Chatter and the sound of tuning instruments fill the music room at Bryant-Webster Dual Language ECE-8 School. Students gather their necessities, set up music stands, and pull out their wrinkled music page. But it’s not band or orchestra … it’s mariachi!
Bryant-Webster has been teaching youth mariachi music for 20 years. Through discipline and enjoyment, El Mariachi Juvenil de Bryant-Webster students describe how it connects them to culture. Two sixth-grade students expressed how the experience has helped them feel closer to their late grandfathers.
“He loved music,” the student said. “I think he would have been proud of me.”
The program was founded in 2004 by Pamela Liñan, a music teacher, and Pat Salazar, the school’s principal at the time. Pamela was teaching a unit on mariachi music when the idea fostered a conversation between the two.
“They like that performing gives them a good feeling, a good energy for what they do, for who they are and for sharing their culture,” said Jacqueline Liñan, a music teacher, director of the mariachi program and Pam’s sister. “We’re a little family.”
Mariachi Juvenil is made up of third- to eighth-grade students. Participants must maintain good grades and be model citizens in order to attend the many performances the group is booked for.
The mariachi students have performed at various events at La Raza Park, the DPS Gala Foundation and many more. The previous school year, the group performed at 35 shows, and this year they’ve performed at around 20, with more to come. Jacqueline has a special connection to the mariachi music she now teaches students to perform.
“Growing up, my father was a broker for bands,” Jacqueline said. “The first mariachi group that came from Mexico to Casa Bonita, and he’s the one who got them their visas and everything. We also went when he had to go pick up some mariachis. We would all go in the van; us being the kids, we would pick up the families of the mariachi players. So we got to know the mariachi families and we would play with the kids if they were around the same age.”
The connection between the music and culture resonates with the students and gives them confidence.
“It has helped me learn more Spanish,” one student said.
“When I play in mariachi and when we go to other places, they tell me about Mexico,” another remarked.
One student expressed how the program has allowed her to come out of her shell. “It helped me be more social,” she said.
The ensemble relies heavily on one another; the beauty of mariachi is the cohesive sound and ardent voices. Here students learn that they must improve themselves for the betterment of the group as a whole.
“They work as a group cohesively a lot,” Jacqueline said. “They start building those bonds with each other in the group. They go ahead and they help each other because they know what the end result is going to be. They know when they sound good. They know when they don’t sound good.”
The community and reputation of the mariachi program at Bryant-Webster has fueled the eagerness of younger students to join the program. But despite the interest, the difficulty of running and maintaining a musical program often lies with funding.
With limited resources, Jacqueline wears many hats and has a sewing kit resting on the corner of her desk used to repair the trajes, the mariachi performance uniforms.
“This is not an easy program to go ahead and have,” Jacqueline said. “It’s not a cheap program to have. It’s expensive when you’re looking at instruments. Instructors cost money; music costs money; everything costs money.”
As Mariachi Juvenil continues to thrive at Bryant-Webster, it is clear that the program is more than just music lessons—it is a vital link to culture, community and personal growth for its students. Through the dedication of instructors like Jacqueline and the support of the school, the program fosters a sense of pride, discipline and cultural awareness that resonates well beyond the classroom.
“We have the students [come back] here after eighth grade; a lot of them go off to high school, and a lot of the schools don’t have a mariachi program,” Jacqueline said. “So they come back to visit sometimes. They’ll pick up an instrument and they’ll play with us while we’re practicing. They still have that connection.”
