Willow Glen Resident
News
Photograph by Vicki Thompson
Our Sound: Gardner Academy third- through fifth-graders practice for their mariachi band performance. Joel Montoya (right) is learning how to play the viheula, while Andres Rosas (middle) and Selena Ruiz play the guitar.
Smiles all around for great Mariachi sound
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
The mariachi band walks up onto the stage, clad in a scaled-down version of the traditional costume--crisp white shirts, dark pants and oversized red bow ties. The noise from the crowd quiets to a low hum. Suddenly, violins, trumpets and guitars are raised and the music begins. The singers' voices boom over the crowd. Smiles on their faces prove to be infectious. These are no ordinary performers.
These are the third- through fifth-graders from Gardner Academy and tonight is their first performance of the year.
"I was nervous with all the people watching," says fourth-grader Alyssa Garcia Montez, "but we have to keep our heads up while we played, so I did."
This is Alyssa's second year in the mariachi enrichment program at Gardner. She started out as a guitar player and now is one of two students who play the violin.
"When I was in second grade, I saw the fourth- and fifth-graders perform, and it interested me," she says. "I couldn't wait until I could be in the mariachi program."
Mariachi music is a tradition that originated in Jalisco, Mexico, during the 18th century and gained popularity in the 1930s in the form known today.
A complete group consists of as many as six to eight violins, two trumpets and a guitar, along with a vihuela, a high-pitched, round-backed guitar; a guitarrón, a deep-voiced guitar; and a Mexican folk harp.
Alyssa practices every day and has gotten so good that her mother bought the girl her very own violin, but Alyssa doesn't plan to dedicate her time to just one instrument.
She plans on playing the trumpet for her last year at the elementary school and hopes to continue her mariachi training during middle and high school.
The fourth-grader is the first of her siblings to play an instrument, but not the first in her family.
"It's a generational thing," she says.
Her great-great-grandmother played the piano and her great-grandmother played the violin.
"I was next," she says.
The program, in its fourth year, is a collaboration among the National Latino Peace Officers Association's California division, Gardner Academy and the Mexican Heritage Plaza.
"It's a positive thing that the police do for their community," says principal Janis Hubbs," and it's something the students can carry on long after they leave Gardner."
Aside from the cultural benefits the program offers, students also gain the benefits of being involved with music, Hubbs says.
"It gives them a connection to their school other than academics," she says. "There's a responsibility with sticking to an instrument. It's another joy that the kids can have throughout their lives."
The program runs during the school year, but Hubbs hopes this will change soon.
"It's hard for kids to do this during school and then take time off during the summer," Hubbs says.
Hubbs is working with her collaborators to find enough funding to offer the program at the Gardner Community Center during the summer.
The program is the brainchild of Darrell Cortez, executive vice president of the Latino Peace Officers Association.
"I have always been a lover of the arts in all forms," Cortez says.
Cortez, a Willow Glen resident, has been involved in the Mexican Heritage Plaza's mariachi program and wanted to bring a similar program to the schools.
"Gardner didn't have any form of a music program because of budget cuts," Cortez says, "so we decided to start there."
Cortez obtained a $10,000 grant from Pepsi, which funded the purchase of instruments and instructor salaries. The grant enabled the school to offer the program to its students at no charge.
The launch in 2002-03 school year started off strong.
"We had 45 students enroll," says Jose Vallin, the program's violin instructor. "Twenty students played the violin."
The success, however, was short-lived. In the fall of 2003, a four-alarm fire consumed the main building at Gardner, and the program's instruments were destroyed in the blaze.
"The insurance paid for some, but we had to regroup," Cortez says.
The grant from Pepsi had by then expired, and Cortez went to Brandenberg Family Foundation, an organization dedicated to help improve the quality of life in communities, specifically in San Jose. The program received a grant to restart, but it was only half of the original grant.
The Wendy's Corp. has also helped fund the program for the last two years. But those funds will run out after the 2007-08 year, Cortez says.
"We are always looking for support. We want to replicate this program at other schools."
The school currently has 10 violins, four trumpets and seven guitars, which limits the number of students who can participate, Vallin says.
Maintenance and repair for the instruments is also an issue. Each violin costs approximately $100 a year to keep in working condition.
"Violins need new strings every year," Vallin says. "In a perfect world, the bow hairs need replacement also, but ours have not been replaced in three years. It's important to replace the strings, because if the strings aren't replaced, the sound will not sound right," he says, "and the students will become discouraged."
The benefits of offering music programs at the schools outweigh any challenges, Cortez says.
"I know of the benefits of music personally," he says. "I have a 5-year-old who plays the piano and goes to school at River Glen. Music keeps them focused, off the streets and emphasizes the importance of studying."
Music also makes children well-rounded, which helps in their future, he says.
"One day, they may even find themselves playing in an orchestra, maybe Ballet San Jose," he says.
The next performance of the Gardner mariachi group is May 31 at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. For more information, contact Darrell Cortez at 408. 989.2507 or mail to P.O.Box 742, San Jose, Ca 95106-742.
