08/23/2023
Now that I’ve had a moment to decompress and reflect:
I would like to thank all the people involved in our Mariachi Workshop and the boost to our Mariachi class at Pinson Valley into becoming a fully functioning Mariachi Band.
This whole idea started years ago when, then band supervisor, Dr. Jon Remley and I discussed trying to find musical outlets for the growing Hispanic population at Rudd Middle. Over the course of a few year the idea morphed into trying to find a way to get mariachi into Pinson.
Luckily for me and Pinson, Dr. Terrence Brown and Greg Gumina jumped up and helped make this idea a reality. Two years ago we were able to form a class period for mariachi band at Pinson Valley. The Arts department purchased mariachi instruments for the school. Again, I am luckily enough to work with an administration and principal like Michael Turner who jumped at the chance to find more ways to engage students in the arts and embrace the Hispanic community.
For the last couple of year Caleb Wilemon and myself have been teaching (to the best of our abilities) a mariachi class. Then Jefferson County through Greg Gumina and Dr. Brown made the biggest step forward we could have asked for.
The Fine Arts Department found Ramon Rivera and paid and committed to bring him to Pinson Valley to jumpstart the program and make us the first and only high school Mariachi Band in the state of Alabama.
Oh my goodness, Ramon did all that and 100 times more. In two days he doubled the number of kids in the mariachi and quadrupled the number of ESL students in the class. He met with school, community, and student leaders. He helped us create a plan at Pinson Valley for Hispanic Heritage Month, a districtwide plan for Hispanic heritage month, and a year-long plan for the mariachi class, and a plan for engaging our Hispanic students here at Pinson Valley. Ramon brings an energy and an excitement that is so hard to replicate. The students were automatically drawn toward him and lit up every time he talked.
I am so appreciative for all the people have been a part of this journey and were able to see the end of one small chapter in the beginning of a whole new book of mariachi at Pinson Valley. I truly get to work with some really great people and with support from departments and administrators. And I would be remiss if I don’t mention Latrice Green, who is always there to make sure we’re pushing the kids in the program in the right direction—and a lot of times me in the right direction!!!
Finally, I’d like to just think the public relations team in Jefferson County, WBRC FOX6 News, and CBS 42 for their coverage of yesterday. In schools, we a lot of time only get coverage of not good things, but this is a great thing for our kids and our community. Like Ramon said, Alabama is about family and mariachi music is family music—I will add that band is also family and we create family music!!!
Jefferson County Department of Arts Education
