The 15 high school students in “Los Coyotes,” an award-winning mariachi band from Uvalde, Texas, paired up with students playing the same instruments at Longmont’s Skyline High School on Wednesday.
Clustered in groups on Skyline’s stage, the Texas students helped teach the Longmont students a musical piece, “Trenecito,” or “Little Train,” so they could play it together. As the students practiced, Uvalde director Albert Martinez bounced from the trumpets to the strings to the bass to the guitars and guitarron, a large bass guitar. He provided instruction, corrected missed notes and offered encouragement.
“If you make a mistake, is that a bad thing?” asked Martinez, a trumpet player and former mariachi professional. “No, it’s not. Just jump back in. I don’t care that you don’t have it perfect. Don’t give up on me. Keep trying.”
The Skyline High workshop was the first of several opportunities for “Los Coyotes” to perform in Boulder County over their weeklong visit. The Boulder Chorale is hosting the group in partnership with the Center for Musical Arts, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, St. Vrain Valley’s mariachi program and Colorado Chautauqua.
Vicki Burrichter, Boulder Chorale’s artistic director, was inspired to invite the mariachi group after reading a Rolling Stone article after the band won the first place trophy last year at the University of Texas’ Interscholastic League mariachi competition.
The state win is a point of pride for the small, rural community in south Texas, which was devastated by a school shooting shooting in May 2022, when 19 children and two staff members were killed at Robb Elementary School.
“Everyone is aware of the tragedy that occurred in Uvalde, but people should know about these amazing young musicians and how mariachi music has become a source of individual, community and cultural inspiration,” Burrichter wrote in a news release.
Arianna Ovalle, a Uvalde junior who plays violin, said competing at the state competition for the first time was “surreal.”
“It was our first competing for a lot of us,” Ovalle said. “Just to be there was amazing and to win was incredible. Even though it was our first time, we’ll never forget it. It made us very proud to bring that win home to our community.”
She said she likes the challenge and beauty of mariachi music, adding that the trip here is an opportunity to share the music that they love.
“It’s just fun to be able to play music with other people,” she said.
St. Vrain Valley has a large and growing mariachi program, with classes offered at multiple elementary and middle schools, as well as Skyline and Longmont high schools. Skyline in February also hosted the first-ever Colorado High School Activities Association Mariachi Festival.
Audrey Prado King, a freshman at Skyline, took a mariachi class at Timberline PK-8 and wanted to continue at Skyline. She plays the vihuela.
“I didn’t know anything about mariachi when I started,” Prado said. “Now, I enjoy it a lot. It’s so beautiful. I love how it’s connected to the culture. It’s very fun to perform.”
Classmate Merlina Resediz signed up for Skyline’s mariachi class after watching mariachi performances with her family and wanting to try it.
“I love it so much,” she said. “It’s the rhythm that it has that makes it different.”
Along with the Skyline workshop and a visit to the University of Colorado Boulder, “Los Coyotes” plan to participate in four public performances.
There are two free performances. The first is part of Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer’s cultural night, which starts at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the school, 101 E. Baseline Road, Lafayette. The second is at 11:15 a.m. Saturday at the Día Del Niño Celebration at the Glen Huntington Bandshell in Boulder’s Central Park.
Two more concerts will feature “Los Coyotes,” the Boulder Chorale and the Boulder Children’s Chorale’s Bel Canto singers.
The first concert is at 4 p.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce St., Boulder. For tickets, go to bit.ly/4d4UAxz.
The second concert is at 4 p.m. Sunday at Skyline High School’s Vance Brand Auditorium, 600 E. Mountain View Ave., Longmont. The concert also will be streamed live. A Mexican market with local vendors will be held along with the concert. For tickets, including to the livestream, go to bit.ly/3xHFnCb.
