Free after-school program empowers Segundo Barrio youth through music

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — For more than 10 years, a unique after-school initiative has been opening doors for young musicians in Segundo Barrio. On Sunday, May 17, those aspiring artists took center stage at the historic Plaza Theatre to help close out the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestra’s 19th season.

The Tocando Community Music Project uses intensive music education as a vehicle to teach teamwork, build self-confidence, and drive academic success for local elementary and middle school students.

For many students, the program is their very first introduction to holding an instrument.

“The first day was really hard. I did not even know how to hold the instrument,” said Allyson Herrera, a violinist who joined Tocando about nine months ago with dreams of eventually playing in a major orchestra. “But now I know a couple of songs, so I’m good.”

Santiago Lares, who has been playing violin with the program for two years, has learned that making music is about connecting with the audience’s energy. “What I enjoy the most is feeling encouraged to play something that people are so passionate about,” Lares said.

Instructors say the daily orchestra rehearsals build vital resiliency. Day by day, these young musicians push each other to tackle difficult notes and prove they can perform better than they did the day before.

“Children, they’re just sponges, when they’re in third grade in elementary school,” said Irving Cuellar, Tocando’s rhythm and musicianship teacher. “This is a really good opportunity for them to learn an instrument and a chance that they might not have an opportunity to (otherwise).”

Tocando Program Director Natalie Conover added that the ensemble structure teaches collaborative resiliency.

“I really feel like this helps students learn resilience by teaching themselves and showing themselves every single day that every day that they show up and try, they can do something more difficult that they did the previous day,” Conover said. “This experience for our students, and especially in a musical ensemble, is so unique because we only win when we make it at the end as a group.”

The initiative is heavily modeled after Venezuela’s world-renowned “El Sistema” movement. Founded in 1975 by Dr. José Antonio Abreu, El Sistema was built on the vision of using a network of youth orchestras for profound social change.

Inspired by a 2008 “60 Minutes” broadcast about the movement, the Tocando program officially became a reality in September 2013, starting with just 30 students at Hart Elementary. Today, the program offers intensive learning on string instruments, choir, piano, rhythm, and music fundamentals. Students also receive a daily nutritious snack and frequent opportunities to perform across the city, from the El Paso Zoo to the El Paso Museum of Art.

Over the last decade, Tocando has systematically grown to maximize its community impact:

Feeder School Initiative: To build a lasting pipeline, Tocando consolidated its Downtown efforts to concentrate on schools in the Bowie High School feeder pattern, establishing classes at the Guillen Middle School annex for surrounding campuses.
Bucket Band: Introduced in 2018, this specialized class teaches second graders basic rhythms, note reading, and instrument care to prepare them for their entrance into the full orchestra by third grade.
Regional Growth: In January 2020, Tocando expanded outside the El Paso city limits, launching programming for elementary and intermediate students in Tornillo.
UTEP Career Days: To help break down barriers to higher education, students take annual field trips to the University of Texas at El Paso to tour performance halls, audit college orchestra rehearsals, and explore academic departments ranging from music to engineering.

Despite its expansive growth and intensive resources, the Tocando Community Music Project remains 100% free for all participating families. The initiative operates as a scholarship-based program funded entirely through community donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation support.

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