The Face Behind the Face Behind the Desk

Behind a small desk in the corner of Northwest Academy’s main office sits Kathy Finkle, administrative assistant. Usually seen with a cup of tea in her hand, Finkle works a quiet job of assisting people. She is the “handywoman” of Northwest Academy. But have you ever wondered what the “handywoman” does during her spare time, when she isn’t helping everyone else?

Finkle’s long blond curly hair falls to her shoulders and slightly bounces as she walks. Behind her oval shaped glasses lie her sparkling blue eyes, matching her frequent smile. She is commonly found wearing khakis. Her dedication to her work is enough to inspire anyone. People feel lucky to work with Finkle.

“Kathy is a superwoman,” Wendy Bell, front desk receptionist, said. “She is always very busy, yet finds time to help everyone. She is one of the easiest people I have ever worked with.”

Finkle was born on May 12th, 1978 in a small town just outside of San Jose, California called Campbell. The small suburb is scattered with strip malls. It was in Campbell that Finkle fostered a love of music. At the age of nine she took up orchestral violin. Finkle continued her work with the violin all the way through high school and into her junior year of college. After high school, Finkle moved up to Portland and started attending Lewis and Clark College in 1996. In college, she took two more years of violin, but a sudden change of heart in her junior year led her to a new instrument.

“The world music program looked so fun so I just had to give it a try, and I just decided African Marimba,” Finkle said. “The marimba is so fun, and unique, and I prefer playing it so much more than the violin sometimes.”

The marimba, essentially a set of wooden bars placed horizontally, is set up almost like a piano. The musician hits the wooden bars with mallets to make sound. The resonators attached to the bars amplify the sound waves. The marimba produces the nice upbeat music that is normally associated with the island lifestyle.

After four years of college, Finkle practiced the marimba on her own for a few months until she found the group White Rhino Marimba while searching online in 2000. Finkle has been with the group ever since. There are eight members in the group including Finkle’s husband Kevin.

Most of what the White Rhino Marimba plays is traditional Zimbabwean music, passed through multiple generations. Finkle is able to easily teach the music to newcomers of the group, making her an essential member.

“Kathy is a really big resource for all of us because we need to memorize all the parts and if someone doesn’t know parts of the songs then Kathy knows them because she has been playing music for so long,” Seth Baker, the group’s newest member, said. “Kathy’s style is very deliberate, precise and gentle when she plays. She is an expert.”

During a normal show, the group will have a set list that they have memorized. But at times, some members have the opportunity to improvise.

“Marimba is very unique because there is not sheet music for it, and songs are learned by ear or by teaching the song to another person,” Finkle said.

In 2009, the group went to a recording studio and produced a CD called “Crash of Rhinos.” The studio they went to is run by a marimba player, which made the recording process easier. They ran 1,000 copies of their CD and only have around 300 left. Currently, the group is thinking about making more copies of the CD.

Finkle hopes to continue playing marimba with the White Rhino Marimba group in the future.

“I really love it (marimba) and at this point I couldn’t imagine not playing it,” Finkle said.