Among the tacos and Mariachis, tiny youth orchestra blossoms in Boyle Heights

By Mary Plummer, KPCC

Mayte Castro’s bedroom door is decorated with stickers that read,”In a world where you can be anything, be yourself.” Three sets of butterfly wings made out of fabric hang on the wall above her bed. And on her bookshelf sits her most treasured object: a music box shaped like a tiny violin.

“It’s like a little lullaby, but it’s orchestra version,” said Castro, 10, as she sat on a neatly made bed in her Boyle Heights home.

Castro, the second youngest of six siblings, is a violinist in the Boyle Heights Community Youth Orchestra. She spends two hours at home everyday, practicing. Her mom bought her the music box on a recent trip to pick up new violin strings with her music instructor.

Using a patchwork of grants and donations, the one-year-old orchestra charged students only $30 for the entire summer, giving students 15 hours of weekly instruction and a year-end recital. Students could take home loaner instruments to practice.

Click HERE to read the full story.

[Photo by Grant Slater/KPCC]

Subscribe today!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Must Read