Arts Student of the Week: Joshua Ibarra-Trujillo

Before Joshua Ibarra-Trujillo became a musician, he was not a big music fan. "I just listened to it and didn't think much of it," Ibarra-Trujillo confessed.

But in December 2019 the romantic comedy film "Como Caido del Cielo" was released, and that film became his inspiration to perform music. Omar Chaparro stars in the movie as a Mexican singer named Pedro Infante, who is sent back to Earth to earn his place in heaven. The actor became Ibarra-Trujillo's favorite performer. From there, the Niwot High School junior developed an abiding enthusiasm for music.

"His radiating passion for music, plus a friendly and humorous personality, make him quite a positive force in our Los Zurdos Mariachi Ensemble," said Keynes Chen, NHS Orchestra Director and the Assistant Director of Band at NHS.

Chen nominated Ibarra-Trujillo for Arts Student of the Week and said, "Joshua is the type of musician that really puts his heart and soul into music making. He is always singing, playing his guitar, or listening to music during most of his free time in school."

Although it's not easy to describe the feeling that comes from performing, Ibarra-Trujillo has found an analogy that works well for him. "I would say it's like playing a sport. Maybe I'm never going to get paid or become famous, but I enjoy the moment while it lasts," he said.

In addition to playing with Los Zurdos Mariachi Ensemble, Ibarra-Trujillo likes Karaoke, but he has not played in any venues outside the NHS group. "He sets a very good example for others," Chen said, "by showing hard work and dedication matters besides natural talent. Whenever we really need him to step up to lead, he has never let us down. It is such a pleasure to have Joshua in our Mariachi team."

Mariachi is one of Ibarra-Trujillo's favorite classes at NHS. "It's sometimes pretty stressful when it's a hard song," he said, "but, it's been really good and I like the community."

Ensemble performances can also be stressful, he said, and while Ibarra-Trujillo could not recall a favorite performance, he says that the bad ones stand out. "I did have pretty bad ones that I did not feel too happy about, but I have to accept that I'm still learning how to sing. On guitar I feel pretty confident to learn new songs."

One memorable moment during a performance was the first time Ibarra-Trujillo sang in a concert. "I was singing 'Hermoso Cariño' and I remember that I was shaking. Only my hand, but I was scared. But it went pretty good. I looked at the recording afterwards, and it didn't look like I was shaking."

When a note is too high, Ibarra-Trujillo sometimes struggles to reach it. "But that's mostly the problem, and sometimes I run out of breath. But I just have to practice more and eventually I get it, or at least I hope so."

When he is not singing or playing his guitar, Ibarra-Trujillo likes playing games with his friends, including sports and video games. He also enjoys going out with friends, going to the movies, and bowling, but his favorite hobbies are eating and sleeping. He likes to have fun in class and sometimes makes jokes, but he does not plan them. "They just come out," he said.

In the future Ibarra-Trujillo would love to earn money making music, but he knows that is a gamble, so he plans to have a career as either an electrical or mechanical engineer.