Here's How Two Local Youth Music Programs Are Keeping Traditional Mexican Music Alive
From son jarocho to mariachi, Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy in the Bay Area and the Mariachi Heritage Foundation in Chicago are preserving and keeping traditional Mexican sounds alive through music programs and young musicians.
The importance of cultural preservation, specifically sounds that aren't considered mainstream or don't get much radio airplay, is what motivated Eugene Rodriguez (founder of Los Cenzontles) and Cesar Maldonado (Mariachi Heritage Foundation) to launch their music programs.
"It was a way of connecting my Mexican side to my American side," says Rodriguez, a musician and educator. "And it just became so natural for me to want to keep this music alive and to see younger people engaged and excited about, makes me happy."