Members of a new club want to share their interest in stringed instruments and music with Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Leopoldo Esquibel Carrera, accounting junior and president of Jaguar Strings, said one of the main goals was to find like-minded musicians to spread music around campus.
The club meets from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. every Thursday in Room 366 of the Business Library Hall.
“I hope that what I do builds some sort of foundation and shows the university that, you know, people are interested in music,” Esquibel Carrera said.
Originally, Esquibel Carrera wanted a space to play his cello that was not his home, and he found there were other students in the same boat.
He said he learned of only two music groups on campus, and neither of them were student-led.
“Currently we just have the choir and mariachi,” Esquibel Carrera said. “But they’re not as active. It’s not really student led and that’s what I want to have. I want to have a student-led group that enjoys playing music and plays around campus.”
Only four instruments are allowed in the club: the violin, viola, cello and double bass, since these four instruments make up a string ensemble.
Students must provide their own instruments. Esquibel Carrera said that because the club is still new, buying instruments for students would be tough and expensive.
The club is for musicians who are serious about playing and who have experience with their instruments. The club will not teach students how to use classical instruments, but members will work together and be part of a string ensemble.
Faculty and staff are welcome to join the club as well.
Although Jaguar Strings is currently focused solely on practicing, there are plans to perform around campus and participate in campus events.
Jaguar Strings currently has five members, which includes the officers. It is composed of a partial string ensemble that includes three violin players, one cello player and one viola player.
Esquibel Carrera said students just need to show effort, have a good attitude and demonstrate knowledge of stringed instruments and music.
The club was approved as an interest group on Nov. 10. As such, there are no GPA requirements to join and the officers are still looking for an adviser.
Jaguar Strings is focused on classical music and is practicing a choir piece called “Ave Verum Corpus.” However, the club also plays popular music and plans to play songs from the film “La La Land.”
“I want to make sure that when we play music, we’re playing stuff people want to hear,” Esquibel Carerra said. “They’ll be intrigued by what we do.”
For more information, email Leopoldo Esquibel Carrera at lesqu05@jaguar.tamu.edu or follow the club’s Instagram @jaguarstrings and visit Jagsync, Jaguar Strings – JagSync 2.0 (campuslabs.com)
