From son jarocho to mariachi, the Los Cenzontles Academy of Cultural Arts in the Bay Area and the Mariachi Heritage Foundation in Chicago preserve and keep traditional Mexican sounds alive through music programs and young musicians.
The importance of cultural preservation, specifically sounds that are not considered conventional or do not receive much radio broadcast, is what motivated Eugene Rodriguez (founder of Los Cenzontles) and Cesar Maldonado (Mariachi Heritage Foundation) to launch their music programs.
“It was a way to connect my Mexican side with my American side,” says Rodríguez, a musician and educator. “And it became so natural for me to want to keep this music alive and to see the younger people engaged and excited, it makes me happy.”
“Mariachi is the music of my parents and grandparents, it has always been part of me,” adds Maldonado, who, like Rodríguez, has transferred all kinds of music to online learning due to the global pandemic. “It is important for me to help preserve the tradition with the new generations, that is why Mariachi Herencia is so important. The group is making mariachi music great and relevant again.”
Learn more about Los Cenzontles and the Mexican Heritage Foundation below.
Los Cenzontles Mexican Art Center
Location: Northern California
What are they about: Founded in 1989 by Rodríguez, Los Cenzontles is a non-profit organization, acting group, and production studio that creates root music and cross-cultural projects. Students learn to dance, sing, and play a variety of instruments and sounds such as jarocho and mariachi. “Our classes went from 200 to about 75 children a week because of COVID-19,” says Rodríguez. “Since we started our music program, our curriculum has evolved by adding more regional styles to match the demographics of our community. For example, in recent years we have started adding music from the Huasteca region because many of our students come from there. ” “
Meet the students: The Divina sisters, ages 16 and 13, Camila Ortega, along with her three other sisters, have attended the Los Cenzontles Mexican Art Center since they were 4 years old. “We wanted to know more about the origin of our parents and their sounds. It is a way to connect with them,” says Divina. “Now that the five sisters are playing instruments and singing, our family always asks us to play for them. Music has brought us together.”
Multi-instrumentalist Monzerrat Ledesma, 16, is now learning to sing in different languages / dialects and writing verses in Zapotec and Nahuatl. “We add positivity and joy to this world when we hear so many negative things. I am excited to be part of this group,” says Ledesma.
New release: Los Cenzontles with David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), “El Colas” is a traditional jarocho, which is an Afro-Mexican musical genre from southern Veracruz, Mexico. Members of Los Cenzontles (The Mockingbirds) sing, trample, and play traditional Mexican instruments such as jarana, tambourine, and jaw in the recorded song following the guidelines of social distance. Rodríguez and Hidalgo are frequent collaborators and have been working together since 1994. “He has always been very supportive of us in order to obtain benefits.”
Vision for the rest of 2020 and beyond: “Our vision for the rest of the year is to continue to find ways to engage our students deeply and express ourselves through digital media in as many creative ways as possible. Music videos, poetry books, documentaries, art projects, virtual altars.” Rodríguez said. He says. In June, they launched The Front Porch Sessions with the Academy taking the outdoor studio to film families singing, playing, and dancing together outside their homes.
Mariachi Heritage Foundation
Location: Chicago
What are they about: Founded in 2012, the Mariachi Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit organization, aims to celebrate and preserve the cultural heritage of mariachi music and other Mexican heritage arts. Currently, the music program teaches 2,100 students in Chicago in association with the Chicago Public School District. “Our mariachi program is taught as part of the school day and integrated into the school’s general curriculum,” says MHF founder Cesar Maldonado. “Some schools also have extracurricular programs for performing ensembles.” The Latin Grammy nominated Mariachi Herencia de México was formed in 2016 and 75 percent of the musicians come from the program at school.
Since its inception, “the mariachi curriculum has evolved tremendously,” says Maldonado. “While most of the music curriculum includes a variety of unrelated compositions, the MHF program makes a unique contribution to student learning: They learn how music represents a culture. So instead of learning about tempo and the tone with any music, students become competent musicians as they listen, sing and play the music of Mexico. “
Last release: The mariachi version of “Amor Eterno” is included on her fourth studio album, Essence, vol. two., released in May. Set includes 13 songs with award-winning arrangements composer and music director Rigoberto Alfaro. The album was recorded by the 18 musicians who make up the Mariachi Herencia de México in the midst of a pandemic. Although mariachi instruments are generally recorded by section, on this album they had to record each of the young musicians individually, to meet the COVID-19 guidelines.
Meet a student: Trumpeter and singer of 17 years. Marco A. Villela He intervened as musical director for his latest album, since Alfaro was unable to travel due to the global pandemic. Born and raised in Chicago, Villela joined the Music Heritage Foundation Mariachi Program in 2016. “I decided to join because I wanted to learn more about different styles of music so I could connect with my Mexican roots. What better way to do it than through culturally beautiful mariachi music, “says the CPS student, who grew up listening to” a lot of “regional Mexican music.” I have loved music since I was four years old. . As a mariachi musician now, I am very proud to represent our culture and sounds. “
Vision for the rest of 2020 and beyond: “I consider [the pandemic] just a standstill, a moment of pause, and once things get back to normal I hope to teach again [in-person] and [continue] making mariachi music, “says Maldonado.
