More than 70 young Tauranga musicians are preparing to make some noise when Wonderstruck, a high-energy marimba and bucket-drum spectacular, opens this year’s Tauranga Arts Festival at Baycourt Community & Arts Centre on October 22.

The family-friendly performance will bring together schoolchildren from across the region, playing marimbas, xylophones and glockenspiels alongside the energetic Hittmen Bucket Drummers, in a celebration of rhythm, teamwork and the joy of making music.

With event tickets sold out, the young performers have an eager audience waiting to hear what they have been working on since the beginning of the school year.

Toby Burmister, 11, drumming, and Amara Hoeft, 9, on marimba, rehearsing for Wonderstruck. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Musical director Jeremy Hantler said the children come from schools stretching from Whakamārama School to Ōtūmoetai Intermediate, including Matua School, while the bucket drummers represent a range of schools across the area.

“They’ve been working all year to prepare a dynamic set that celebrates percussion in the primary school,” he said.

Rehearsals began in February, with the performance drawing inspiration from the Orff New Zealand Aotearoa (ONZA) Marimba Festival, alongside Tauranga’s own Hittmen, led by Carl Homersham.

The concept has a successful history elsewhere, with a sister marimba festival in Auckland running for about 20 years and attracting more than 700 performers.

Hantler brought the project to Tauranga six years ago. “Now with the Tauranga Arts Festival coming on board with their idea to collaborate with the buckets, I am excited to see local children take centre stage this year at one of the city’s major arts events,” Hantler said.

“While arts festivals often include shows for children, they rarely feature shows including children. To celebrate the diversity on offer at the festival, what an apt way to begin with a performance from some of Tauranga’s youngest musicians.”

Musical director Jeremy Hantler with Wonderstruck performers rehearsing at Matua School. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

The show will feature a mix of ensemble performances, with the marimbas taking the spotlight in the middle section before the bucket drummers bring danceable tunes to the stage. The groups will join forces for the opening and finale.

Audience participation is also part of the fun, with mixed seating and floor space set aside for a dance party, inviting children and the young at heart to get involved.

The sold-out 60-minute performance begins at 6pm on October 22, at X Space, Baycourt.

For Hantler, the show is about more than a spectacular opening night. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the musical talent growing in schools and encourage more children to discover the rewards of learning an instrument.

American R&B and soul singer Macy Gray’s festival show is also at Baycourt that evening.