Mariachi - Mariachi in The United States

Mariachi in The United States

The promotion of mariachi as representative of Mexico has led to the formation of mariachi groups in many countries such as Aruba, Egypt, Cuba, Spain, Croatia, Sweden, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, with bands from these and more countries participating in Guadalajara’s International Mariachi and Charreria Conference. However, the music legitimate musical genre in the United States as well one of Mexico’s great folk music genres.

The music has a strong following in the United States and top bands spend a lot of time on tour. Top mariachis have received star treatment in the United States, which is rare in Mexico. Mariachi Los Camperos has received a Grammy nomination for best Mexican-American album. The popularity of mariachi among second- and third-generation Mexican-Americans today is due to the widespread existence of professional mariachi ensembles, school programs, and mariachi festivals. Academic programs allow for instruction by famous mariachi bands and the opportunity to win awards.

The creation of mariachi groups in the United States began in California. Nati Cano was born in Jalisco in 1939 and moved to Los Angeles in 1959. He played in many mariachi bands backing famous singers but felt mariachi could stand alone. In 1969 he opened a restaurant called La Fonda in Los Angeles which featured his band called Los Camperos as part of a dinner show. The success of this enterprise and of Los Camperos in general have since inspired many mariachi bands in the United States. In the late 1980s, pop star Linda Ronstadt recorded "Canciones de Mi Padre" and" Más Canciones" with Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán and others which helped to promote its popularity among Mexican Americans and to non-Mexican Americans as well.

Mariachi has become popular in many U.S. public schools, offered as part of band classes. The first student mariachi band was begun in 1961 at the University of California, Los Angeles. This prompted the creation of other student organizations in other parts of California and then in Texas, where the first mariachi festival was held in 1979. Since then, there has been a strong synergy between academic programs and mariachi festivals which feature students and give mariachi classes and workshops.

Once school programs were limited to border areas such as San Antonio and Tucson but they have spread across the southwest and into other parts of the country, especially since the 1990s. Their popularity has spread from the southwest of the country to other areas as well, with at least 500 schools offering classes along with local and state competitions. In some US schools, mariachi ensembles have replaced school bands. Professional groups such as Mariachi Cobre, which regularly performs at Disney World, also spend time teaching in public schools.

The music is particularly popular for Cinco de Mayo celebrations in states such as Texas and Nevada, where the Mexican-American community gives the music a base. In areas with large Mexican-American populations, mariachis are being hired for events outside this ethnic group as well. Outside of schools, the most important venue for the music in the United States is mariachi festivals with the longest running festivals in Tucson and Fresno. The Tucson International Mariachi Conference began in 1982. It originally was held in the downtown but in 2012 moved to the Casino Del Sol. It showcases over 500 elementary, middle, and high schools and college mariachi players. The Las Vegas International Mariachi Festival, established in 1991, is televised on Telemundo and PBS and has headlined artists such as Pedro Fernández, Ana Gabriel, Pepe Aguilar and more.

Some consider the educational movement to be controversial with some trained the traditional manner looking down upon these programs and their potential to change the tradition. The changes, especially standardization of publishing, are slowing impacting mariachi in Mexico. One difficulty of arranging mariachi pieces is that the son jaliscense it is based on alternates between 3/4 and 6/8 time. Much of the published mariachi music is meant for people already familiar with the music to serve as guides, not to novices. On the other hand, many schools have problems recruiting mariachi instructors as many of these do not have required teaching credentials. For this reason, schools often hire trained musicians from outside the mariachi tradition. Many traditional mariachis are concerned that standardization will lead to fossilization and restrict improvisation. Other innovations in the United States have been the incorporation of styles of popular artists such as Elvis Presley, Freddy Fender and Glenn Miller. Another is the encouragement of female mariachis including all-female mariachi bands such as Mariachi Mujer 2000 and Mariachi Divas. Mariachi Mujer has performed with Mexican artists such as Vikki Carr, Pablo Montero, Gerardito Fernandez and Nydia Rojas. Mariachi Divas have toured extensively in the United States and perform regularly at Disneyland and California Adventure in Anaheim .