart from a stint as soloist with the Metro Manila Community Orchestra last March 2003, he has performed in musicales and has performed with the Temple Hill International School Instrumental Ensemble. He is joining the group at the VSA Arts Festival.
While Salvosa is pragmatic to admit that the students may develop in other instruments in the future, she is just happy to develop in her students an appreciation of music.
"I want them to at least reach that stage where they have performed in a solo recital by the time they finish high school. At least, later in life, they would be proud of their achievements in music," she says.