STOCKTON, Calif. — As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, KCRA 3 is shining the spotlight on the Stockton Unified School District's Mariachi program for youth. Mariachi music dates back to the 1700s in Mexico, but now there's a modern twist as more young people learn to play the music.
"It is something that makes me very proud. I'm proud to be able to go up in front of a crowd and be able to sing and play a song for people to make them happy and feel many different emotions," said Yaretzi Castro, a senior at Cesar Chavez High School. Inside the school, students are mastering the art of Mariachi music.
Mariachi Director Tito Talamantes grew up in Stockton and teaches students how to get in touch with their culture and roots with each note that they play. He considers is a blessing to be able to teach what he teaches. It's a program that he wishes he would have had as a kid, so for the last ten years, he's made it his passion to pass on the tradition to his students.
"There is nothing old-fashioned about this at all. In fact, I would argue that Mariachi in schools is pretty new age," Talamantes said. "It's about culture preservation .
.. A lot of these students don't come from a musical background, so they don't touch an instrument until I get them freshman year in high school, and so to see their growth from freshman year to senior year me that is it that is the moment that makes all of this worthwhile.
" Director Talamantes said students learning to play an instrument while co.