In ‘The Land of Enchantment’ – Attending the 2021 Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference
By: Gean Vincent Almendras
It was a wond8erful excursion , the few days we spent under the Las Cruces sun — the land of Enchantment. The time spent this week at the Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference was truly a worthwhile experience. Building relationships with various legendary Mariachi resources, seeking out Instruction in elevating our group’s playing style and ensemble skills under the direction of the prestigious group, Mariachi Cobre of Disney’s Epcot, and finding ways to improve and develop my own teaching of mariachi music to my own students; these were some of the many reasons for making the journey to this conference and why it was so important to attend.
I can say with certainty that the conference struck inspiration in each of the attendee’s hearts, especially my fellow EBFE participants who made the trek to Las Cruces with me. We arrived with open minds and not fully knowing what to expect, since this was the first Mariachi conference for many of us and and the few of us who had been here before hadn’t been here in quite some time. So it was definitely an event full of unfamiliarity to some degree for each of our group’s members. Nevertheless, we still left the conference awestruck by what we had witnessed and inspired and hopeful for the potential of EBFE’s future generations of students.
As a violinist, this conference seemed extra special to attend as Mariachi Cobre’s lead violinist, Joe Baca, held a rare masterclass in which he demonstrated methods that allowed students from backgrounds of both Mariachi and Classical music to excel at the practice of styles crucial to both schools of music. As a violin instructor myself, who caters to several students being taught Mariachi music styles through the classical methodologies, It was quite helpful to see the importance of needing material that suits students’ development of violin technique at the level of classical literature while giving them an encompassing understanding of how such techniques are applicable to the mariachi style; Joe Baca’s masterclass, along with violin sectionals throughout the week under the direction of the ever-wise Gama brothers, did just that. Now I feel that I can come back to my own students with a fresh perspective on how I can best convey the importance of developing classical technique while allowing them to understand how it applies to the style of Mariachi playing. Personally, this was one of the most important takeaways from attending this conference, in addition to working with such amazing and experienced Mariachi musicians of such a high technical caliber.
There were many unforgettable memories made, especially with this being my first mariachi conference; among them being the large ensemble rehearsals with over 300 mariachis and dancers performing together, and a culminating stage performance with Mariachi Cobre at the Pan-American Center in front of thousands of spectators. We also had nightly sessions where we jammed into the late hours with other Mariachis of various levels, from groups across the country and Mexico. I believe it was at these jam sessions that we truly found our inspiration to keep working on developing our own group’s repertoire and knowledge of Mariachi music. Of course, no EBFE excursion would be complete without an “EBFE moments” — when something unexpected happens for better or for worse — in this case, it was being coaxed by the conference into an impromptu stage performance! We had little preparation and barely time to rehearse. But even with the sparse EBFE mariachi ensemble and dancers we had present, because of our drive and our resilience, like always, we pulled it off without a hitch!
Overall, getting such an introspective look at how a great mariachi ensemble like Mariachi Cobre functions was really one of the top highlights and takeaways from the series of workshops at this conference. We were able to take a workshop session where participants could ask and dissect what made Cobre ‘tick’ in a sense, what helped them get where they are now, and how such knowledge could be applied to improving the quality of any Mariachi ensemble. From this, we learned of several systems and techniques we could utilize as an ensemble to tighten our sound and really achieve a higher level of playing in this style we all love so much. I know we all felt overwhelmingly inspired by what we learned at this conference, and we looked forward to how we can start to implement what we’ve learned.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend this conference, as well as for the knowledge I have attained while doing so. I lastly recognize the privilege I have for being able to attend while many others could not do the same. I can only hope that future generations of older EBFE students will have the same opportunity to bathe in the splendor of such a life changing event, and that I can be here to prepare them for it.
