Klein Collins High School orchestra director Carlos Lara has a successful mariachi program on his campus that was recently created, at first as an after-school club, and now, as a class. In the two years since its inception, the program has seen significant growth and success evidenced by two consecutive qualifications to the UIL State Mariachi festival. In his youth, Mr. Lara played with a professional mariachi band while growing up in Corpus Christi, TX but stepped away from the art form for over 20 years. With the help of his colleague Tanner Ledford, Mr. Lara has rekindled the excitement of this genre of music with his students. We asked him some questions about how he got this started.
1. What are the benefits of starting a mariachi program on your campus?
Personally, I’ve seen a lot of benefits from our mariachi program. Every student involved has significantly improved their rhythmic awareness, tuning, technical precision, ensemble stability, and musical phrasing. This is evidenced by several mariachi students earning higher placements or promotions in their respective band or orchestra class. However, most striking to me was the social/emotional breakthroughs I’ve witnessed since hybrid learning ceased. Teachers across the board have expressed a noticeable difference in mariachi student’s engagement, excitement, and emotional wellness in their class.
2. How do you approach administration about starting mariachi?
It seems that in the last year, I’ve been called by teachers who’ve been approached by their own administration about starting a mariachi program. Very recently, there has been a surge in school districts wanting exposure of this art form to students. However, I would say to any individual wanting to start their own mariachi program, to utilize the expressed and focused interest of a student demographic wanting and willing to come together to make it a possibility. In my opinion, if a large enough group of students want the program, and their energy can be unified with the aid of a music teacher, the administration will be more likely to accept, support, and cultivate an appropriate environment for a mariachi program.
3. What curriculum or books do you use?
I think an excellent resource to start with is Jeff Nevin’s Mariachi Mastery instructional methods published by Neil A Kjos. This is a sequenced method based on mastery of mariachi styles and rhythms with a pedagogical approach. Orchestra, band, and choir teachers who are not familiar with the traditional instruments of the mariachi such as viheula, guitar, and guitarron can find an approach for themselves as well as their students. Over time, building a network with fellow mariachi educators, joining organizations like TAME, and seeking out local resources at the university or professional level is key to building a music library of repertoire and instructional material. Ultimately, sending students to mariachi training camps or attending teacher workshops can give your mariachi program a significant boost.
4. What instruments would you need to have in a mariachi ensemble?
To start: classical nylon guitar, violin, trumpet, and the willingness to vocalize. The bass part, traditionally performed on a “guitarron” can be substituted with pizzicato string bass until one can be acquired. In time, the introduction of a “vihuela” which a guitar player with experience can transition to, will help to create the traditional sound of a mariachi. For more advanced mariachi programs, a Jalisco or Veracuzana style harp, and guitarra de golpe can accentuate and add more depth to the sound of the mariachi.
Dean & Cathy Fishburn
