MARIACHI PROGRAMS HELPING MIGRANT STUDENTS SUCCEED, PARENTS CONNECT

By Editor Ken Harvey

A few years ago the only Mariachi music program in Washington was at Wenatchee High School (WHS). But this year there are at least seven school districts developing Mariachi programs, and in Wenatchee School District (WSD) there are now 11 different Mariachi classes taught from elementary school through high school.

“Mariachi is a big thing in Washington State – a way of reaching out to students in a different way. And we change lives,” says Ramon Rivera, a WSD Mariachi teacher and chairman of the WHS Music Department.

Rivera is also the founder of the Washington State Mariachi Teachers Association (WSMTA), which helps other schools get programs started.

Besides WSD, Pasco, Seattle, Toppenish, Walla Walla, Yakima and Sunnyside School Districts have started programs. In Walla Walla most of the students are Anglo, notes Rivera.

But the greatest value of Mariachi programs, he says, is to help Hispanic immigrant students connect with school in a new land and culture.

“How do you develop school pride with students who are there only half a year?” Rivera asks. “Migrant students have a hard time connecting with school. As a teacher, you should teach to your demographics.

“The most important thing is keeping kids in school,” says Rivera. “It’s also a great way of increasing parent participation.”

Hard-working Hispanic parents who frequently are not very involved in school activities love to attend functions where Mariachi music is played – especially if their children are in the band, and they are very willing to cook or do other things for Mariachi fund-raisers, he says.

In Wenatchee, out of 1,300 migrant students in the district, 150 – or over 10 percent of them – participate in the Mariachi program. They make up 60 percent of the 250 Mariachi band members.

There has been an “explosion” of Mariachi music in the Southwest, but the WSD program in the Northwest is the fastest-growing program in the nation, Rivera says.

Yet the program does not seem to be hurting other music programs. To the contrary, while Rivera teaches three Mariachi classes at WHS, there are three other music classrooms tied up with the instruction of orchestra, band and choir.

Rivera presented a workshop on developing Mariachi programs as part of the recent annual conference of the Office of Migrant Student Data and Recruitment (MSDR).

There are many important reasons for districts to create Mariachi programs, says Rivera.

·                They help the district develop sensitivity, understanding and respect for the Hispanic culture.

·                They keep some Hispanic students in school who otherwise would drop out.

·                They lead to increased parent participation.

·                They encourage students to achieve at a higher academic level in all subjects, not just music.

·                They encourage development of multiple intelligences.

·                They help students develop a new lifelong skill.

·                They celebrate culture and heritage.

·                They provide community visibility and social citizenry through public performances.

·                They provide leadership opportunities that help Hispanic students increase self-esteem and self-confidence.

·                They provide positive role models for younger and non-participating students.

·                And they strengthen performing arts programs overall.

“Any student who does music does better in school and stays in school,” says Rivera. He urges migrant education staff to work proactively to encourage the development of Mariachi bands because they benefit the migrant program so much.

“I work hand in hand with the migrant program,” he says.

To launch a program, a district needs to:

·                Have a love for music and culture.

·                Purchase Mariachi instruments for the students to use.

·                Find or develop a Mariachi teacher. Sunnyside’s Mariachi teacher is a non-Hispanic teacher of oriental descent whose primary instrument is the clarinet – not used in Mariachi music. She is still very successful teaching the other instruments, and Rivera suggests finding volunteers in the Hispanic community to assist.

“If you get the instruments and a teacher, the students will come,” says Rivera.

To get started, some schools begin with after-school or “club” programs. It also helps to network with programs at other schools and with WSMTA, the state Mariachi association.

Rivera says his and other Mariachi bands are willing to travel to other communities to perform and to help share their enthusiasm with other schools. A visit by the Wenatchee band to Sunnyside four years ago was what sparked interest in developing a band there.

For assistance in launching a new Mariachi program, schools can contact Rivera at 509-663-5117 ext. 735 or 509-660-1742, or they can visit the state Mariachi association’s web site at www.northwestmariachi.org.