Mariachi Music Education in the Southwest

Using Cultural Pride to Increase Grades and Attendance

Feb 9, 2009

Mariachi music is giving first generation Latinos in the southwestern United States pride in their cultural heritage and keeps kids in school, too.

As part of a growing movement to address severe drop out rates in southern California, mariachi music programs are really taking off. Kids who attend the Middleton Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, for example, have the option of donning the traditional embroidered jackets with silver buttons and learning how to play one of the instruments found in a mariachi band: violin, trumpet, Mexican guitar, acoustic bass (guitarrón) or five-string guitar (vihuela).

Playing in a mariachi band is not just for anybody. The kids must meet certain grade requirements and attendance in order to earn the privilege of participating in the program. After graduation, middle schoolers and high schoolers who keep up their grades and attendance can come back to Middleton Street to participate in the mariachi after-school program.

The requirements seem to be paying off: according to the principal Javier Miranda, the kids are improving their grades, with most scoring proficient or advanced on state exams. The parents and kids also have positive feedback: the children are developing a bond with the community, finding a connection between their lives and the lives of their parents and grandparents.

Mariachi USA Foundation: Giving Grants to Fund Mariachi Music Education

And Middleton Street Elementary School is only one of several schools adopting mariachi music education. Mariachi USA Foundation, funding mariachi music programs since 1990, lists six other schools participating in the fun.

The foundation has already given out over $200,000 in grants to mariachi music programs and extended its reach from the Los Angeles City and County regions to include programs in Texas and Arizona as well. Referring to another cultural practice, donors are invited to become padrinos and madrinas (godparents) to the children benefiting from the increased academic skills and heightened cultural pride that mariachi music education brings.

Mariachi Music: Origins in Jalisco, Symbol of National Pride

Mariachi music originated sometime during the 19th century in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Though the meaning and origin of the term "mariachi" are unclear, the music has become a symbol of Mexican nationality and independence, associated with the overthrow of Spanish dominion.

However, after the revolution, the rich haciendas could no longer afford to keep their mariachi bands. The mariachi musicians turned toward a wandering lifestyle, traveling from town to town and becoming a valued source of news at a time when other communications were more limited.

When the radio and television enabled mariachi music to reach thousands in their homes, the music became even more popular. Adopting a cue from another popular genre of the time--jazz--the trumpet became more prominent in the ensemble, overshadowing the once dominant violin.

Sources

Hillard, Gloria. "Mariachi Gives Students Hope For Future." February 1, 2009. NPR Music.

The copyright of the article Mariachi Music Education in the Southwest in Classical Music is owned by Sarah Canice Funke. Permission to republish Mariachi Music Education in the Southwest in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.