Schools bring mariachi music to students

Schools and community groups are using mariachi music to celebrate Hispanic heritage, connect students with culture and broaden music education. At Jones Middle School in Florence, Kentucky, a mariachi program replaced a jazz band that students had not connected with; enrollment has more than doubled, and students are preparing for a concert. The band gives students a chance to learn music familiar from family gatherings while exploring instruments and traditions, and some say encouragement from their teacher helped them persist. In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, visiting musicians worked with choir students, while a Champaign, Illinois, school hosted a community mariachi group for a Hispanic Heritage Month performance.