Public invited to free mariachi concert Saturday at Tarleton State.
TSU Media Relations
Special to Beneath the Surface News
Tarleton State University is hosting area high school students at its first Mariachi Institute, which will culminate with a free concert at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center auditorium.
More than 50 students from three DFW high schools were invited to experience campus life, engage with staff and current students and learn from a variety of well-known mariachi instructors, including three-time Grammy-award-winning arranger and performer Jesus Guzman.
Since Wednesday, students from Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, North Side High School and Castleberry High School in Fort Worth have attended classes taught by faculty from across the country, including instrument-specific instruction in harp, trumpet and violin.
They have gone on campus tours, shared meals in the dining hall and stayed in the residence halls.
“We are thrilled to provide this amazing educational program for our distinguished high school partners,” said Dr. Sherri Benn, Vice President for the Division of Global, Community and First-gen Initiatives.
“This is an edu-taining (educational and entertaining) experience of student
engagement towards college readiness through performance and the arts. Students are experiencing campus life and learning from some of the best mariachi instructors in the country.”
Dr. Benn said the idea for the mariachi institute was inspired by a commitment to give back to the communities that students come from and a passion for education.
“We wanted to create a unique learning opportunity along with a culturally enriching experience for the community through student engagement towards college readiness through performance,” she said.
“Mariachi music is part of the fiber of joy-filled celebrations such as weddings and baptisms, as well as emotion-filled ceremonies such as memorials and funerals. Music is a beautiful way to connect with culture, and we want all members of the communities we serve to know they are valued and celebrated.”
