The Impact of Mariachi Instructional Programs on the Son de Mariachi among Student Mariachi Ensembles

I will examine the impact of mariachi instructional programs on the son de mariachi among student mariachi ensembles, with focus on the frequency with which the son de mariachi is played at competitions and the instrumental performance technique used at competitions. I will do this by examining the frequency with which the son de mariachi is taught in these programs and the instrumental performance technique taught in these programs. The son de mariachi is the genre indigenous to the mariachi ensemble. It has been played in western Mexico for centuries and it has been cultivated in the United States for decades, and most recently among Chicana and Chicano youth at mariachi competitions. These young Chicanas and Chicanos learn the son de mariachi at instructional programs which are offered in several public schools, colleges and universities in the Southwest and at annual mariachi conferences. In this thesis, I provide an overview of the son mexicano, the son de mariachi, the mariachi ensemble, and an examination of mariachi instructional programs. Next, I examine the literature related to the son de mariachi and mariachi instructional programs. I then explain the methods that I used to conduct this study and conclude with my findings to determine the impact of mariachi instructional programs on the son de mariachi.