Gustavo Lozano, founder of Borderbeatz music collective, hosts a drum circle at the school’s new Morley Avenue location. Photo by Angela Gervasi for the Nogales International.
The energetic pattering of hand drums surrounded Gustavo Lozano on a recent Thursday morning as more than 20 young musicians tried out their percussive skills.
As parents snapped photos of their children, the drum circle concluded, and Lozano quizzed the students on their favorite parts of the exercise.
Drum circles, Lozano says, hold a host of benefits: Participants not only pick up on new rhythms and techniques, but also experience therapeutic effects. Demonstrating part of the activity, he slowly moved an ocean drum – a handheld instrument filled with small beads that mimic the soft sound of waves. As students meditatively close their eyes and listen to the ocean drum, Lozano said, he directs them to visualize a beach, later prompting them to describe their surroundings.
Mario Gaxiola, who studied under Gustavo Lozano at Borderbeatz, strums a chord on his guitar at Karam Park. Photo by Angela Gervasi for the Nogales International.
The activity will be one of several programs housed in the Borderbeatz studio, which recently expanded from its location along La Castellana Drive to a larger space located on North Morley Avenue in the Morley Arts District.
Lozano began teaching music out of his home in 2007, equipped with a single piano. Since then, the business has grown – he developed courses in local schools, even forming a hip-hop course for children at the now shuttered Santa Cruz County Juvenile Detention Center. Later, Lozano earned a degree from the Berklee College of Music. Through Borderbeatz, he’s expanded his coursework to include guitar, bass, drums, voice and music production.
For Mario Gaxiola, the Borderbeatz expansion was a step in the right direction. Gaxiola, now 19, studied under Lozano as a high school student, exploring music production and dabbling in vocal courses – skills that accompany Gaxiola as he pursues his principal musical instrument, the acoustic guitar.
Young musicians raise their hands to discuss their thoughts on a drumming exercise. Photo by Angela Gervasi for the Nogales International.
An Art Corridor
Expanding Borderbeatz to its current Morley location came with some challenges, Lozano said – like the higher costs that come with managing a larger space. Still, he described the new location as an advantage.
“I’m really happy that I have a place on Morley,” Lozano said. “Because it’s becoming our art corridor.”
Speaking at his studio last month, Lozano noted that he also hopes to utilize the new Borderbeatz location as a community space for groups ranging from teachers’ unions to environmental advocates.
“I want this place also to be used as a community resource, to meet,” Lozano said.
