WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Westminster High School added a mariachi ensemble to its music program eight years ago to get more students of color interested in the arts.
This is part of Westminster Public Schools' Creative Arts Pipeline to increase the number of Hispanic and Latino students in music study, composition and performance.
“We had a lot of students who wanted to specifically spend more time exploring Mexican music,” said Michael Linert, head of the school's music department. “When I came out here 9 years ago, we had about 80% Hispanic population here, and lots of students were interested in exploring more of that music.”
According to the school, this is one of the few mariachi programs in the state. At its largest point, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the program had 60 students. Currently, it has 31 students — and it's growing.
Linert said his long-term goal is to expand mariachi music education to every student between fourth and eighth grade across the district.
“I hope that more mariachi programs, stand-alone classes can exist in the future,” Linert said. “I hope that these orchestras and bands and choirs can just start to incorporate more of these resources in music into their existing programs because that would be wonderful and meaningful.”
Kiffany Kiewiet is the principal at Westminster High School. She believes it is very important that students have a way to express themselves, especially in their culture.
“We really do try to give our kids voice and choice here so this was really started by our students,” Kiewiet said. “It gives them an opportunity to express themselves, show their emotion, it’s an opportunity for them to be social with their friends as well and find common interests.”
Now, the high school has three ensembles made up of guitars, harps, and trumpets, as well as traditional guitarróns (the bigger, bass-like instruments) and vihuelas (which look like smaller guitars).
“It makes me really happy to see our culture being represented,” said sophomore Bianca Huber. “The reason I came to this school was because I heard they had a mariachi group, so I came here and I’m really glad I got to pick it.”
“It’s more of connecting with your culture and just being able to show it to people,” added junior harp player Melanie Paredes Briones. “It makes me feel great because they’re just there dancing up there or they’re just recording anything.”
Linert said that students also receive leadership development training and strategize connections between orchestra and mariachi. As part of their Orchestra and Mariachi Student Council, they also do outreach to students in the WHS daytime classes as well as students at the elementary and middle school levels.
“I’m a music teacher because I want these students to have an understanding of music,” Linert said. “I want them to have the world open to them if they want to have a career in music if they want that, to teach music because we need more music teachers and to just to love the world around them and their communities.”
Linert said even though his program is one of just a few in Colorado, he hopes to hear the crescendo of new mariachi programs across the state.
For more information about the Westminster High School mariachi band program, visit https://westy.wps.org/programs/performing-arts/mariachi.
Watch a performance by the ensemble from the Aspen Music Festival and School's Mariachi Workshop, directed by Linert:
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