Arizona high school starts mariachi program

By SUSAN RANDALL
Casa Grande Dispatch


CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (AP) — When Steve Heil moved to Casa Grande several years ago, he wondered why its public schools had no programs for stringed instruments like those in some other states.

Heil, who is principal of Casa Verde High School, was talking to students in September about the kind of electives they would like to have, and they told him they wanted a music program.

"How can we be involved?" they wanted to know.

Kim Calderone, a Casa Verde parent and the owner of Accelerate the Arts mobile music store, suggested that he call Maureen Berger, musical director at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and School and president of Golden Corridor Center for the Arts, a nonprofit organization that provides string classes to adults and children, puts on concerts and is developing youth and adult orchestras in Pinal County.

Heil, Berger and Calderone met last fall with about 20 Casa Verde students who said they would be willing to give up their lunch break to start a mariachi band, playing traditional Mexican music.

There was no money in the budget, but Calderone volunteered to begin working with the violin players in October so they could learn how to play before they tried mariachi music.

Berger volunteered to coach the trumpet players. Jazz musician and guitar teacher John Sutton volunteered to work with the string players. They started teaching the young musicians in January.

Berger said she, Calderone and Sutton are all part of the Golden Corridor and are volunteering to bring this program alive.

"The reason we are so successful," Calderone said, "is our love and passion for music and for the students. And they want so badly to learn."

Calderone said some of the students played by ear when they started the program but could not read music. Others had not played an instrument since elementary school.

"We want our students to learn how to read music, write music, understand the elements of music, experience the different genres of music — and not just learn to play by ear," she said.

Even though the class and teachers are volunteers, they are following the general national standards for music defined by the Music Educators National Conference.

"I am so proud of these young people," Berger said. "They're dedicated to making this a success and taking ownership of the program. I think it will be highly successful because the kids definitely want to do it. They are motivated and they have the ability. They just so impress me with how far they have come in such a short time."

And mariachi music is enjoyable, she added.

"It has a lot of joy in it. It's not easy. There are musical challenges — in particular with the trumpets, because they are in all the sharp scales and keys."

Last week, an audience piled up in the hallway outside the open classroom where the group practiced "De Colores," ''La Valentina" and "Las Golondrinas" (the swallows).

"There are two things that are really hard to play," Sutton told the group as he conducted the rehearsal, "slow and soft."
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Information from: Casa Grande Dispatch

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.