History of the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation

In 1995, the President of Sweetwater Union High School District Board of Directors, Bob Griego, attended a National Education Conference where a major topic of discussion was that, in order for students to be successful, both the student and their families need to have a strong connection their school. The visual arts, performing arts and athletics help make that connection. Staff at SUHSD schools reported that Hispanic families were not as involved in their children’s schools as other ethnic groups: at this time Hispanic students were 49% of the district’s student population, in 2020 they are 72%. 

So Griego confronted Superintendent Ed Brand and requested that a survey of school sites be done to determine student participation in sports and the visual and performing arts at SUHSD. It was learned that, compared to non-Hispanic students, there were far fewer Mexican and Mexican-American students participating in the arts or sports, as a percentage of their population. District staff also presented a report indicating that the majority of students who participate in visual and performing arts did significantly better in math and science than those who didn’t.  

Following these reports, Griego asked Brand to attend a curriculum conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that focused on serving Hispanic students. During the conference an after-school mariachi band from Farmington, New Mexico performed. The instructor told Griego that the families of the students made the band possible: families attended events and provided all of the financial support, while the mariachi fostered a strong connection to the school for Hispanic students and their families. His district in Farmington, however would not approve a school-funded mariachi band. 

After learning this, Griego told Brand that he was going to initiate a mariachi program at SUHSD when they return to home. Of course, Brand said there was no funding available, so Griego pledged to find $250,000 in the budget. They agreed that Southwest High School would be the best site to start mariachi in part because they felt the principal of Southwest High, Christine Aranda, would be more receptive to the idea. Griego did the political work with the board and the program was approved by a vote of 3 to 2. He insisted that the mariachi be institutionalized in the curriculum with the same status as marching bands, and that district would provide all instruments and uniforms — the class would start in the fall of 1996. 

 

The next step was to create an advocacy organization that could provide scholarships to the students because he knew that this would be needed to sustain the program. Griego drafted his ideas for the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation, sat down with Ed Brand and a lawyer he knew, and incorporated the MSF (officially receiving 501c3 status on Jan. 2, 2000). 

Bob and Ed discussed who should be on the initial board. Sandi Smith was a loyal supporter so Bob asked her to be the first Secretary/Treasurer. Ed also agreed to serve. They then talked to Sarafin Zasueta who was the President/Superintendent of Southwestern College. Serafin had indicated that he wanted to bring a mariachi program to SWC as well, and felt that the effort at SUHSD would help to sell the program at the college. So Zasueta also agreed to serve and then asked that the college mariachi instructor who they hire, Jeff Nevin, also serve — all agreed. Then Christine Aranda was added as well as Chula Vista City Councilmember (and later, Mayor) Mary Salas, who was invited to foster a strong connection with the City. Ricardo Gonzalez, lawyer, and Judge Luis Vargas were also added for community support. 

Ed Brand and Bob Griego did the initial fund-raising, working very closely with Sandi Smith, who continues to oversee all fundraising and finances to this day. Dozens of community leaders, teachers and administrators have sat on the board over the years, but Bob, Sandi and Jeff are the only 3 founding members who have remained on the board and sustained the Foundation throughout its history.

Timeline

  • 1996: Bob Griego, President of Sweetwater Union High School District and Christine Aranda, Principal of Southwest High School, implemented the first school-based mariachi in San Diego County. Mariachi Agua Dulce was taught by Eileen Nichols at Southwest High and drew students from across SUHSD.

  • 1997: MSF hosted the first educational mariachi conference and fundraising dinner for mariachi scholarships in San Diego, at Eastlake High School

  • 1998: Serafin Zasueta, President of Southwestern College, recruited Jeff Nevin to begin a mariachi program that would draw Sweetwater mariachi students into college.  Dr. Zasueta also tasked Jeff with creating a college degree in mariachi music — the first in the world — which was given final approval by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office in 2004. 

  • 1998: Mariachi Scholarship Foundation was formally incorporated and named, with the mission to promote and support mariachi education in schools, and to provide college scholarships to mariachi students when they graduate from programs they support. To make their vision a reality, the MSF hosted an educational mariachi conference at Southwestern College every fall for 5 years. These conferences garnered support for and raised awareness of mariachi music in schools, and facilitated the implementation of more mariachi programs into Sweetwater schools. The MSF also hosted a very successful Gala/Fundraising Dinner every May for 15 years to raise money for scholarships and to present those scholarships.
  • Founding members of the MSF included Bob Griego (President), Serafin Zasueta, Christine Aranda, Ed Brand, Sandi Smith, Mary Salas, Jeff Nevin, and others. Their vision for the MSF was multifaceted, believing that:

Mariachi music in schools will encourage at-risk, low-income, often first-generation Mexican-American students to stay in school and graduate;

  1. The discipline and self-confidence gained through participation in mariachi classes will improve academic achievement and self-esteem;
  2. Mariachi in schools will encourage parents to become more involved with their children’s education;
  3. Parents of all students (not only those who participate in mariachi classes) will feel more connected to their school when they see these culturally relevant activities being offered;
  4. Teaching young students to perform mariachi music will create a bridge between generations of Mexican-American families (students in traditional dress, singing their parents’ and grandparents’ favorite songs, in Spanish);
  5. Thriving mariachi programs performing all over San Diego county will beautify the entire community;
  6. Mariachi classes at Southwestern College, and awarding college scholarships to graduating high school mariachi students, will encourage more students to pursue higher education;
  7. Offering “guaranteed” scholarships to students who meet rigorous criteria will provide a powerful incentive for them to dedicate themselves to their schoolwork and aim for college.
    • 2001: Five new teachers were hired to teach mariachi in Sweetwater schools, bringing the total to 8 mariachi teachers and approximately 15 schools with mariachi classes in South Bay San Diego (middle schools, high schools, Southwestern College)

     

    • 2002: Sweetwater established its Visual and Performing Arts department (VAPA) to oversee all visual and performing arts, but the impetus for creating this department was to better integrate these new mariachi programs with existing music programs.  William Virchis, retired Professor of Theatre at Southwestern College, became Sweetwater’s first director of VAPA.

     

    • 2003: Sweetwater Union High School District VAPA department began hosting an annual mariachi conference over the summer.  The MSF always participated in one way or another, but was no longer the “lead presenter” for the annual conference.

     

    • The annual Gala Dinner has hosted most of the best mariachis in the world, including Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Sol de México, Internacional de Guadalajara, Divas de Cindy Shea, Mujer 2000 and Mariachi Champaña Nevin. Student mariachis from MSF supported programs performed every year as well.

     

    • From 2005-2010 the MSF averaged awarding $30,000 per year to mariachi and ballet folklórico students graduating from Sweetwater schools and Southwestern College.  

     

    • In 2011-2013, during difficult economic times, the MSF stopped hosting large Gala/Fundraising Dinners, but was still able to award more than $17,000 in scholarships every year.  

     

    • 2013: Jeff Nevin took over as President and began positioning the MSF as an “umbrella” for mariachi activities in San Diego, partnering to present mariachi events with National City Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Opera, San Diego Symphony, Route 78 Rotary, Chula Vista Rotary, USD, Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT), Consul General de México in San Diego, and others

     

    • Currently there are over 1,000 students participating in mariachi programs supported by the MSF, and countless people have been touched by these programs in one way or another — either participating or by simply enjoying a performance — since the first was created in 1996.
    • Former students have gone on to become members of Mariachi Sol de México, Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Mariachi Divas, Las Colibrí, Flor de Toloache, Mariachi Champaña Nevin and other top mariachis in San Diego and Los Angeles. Several teach mariachi professionally and many are currently enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral programs pursuing degrees in Music Education or Music Performance.

     

    • Graduating students have used MSF scholarships to attend Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Berkeley, Arizona State University, San Diego State University, USD, UCSD, UCLA, Southwestern College, and many other universities.

    • 2016: in celebration of their 20th anniversary, the MSF created the “San Diego International Mariachi Summit” with Southwest Airlines as Presenting Sponsor, which replaced the Gala/Fundraising Dinners as their principal fundraising event. The annual Summit brings to San Diego some of the top mariachi performers, teachers, educators, students and historians in the world. The inaugural 2016 Summit featured Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (the greatest mariachi in the world), Rubén Fuentes (the most important single person in the history of mariachi music), Mariachi Champaña Nevin (San Diego’s own world-class mariachi), the San Diego Symphony, Rafael Jorge Negrete (grandson to legendary Jorge Negrete), Mariachi Garibaldi from Southwestern College and Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea (2-time Grammy winners). 

     

    • 2017: the Mariachi Summit began incorporating ballet folklórico instruction, and in 2018 Amalia Viviana Basanta Hernández, director of the Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández (the greatest in the world) came to teach with several of her former lead dancers including Janelle Ayon, the first American principal dancer with the BF de México. Viviana and Janelle have returned to the Summit every year since. 

     

    • 2020: in spite of the global pandemic, the MSF stayed true to their vision and awarded $27,750 worth of college scholarships in June, 2020, and created the “Virtual Mariachi Summit” which provided — free of charge — close to 300 newly-created instructional videos to more than 230 mariachi and ballet folklórico teachers, with 13,600+ students total in 14 US states and 15 countries on 5 continents around the world.

     

    • As of 2020, the MSF has awarded more than $500,000 in total scholarships, helping more than 500 students pay for their higher education.

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    Mission Statement

    "Enhancing education and the community by supporting the study and performance of mariachi music in schools
    and awarding college scholarships to students who graduate from these programs since 1996.”
    501(c)3 ID: 33-0866851