Hundreds Gather for 12th Annual USD Mariachi Conference

Hundreds of musicians playing all kinds of instruments, driven by one passion.

“The thing I love most about mariachi is being able to express myself and being able to reach out to others to show them what the beautiful music of mariachi can do,” said Sweetwater High School student Anthony Mendoza.

He was one of the 300 students who took part in last weekend’s 12th Annual USD Mariachi Conference.

The conference attracts musicians of all ages and skill levels – beginners as young as 10 years old up to some of the genre’s premier professionals. The beauty of the event is that students from across the U.S. and Mexico get a chance to learn directly from the pros.

Each day, students were divided into groups based on their instruments and paired with a professional musician. The musicians provided hours of instruction, providing the students with technical tips and tricks as well as new insights into what it’s like to perform in a mariachi band.

“For these kids that we have attending this conference, it’s a great thing for them to be able to learn from great musicians. To be able to learn what mariachi music is,” said Serafin Paredes, director of the USD Mariachi Ensemble. “It’s a great opportunity for these kids because they can see themselves – ‘I want to be just like that musician. I want to get to that level’”

At the end of each day, it’s an opportunity to show off what they’ve learned and for the public to see some great mariachi performances.

The first day culminates in the Student Showcase, which features a competition between the various student ensembles. This year, there were students from Nevada, Arizona, and even Guadalajara, Mexico. No matter where they come from, they connected over their love of the music.

“The language (of mariachi music) is Spanish, but you don’t have to know Spanish to feel the music, and that’s something I really like about it,” said Ashleyazul Gallardo, a local high school student and member of the USD Mariachi Ensemble. “The feeling gets to you just by hearing it, and you can understand it without having to know the lyrics.”

The second day ends with the Grand Showcase, an event that features more student performances, including a group of students who auditioned for a masterclass ensemble and the USD Mariachi Ensemble. For the night’s grand finale, the professional instructors move from behind the lectern to center stage, putting on the event’s marquee performance.

Paredes has organized the event at USD for over a decade. He knows how important mariachi music is in Mexican culture and says this conference gives the community access to top-notch artists while connecting generations of musicians.

“For those of us who are Mexican, it’s the music that we listen to in our homes, through generations,” Paredes said. “A lot of these songs are songs that have been around for over a hundred years, and the kids now are learning those songs.”