Sticks+Bars Youth Marimba Ensemble was founded in 2014 by award winning D.C. Public School music teacher and composer Premila Mistry. Sticks+Bars students range in age from 10–17, and learn to play the music of southern Africa and beyond. The ensemble has performed at the National Academies of Sciences for a global audience, the Washington National Cathedral for the Flower Mart, the Takoma Park Recreation Center for their concert series, and various festivals and events throughout the DMV, including the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in 2018 and 2019.