Originally published by The Star News, February 2016

With the National City International Mariachi Fest and Competition as their flagship event, organizers of the festival are working on programs to grow Mariachi instruction in South Bay schools and connect students to the area’s Latino roots.

This is the fourth year that the National City Chamber of Commerce has presented the festival and competition. The fest includes workshops for student-mariachi, music competitions and the public festival which is free and features two stages and all your traditional street fair vendors.

“Moving forward I want to really focus on the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation,” said Jacqueline Reynoso with the chamber of commerce. She spearheads the festival’s organization for the chamber and partners with the scholarship foundation. “Through my work there, I really want to focus on garnering more support from the districts to invest more in mariachi education programs.”

Mariachi is a valuable form of artistic expression and an important part of southern U.S. and Mexican culture, said Reynoso, and there is lack of attention brought to it in music education.

The Mariachi Scholarship Foundation, a local non-profit group that rewards young mariachi with college scholarships and other resources, helps deliver the workshops and festival.

Reynoso said the foundation’s efforts combined with the workshops and the festival are all part of the same big-picture goal of improving support of mariachi education. Read More at TheStarNews.com