Director of the Mariachi Ensemble Rocio Marron has been teaching and getting students prepared for the concerts for nearly five years.
According to the Cal Lutheran Music Department website, Mariachi is a rich musical tradition that came from Mexico, with instruments used including trumpet, violin, guitar, and voice.
Marron said the group picks out songs throughout the semester. Singers pick the songs they want to perform, and then Marron will either make suggestions or changes if necessary.
“We have a lot of great singers this semester, and there’s a lot of upbeat music, and we have a dancer that is coming,” Marron said.
Daniel Martinez, a senior at Cal Lutheran, plays the trumpet and sings for the Mariachi Ensemble. Martinez first heard of the Mariachi Ensemble when Marron talked at his high school about the program and the Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship.
“I was intrigued and ultimately, I applied to Cal Lu and, well, I’m here now. And I have enjoyed being in the ensemble for the past four years,” Martinez said.
Martinez said he has enjoyed playing and making music, specifically with mariachi. Martinez explains how he enjoys learning more about his culture and background through playing mariachi.
“It’s kind of a way for me to immerse myself back into my heritage and culture, and it’s fun playing different styles of music within the mariachi,” Martinez said.
Martinez said music is a way of expressing emotions and being able to say things without saying anything.
“Music says a lot and can involve a lot of emotions without using any words,” Martinez said.
Martinez said he has been busy with his studies while balancing practices and rehearsals, which is the hard part, but that it all ends up being worth it.
“There is always a reward at the end and I’m excited for the concert to be a success and excited for next semester as well,” Martinez said.
Margarita Resendiz, a graduate student at Cal Lutheran, plays the violin and is one of the vocalists. Resendiz has been playing mariachi since high school and auditioned for Cal Lutheran’s Mariachi Ensemble during her first year.
“It brings a lot of people together, even if they don’t speak Spanish or they are not familiar with the genre,” Resendiz said.
Resendiz said that the mariachi outfits spark people’s attention and get them excited.
“We do more than just performances, we also do other outside gigs. And then just like the smile on peoples’ faces, like, it’s cool, even if they may not understand what we are talking about in our songs. It’s just the fact they are happy and it’s just a good feeling,” Resendiz said.
Resendiz said a lot of practice and being in a quiet environment helps her the most without having any distractions. Resendiz also said she listens to herself and takes notes during group rehearsals.
“I feel like we did good with what we have. We have a lot of talented singers, which is a lot of talented violinists,” Resendiz said.
Marron said they meet on Thursday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to get ready and sometimes have sectionals with either meeting only the guitars, guitarrones, or violins to help them prepare for their section.
The Mariachi Ensemble held its final concert of the semester on Thursday, Nov. 21 in Samuelson Chapel. Classic songs were played by student performers, showing their passion and talent for mariachi music.
