by Marycielo Chaparro, Staffwriter

The Devils’ Advocate

Sweetwater has a diversity of cultures that helps students get connected with different heritages. Mariachi is not just another performing arts class; it’s a cultural class that helps students learn an instrument while learning about a different culture.

Mr. Sanchez, our mariachi teacher at Sweetwater, inspires his students every day by starting off his class with an inspirational quote about music. Students write their thoughts and views about what they feel about that particular quote in general; then they all share each other’s ideas with the class.

Mariachi consists of guitars, guitarrones, violins, trumpets, a harp and a singer. In his beginning classes, the majority of the students are eager to learn how to play the violin. Many of his students, like Stephanie Espinoza, shares, “The attitude that my classmates have is very optimistic, contagious enough to make me want to be part of it. Playing the violin makes me feel very relaxed and enthusiastic when I am listening to all the instruments come together as one. Mariachi has become very important, and I am very excited to be here and be learning new things in class.”

Mr. Sanchez invites students who don’t know how to play an instrument to learn and find ways that music inspires their lives. Our teachers don’t only want us to memorize things we learn, but actually apply those things we learn. Mr. Sanchez adds to that and says, “It’s not only learning how to play the song, but also learning how to read your musical notes.”

Just like Mr. Sanchez, all our teachers at SUHi help the Red Devil student body find inspiration in the things we learn in class.