The PHS Mariachi Club has been on a roll this school year with the various events they have performed at. The real question is: How did the PHS Mariachi Club even start? Senior Class President Mirna Ramirez, Senior Class Vice President Claudia Galarza, and Assistant Principal Michael Guillen were delighted to talk about the origin, benefits, and future events of this special organization we have here on campus.
“What motivated me to start this club with Claudia was to express the passion that I have for Latin music here at school. What I have noticed since starting the club was how most members in the club are not of Hispanic descent so they get to learn a little bit about culture and open themselves up to things they have not seen before which I think is a positive experience for everyone who is involved. For Hispanic Heritage Month we went to different elementary schools to show the kids a little bit of culture outside of what they see among their peers. In the future we are thinking about doing something for Christmas to celebrate as well as competing in a UIL competition,” said Mirna Ramirez.
“During our sophomore year, me and Mirna realized that there wasn’t as much inclusion for other cultures at school and we wanted to make our school a more diverse environment when it comes to culture diversity. The benefit this club has is that we all have this strong desire to spread happiness through the art of music which is very special to us as well as those who get to see us perform. This year we have been really trying to get out there so we’ve been to many events such as the board meeting early in the school year and visiting elementary schools to embrace the beauty of our culture. Since many of us in the club are seniors we are not sure what is going to happen next but we just hope the Mariachi Club continues to grow,” said Claudia Galarza.
“The students coming together to form this club is what motivated me to finalize and sponsor the Mariachi Club. The PHS Mariachi benefits the members mostly because they see how the talents that they have can contribute to our community as well as our campus. When we go to perform at the elementary schools, the joy on the kids’ faces is just so heartwarming to our members which is very special. We have performed at the Memorial Hermann Hospital for Dia De Los Muertos as well as in several elementary schools especially since Hispanic Heritage Month was not too long ago but for the future we are planning on raising funds so the club can expand and grow even further,” said Assistant Principal Michael Guillen.
