On April 17, Sweetwater High hosted the 2024 Mariachi Spring District Concert. This event invited students, family and staff to attend and view performances from all over the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD). The spring concert offered a great opportunity for mariachi programs to showcase their talents in a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere.
Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) very own “Mariachi Barones” brought a striking performance to the stage filled with fun and playful songs. Singer, guitar player and junior Melody Vela expresses how the SUHSD event not only helps promote BVH’s mariachi program but also mariachi music as a whole and the significance of culture behind it.
“This event displayed how important the mariachi community is and demonstrated to the crowd how Mexican culture is still in the San Diego area. We love to showcase our culture and help support it by being a part of this community,” Vela said.
BVH’s Advanced Mariachi teacher, Guadelupe Gonzalez, also welcomed several students and members of Montgomery High’s (MOH) Mariachi Azteca to perform. Gonzalez teaches at both BVH and MOH and supports them, especially when they perform together at events.
“If Gonzalez does not feel strongly about certain students in one section at one school, he will bring up another section from his other school to help out. He is very open about his students performing together as it will help the overall set, so we help each other out,” junior Mia Andrade said.
Andrade is a second year mariachi player who plays the vihuela. She also helps coordinate the events and fundraisers for the mariachi band to play at. Moreover, Andrade expresses why the SUHSD showcase was an enjoyable experience to participate in.
“My favorite part was the actual performance itself. I had a lot of fun when we played ‘La del Mono Colorado’’ because it is a super interactive song and a fan favorite since everyone in the crowd knows it,” Andrade said.”
In preparation for this district performance,the Mariachi Barones had been preparing their set for several weeks. They have been practicing the songs since the beginning of the second semester but took four weeks to get the set on paper and finalize it to rehearse. Andrade shares how the showcase is an opportunity to learn and improve before the next performance.
“We can improve on coordinating with one another a little bit. In mariachi, there is a lot of dependence on each other for certain bars and verses. We need to work more collectively and rehearse separately,” Andrade said.
Mariachi has provided a number of opportunities for students, including the chance to expand students’ social skills with all the interactive crowds they meet. Trumpet player and senior Arturo Herrera explains how he enjoys hearing the crowd begin to clap or laugh as it reminds him of the value of sharing music with other people.
“In middle school I used to be very timid, I wouldn’t talk to alot of people until I joined mariachi which somewhat forced me to socialize. It gave me something to look forward to and a new way to make friends and since then I have become more of a social person,” Herrera said.
Mariachi Barones is one of several music programs at BVH that may go unnoticed. They hold various performances not only at school for assemblies and for Dia de los Muertos, but also at other local places, educational facilities or even specialized events at a senior citizen center for Mexican Mothers Day. These friendly showcases promoted by the district give mariachi programs at various schools an opportunity to show off their individual talents and support one another.
“Mariachi has had a huge impact on me due to the fact of how a lot of my family members are mariachis and I love celebrating my culture and supporting it every way I can,” Vela said. “ My favorite part is seeing how all of the mariachi groups come together and perform for each and every one of us.”
