Viva Mariachi: Help Us Get to Florida!

Our Marcos de Niza Mariachi Virtuoso, the advanced ensemble of the Marcos de Niza High School Mariachi Program, has been invited to present/perform at the American String Teachers Association National Conference in Orlando, FL in March 2023--we need your support! The students will take part as a demonstration ensemble for a session titled "Viva Mariachi: Bringing the Music to Life in Rehearsal and Performance." The ensemble's director, Mr. Scott Glasser, and Mr. Michael Smith, Director of Orchestras & Mariachi at Fees College Preparatory Middle School (Tempe, AZ), will present the session as a team. Additionally, we are also working to secure a masterclass to further hone our skills as individuals and an ensemble with members of Mariachi Cobre, the renowned mariachi ensemble in residence at Disney World. These opportunities are incredible honors for our mariachi program, school, district, and Tempe community. Our student musicians work very hard to make beautiful music together. With half of our group being seniors that have lost performing opportunities due to COVID, it would be outstanding to make this tour a reality!

The cost for each student is approximately $2000, with roughly $40,000 needed to cover all 20 of our student musicians. Our students and Orchestra/Mariachi Guild have been diligently fundraising through cookie dough sales, concessions, tax credit donations, and performances/gigs throughout our community. We appreciate any support that you can give--every little bit helps!

The Marcos de Niza High School Mariachi Program was established in 2017 as an after-school club of ten students that met once per week. From its humble beginnings, the program has grown and developed to include two curricular, leveled ensembles that meet daily during the school day with an enrollment of over 50 students. The MdN Mariachi Program has opened for the Phoenix Symphony (2022) and Chandler Symphony (2019), been named as an Honored Performance Ensemble for the Arizona Music Educators Association State Music Education Conference (2020, 2023), participated in masterclasses with collegiate faculty, and performed throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan Area and San Antonio/Austin, TX. Community-oriented in its mission, the members of the MdN Mariachi Program consistently engage in outreach activities that give back to the individuals and groups who support their musical and educational pursuits.