Mariachi Huenachi subject of TVW documentary
January 20, 2016
As the room fills with the sound of strings being tuned and voices warming up, Wenatchee High School’s Mariachi Huenachi prepares for its next in a constant string of performances. However, this performance comes with a sense of unfamiliarity as the musicians welcome the presence of a fleet of cameramen. TVW, a state-level government news station, chose the mariachi program at WHS to be its next subject in a series of short documentaries titled “Engaged: Students Becoming Citizens.”
The film crew responsible for making the 30-minute documentary about the stories of the students behind the music follows the musicians from April of 2015 into the following summer. Within the span of the documentary, Mariachi Huenachi is seen rehearsing in the classroom, visiting the campus of the University of Washington, and performing with Grammy-award winning artist Marco Antonio Solís.
The crew of TVW also dove into the lives of the students, following a few of the musicians on their daily routines.
“Originally [the documentary] was only supposed to be eight minutes… but [filmmakers Brett Hansen and David Johnson] started interviewing the kids and said, ‘I want a whole half an hour’ They had a vision. They wanted to show the truth behind these students,” mariachi teacher Ramon Rivera said.
After Mariachi Huenachi’s performance at State Legislative Day, Hansen and Johnson approached Rivera about telling his students’ stories.
Filmmakers followed junior Miguel Cedeño through his normal school day as he worked from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then arrived at WHS for mariachi practice. Cedeño explains how a day of picking apples works and the reason behind his hard work: family.
“My mom, she had to get back surgery because she slipped off one of the steps,” Cedeño said in the film. “My dad doesn’t really want us working because he says we should concentrate more on school, but I finally convinced him to let us work.”
Mariachi Huenachi co-president and senior Esmeralda Mora was also featured in the film, working at her family’s bakery, Tienda la Esmeralda. Mora works before school and sometimes takes the night shift on top of AP classes and a rigorous mariachi schedule.
For Mora, mariachi has an impact past merely learning the music.
“Mariachi builds this bond between me and my ancestors,” Mora said, “My grandparents are very old fashioned, they think women should stay home. But after [my grandpa] saw me in my charon, my uniform, he kind of did a 180. He supported me in school, he started a college fund. He’s been really supportive after seeing how much mariachi… shows in me.”
Mariachi Huenachi co-president and senior Sonia Sedano describes her initial reactions upon hearing that the group had been chosen for the film.
“It was kind of overwhelming… it’s cool how [people are] finding about [the program] but it’s kind of intimidating to see what they’re gonna say about it, about us being so ‘culturally diverse.’ I feel like we’re finally getting recognized, I feel proud of the group for always giving everything they can. Having that person follow us around for so long, I kind of felt like wow, we’re important, we’re actually getting somewhere.” What I love is the drive these students have… Statistics show that they will drop out [of college] in the first year, but against all odds they still do it. — Mariachi teacher Ramon Rivera
“[Mariachi] lets me express myself, and be proud of my culture, who I am,” Sedano said, “I started in seventh grade, and now that I’m in high school, a senior, and now graduating, it’s kind of upsetting. I’ve spent so much time in this, and it’s my last year. Not a lot of colleges have programs like this, especially the universities I want to go to. No opportunity to actually play my instrument in a group without it being outside of school.”
Dreams and goals were a large focus of the film, with emphasis being placed on college. Rivera pushes his students to strive for excellence, saying, “What I love is the drive these students have… Statistics show that they will drop out [of college] in the first year, but against all odds they still do it.”
The WHS mariachi program has boasted a 100 percent graduation rate since 2009, a feat Rivera attributes to the “family atmosphere” the group carries. “I feel that it’s my job as an educator to show them the world,” Rivera said.
The mariachi students visited the University of Washington campus last year, “[A lot of parents] don’t have the time or resources [to take their children] so I have them walk on the campus, to go and see, to leave Wenatchee.”
Rivera and his students continue to look forward with an Emmy nomination and hopes for national recognition. “I’m just extremely proud of [this documentary]. It really tells about the students.”
“We’ve got to go to the next step… so what if 100 people saw it, let’s get millions of people to see it! I know someone big is going to see it and it’s going to change the kids’ and our school’s lives,” Rivera said.